Project: 1995 Miata

[PDenbigh]

Check the ignition timing (and all the things that affect it). If it's off or erratic, it could cause you to lose power and cause the temps to go up. I assume you checked your coolant level after all of that, right? Don't want that to boil and get low.

Are miata temp gauges "accurate" or are they more binary? Most modern gauges are either "in the middle" or "high" by design, and don't really accurately display medium-to-minor changes in temp. ("accuracy" freaks common drivers out, ("it's always moving!!!") so they took out the fidelity. On a RX8, for example, I've heard that if the water temp shows "high," it's already too late. Just something to be aware of.

I finally fixed the cooling issue on the XR this weekend - with a higher pressure cap. 28-32psi rated cap, up from 22psi. Temps never got above 200 at full boost Saturday or Sunday, and would quickly fall back down to 180 as I came off the track into pits. My trouble symptom was that it was boiling all of the water out, which doesn't seem to be your issue.