1st Gen General Discussion The place for non-technical discussion about 1st Gen RX-7s or if there's no better place for your topic

New car running no oil cooler.

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 11-25-18, 08:01 AM
  #1  
rotary newbie

Thread Starter
 
Fromslowtogo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: kingston Ontario
Posts: 232
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
New car running no oil cooler.

Hello all getting back into Rotary's after taking a decade or so off. Picked up a Canadian GX with a street port, weber DCOE and RB header and exhaust. Runs smooth and pretty clean. looking it over I found the beehive removed and no fmoc. The 2 ports I assume to be the oil line ports on the lower left side of the engine are looped with a piece of stainless braided line with AN fittings. Is this a common practice? doesn't seem right to me
Old 11-25-18, 09:02 AM
  #2  
sa7
Senior Member

iTrader: (13)
 
sa7's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Cape Breton, NS
Posts: 726
Likes: 0
Received 23 Likes on 14 Posts
No. You definitely need an oil cooler. I would try to find a good used front mount one. Even one from an fc would work, that’s what I have in my 79 since mine was cracked.
Old 11-25-18, 09:04 AM
  #3  
ancient wizard...

 
GSLSEforme's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Maryland
Posts: 2,335
Received 256 Likes on 209 Posts
No it's not. Should make installing one or the other a priority
Old 11-25-18, 11:22 AM
  #4  
1st-Class Engine Janitor

iTrader: (15)
 
DivinDriver's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Chino Hills, CA
Posts: 8,376
Received 26 Likes on 24 Posts
Rotaries dump half their waste heat into the oil. The only real cooling the rotating assembly gets is via oil.

FBs were able to use the small beehive instead of the large FMOC found on SAs because the beehive facilitated transfer of oil heat into the coolant system (which also provided faster warm-up for smog purposes), and even then they still used air-cooling fins to make up the difference.

Without an oil cooler of some kind, you're likely to lose oil viscosity and see rapid bearing/seal wear, probably even before the overheat condition registers in water temps because without the beehive there's not much transfer of oil heat to the water jacket.

Highly recommend an oil temp gauge, as well as an oil cooler.
Old 11-25-18, 02:24 PM
  #5  
84SE-EGI helpy-helperton

 
LongDuck's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Posts: 3,314
Received 359 Likes on 250 Posts
The ONLY way the car would survive without an oil cooler would be as a dedicated ice racer where air temps are below freezing...

Don't drive it until you get that placed,
Old 11-25-18, 03:47 PM
  #6  
rotary newbie

Thread Starter
 
Fromslowtogo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: kingston Ontario
Posts: 232
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Ok recommendations on where to find a front mount and lines? Are they available new ? Or used only? What years will work for it?
Old 11-26-18, 07:28 AM
  #7  
RX HVN

iTrader: (2)
 
7aull's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Arizona
Posts: 3,889
Received 227 Likes on 167 Posts
Start with Mazdatrix and Racing Beat for Lines. Ebay always has FMOC of chinese-origin for sale. Can't speak to their quality.

Stu Aull
80GS
AZ
Old 11-26-18, 08:30 AM
  #8  
Rotorhead for life

iTrader: (4)
 
Pete_89T2's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Elkton, MD
Posts: 1,861
Received 1,032 Likes on 589 Posts
If you can't find a used SA/FB front mount oil cooler, it wouldn't be too difficult to fabricate brackets & AN lines to use an FC oil cooler to use on an SA/FB. There are plenty of good used FC oil coolers available for sale.
Old 11-26-18, 08:49 AM
  #9  
Out In the Barn


iTrader: (9)
 
KansasCityREPU's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: KC
Posts: 6,062
Received 1,016 Likes on 802 Posts
I haven't found an aftermarket oil cooler yet that has an internal t-stat. Please keep this in mind. The oil cooler need to have an internal or external t-stat so that the oil can get up to temp. If only driving in the summer it's probably not a big deal. In the winter it is.

You can make your own oil lines with steel or nylon braided hose and -10an fittings. Do not use old oil lines. They start to degrade internally and you can't tell.
Old 11-26-18, 10:29 AM
  #10  
rotary newbie

Thread Starter
 
Fromslowtogo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: kingston Ontario
Posts: 232
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Well I think I figured out the route im thinking, since my 2 engine ports already have the fittings for AN lines i should be able to get an FC cooler and 2 fittings from racing beat to go from metric to AN and make a couple lines.

Now to find a FC cooler that doesn't look like it was beaten with a hammer
Old 11-27-18, 06:26 AM
  #11  
Rotorhead for life

iTrader: (4)
 
Pete_89T2's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Elkton, MD
Posts: 1,861
Received 1,032 Likes on 589 Posts
I have a spare FC oil cooler that I can let go of, it's not perfect (some bent fins) but it doesn't leak. If interested, shoot me a PM.
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
AZrx7
1st Generation Specific (1979-1985)
5
07-08-02 06:18 PM
4ohfour
1st Generation Specific (1979-1985)
5
05-23-02 09:33 AM
WackyRotary
1st Generation Specific (1979-1985)
9
03-06-02 11:52 AM



Quick Reply: New car running no oil cooler.



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 10:16 AM.