[DeTomaso] indicator light/"overheating"/FI

[adin at frontier.net]

A little background (cause I want to learn)

Vee-hickle in question: MIata powered by FI 302

The Miata temp gauge was running "stright up" unless I was caught in  
traffic on a hot day - the running about 85% towards hot.

Installed temp gauge (with numbers) and discovered the following:   
"straight up" seemed to be about 160 degrees; the "85% towards hot"  
seemed to be about 195 degrees.  Long trip the car gets 25 mpg and the  
tail pipes run sooty black.

After some reading (I am the FI dummy) hoping to find some clue that  
the FI system would correct for altitude at some point (car came from  
sea level to 7000 ft.) I learned that the Ford FI system will run in  
"cold start mode" as long as the water temp is under 180 degrees.   
Then I remembered the monkey that sold me the car said it never  
overheats. (and the car was "mechanically sorted" -BWahahahahahahaha -  
another story)

Pulled the thermostat - a "180" - and replaced it with a "195" .  Now  
the car runs "85% towards hot" most of the time.  Sometimes the fans  
come on (I can only hear them in the driveway w/ motor off.)

Anyway, some questions:

Will the FI brain "adjust" for altitude?

How much cam is "too much" for this FI system? (the car has issues  
which I attribute to the cam)

Oil temp is running (what I think is a high) 215 degrees - easy  
driving. Won't the oil run much hotter w/ hard driving?  (Unable to  
test on public highways)

thanks in advance.

David in Durango





Quoting Christopher Kimball <chrisvkimball at msn.com>:

>
> That is the one risk, but if the car's not overheating, they're   
> probably working!  Plus, since I have my digital relays timed to run  
>  for 60 seconds after the car is turned off, so once I reach my   
> destination, I can walk to the front and visually check, too.
>
> Chris
> #3846
>