mx5cartalk.com

I know I already have a thread on this, but I wanted to advertise to a larger audience

So with that being said, could I please ask for someone to take a picture of their NB8A coolant sensor, located at the back of the head, both sensor and loom plug.

I urgently need to know what the shape of both plugs are as I currently have one which is triangle (loom), and the other rectangle (temp sensor).

I've called a number of people, and searched a number of times online and I have failed to gather any information about the plug itself.

Thank you!

I can't help with pics but I know it has three pins and a triangular connector.

Here you go

Awesome!!

So that leaves the possibility of him putting on a different head wide open, that's just great........

Thank you so much for the help i know for sure now!


No ones got any for sale? hehe

mx51982 wrote:So that leaves the possibility of him putting on a different head wide open, that's just great...

or possibly just another sensor

mx51982 wrote:
No ones got any for sale? hehe

viewtopic.php?f=44&t=37699&hilit=NB8A+head

Funny, I was just thinking about reactivating this. I might be able to deal with the cams, buckets, but would need new valves.

Might not be the head for you though, depending on where you are heading (oh no not another one ) with the car ...

If you are interested, PM me and we can discuss.

Haha, i wish mate, don't tempt me

An as per previous comment, yes it could just be another sensor, but the question is how did the sensor change from right to wrong in the first place?

mx51982 wrote:the question is how did the sensor change from right to wrong in the first place?

As it protrudes it might have got damaged in transit to or from the engineering place that reco'd the original head, assuming that's what happened, although there are other possibilities as has been noted.

It is common practice to 'exchange' when reconditioning - saves waiting time while they put yours in the queue. It is not usually an issue, except when they give you back something that is not the same as what you gave them . My guess is that this is what has happened here. What points to an exchange is that if your man had stripped the head, unless he was also working on a 323 at the same time, he would have put back the correct sensor.

Only major issue that I am aware of is the different cooling passages between n/s and e/w engines. If you haven't done so already, check with an experienced and reputable MX5 workshop (see forum sponsors) to see if this is likely to cause any problems, and what precautions are necessary if using the 'wrong' head (eg head gasket choice, sensors, thermostat, etc).

Good luck, and keep us posted. I am sure people will be interested to learn about issues involved in 'mixed marriages' of this sort

Well i am quite intrigued as i wasn't aware of any matching heads from other cars, only that of the bp block e.g. familia etc..

mx51982 wrote:Well i am quite intrigued as i wasn't aware of any matching heads from other cars, only that of the bp block e.g. familia etc..

Thats right, a 323 head is different to a MX5 head (or so I am told), even though the blocks may be the same nominally. I am not the expert though, you need to talk to someone who is, from the MX5 side of the mazda fence, not the transverse side. Changing the sensor, though fiddly given its location, is not the issue. It is what other things need to be done if you have a transverse head. Given your man is not an MX5 expert, and that seems pretty obvious, he will not know what these are (if any), and if he can't recognise the difference he won't have asked his mates who might know.

I have already said that I am NOT the expert, and I MAY be making a mountain out of a molehill - that is one thing the net is good for !! (However, to date no-one has told me I am talking out of my *****, at least on this subject )

It is your car, your money, and it is up to you as how far, and with whom, you pursue this line of enquiry. I don't think I can say any more than what I have already said.

Good luck.

Point taken, thankyou.

Good luck!!

triangle plug is NB8 and rectangle plug is Not NB8 - NA6/8.

the coolant thing with the sensor sticking out of it is exchangeable from NA6 to NA8 and NB so it is possible that it was the part that got mixed up.

It's a while later, and I don't know if its any consolation to anyone but I ended up getting the Mazda back after he gave up on finding this plug. Having already received a quote from Mazda, I decided to call bursons and they found it straight away, $36, a lot cheaper than $80+ from Mazda. Ill be getting it tomorrow and putting it in. He seemed to think that it was impossible to find having "called mazmaz (wreckers), with no luck", and also giving the task to his auto elec who could not understand the difference between a triangle and rectangle (basic primary school maths)... What a talented auto elec hey?