[DeTomaso] indicator light/"overheating"/FI

[Will Kooiman]

Mass air will adjust for altitude.  I'm pretty sure that's what you have.
The mass air meter is right behind the air filter.  I don't think speed
density has anything behind the filter.

Mass air measures the amount of current needed to keep a wire at a specified
temp.  If the air is cooler, it takes more current, so it detects more air
going in the engine.  If the air is thinner, it takes less current, so it
detects less air going into the engine.  If you're running at 5,000 rpm,
there's more air, so it takes more current, and so forth.  At least that's
how I understand it.

The speed density 5.0's ran harder, but the mass air 5.0's handle mods
better.  Assuming you have mass air, you should be fine with your camshaft.

BTW, you want your oil to run at least hot enough to boil water.  It helps
keep condensation out of the engine.  215 sounds perfect to me.

BTW2, you probably want to change your spark plugs.  They're probably nasty
after that many miles with a 160deg thermostat.  One of the old tricks with
5.0's was to install a 160deg thermostat.  It would trick the computer to
run rich to fix a metering problem - like if you're running a camshaft too
large.  I thought it was only done on the speed density cars, though.

-----Original Message-----
From: detomaso-bounces at realbig.com [mailto:detomaso-bounces at realbig.com] On
Behalf Of adin at frontier.net
Sent: Monday, July 21, 2008 9:09 AM
To: Christopher Kimball
Cc: mikeldrew at aol.com; detomaso at realbig.com; dave at damardirect.com
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] indicator light/"overheating"/FI


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
>

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