Just wanted to post the results of my recent oil cooler conversion (water/oil to air/oil). i started with a leaking 85' water/oil cooler, and ended up installing a 2nd gen (86') air/oil cooler.

Parts Used:
1986 air/oil cooler ($9.99) and an oil filter pedestal ($1.99) from a local pick-a-part place
2nd gen mazdatrix direct fit stainless lines
1 piece of 1/8"x1" aluminum bar stock
New 5/8" heater hoses (while i was there...)

The pictures below show most of it, but i bent up two brackets out of the 1/8"x1" aluminum to mount the 2nd gen cooler just in front of the radiator (and just in front of the AC rad.). It was a pretty tight fit, but all in all it went fairly smoothly. And the 2nd gen lines fit pretty good at this location. Also cut off the two coolant 'T's that fed the previous oil cooler and eliminated the old hoses.

 

very cool. Posting with pics helps!

 

Damn that's some clean oil cooler and lines! Great job!

 

Awesome! Now if only I could find one....

 

this is a pretty easy add on. i wish i could find pics when i did mine i used one of the first gen big coolers and had some custom made hoses and me and my dad are pretty proud if you have any Q's shoot them to me

dan

 

Isn't water cooled prefferred to air cooled? Seems like both are air cooled by location and the water cooled system just adds a degree of cooling to the whole system?

PS, I'm still shopping for an oil cooler "replacement", any suggestions?

Racing Beat ~$860
MazdaTrix ~$415
Used ~$150

If I go air cooled, would it be best to go with an 83 air cooler or an 86 if both are available? I will most likely be getting some hoses from RB since they look the best to me.

 

go with the big old cooler those little honey comes are about worhtless and can very easily cause a soon death of a 12a.

dan