1996 Miata. The hood of my car is so hot that you could fry an egg on it. The hood is so hot that you can not put your hand on it. The heat actually comes through and can be felt on the legs of the person in the passenger seat. The temperature gauge reads normal. This began recently. I took it to the Mazda dealer who said it was normal? Any ideas?
Was the vehicle in a collision, or was it otherwise damaged recently?
I ask because it is possible that the insulating pad that is supposed to be on the underside of the hood might have been lost as a result of some kind of damage.
Also–it is possible that a heat shield has been lost from the exhaust system as a result of rust and/or damage from road debris. If the passenger can feel radiating heat and this did not happen previously, that sounds like a missing heat shield.
Thanks VDCdriver. The heat shield makes sense. I am going to take it to another Mazda dealer.