85 GSL-SE aftermarket thermostat clearance problem
 

Bought an aftermarket thermostat in town. Strange thing is, it contacts the back of the front side iron in which it is installed. Anyone else ever had this problem? When quizzing the store where I bought it from, they verified it was the right one. Stumped.....

No help sorry when I replaced mine I just bought a factory mazda one from the dealership fit like it should

Looks like I may end up doing the same.

The one I took out had fallen apart and also seemed like it was too long. :scratch:

Unless something else is modified or broken (mount?), then the new part should fit fine. Take it to Mazda and compare to a new one?

Take a picture and post . Thermostats are quite finicky for the rotary they actually do more than one thing . almost everyone will tell you to spend the extra and get the oem part .. As far as I can see even the good one will hit the housing if not turned the proper way . :) Gerald m.

Yeah I had this problem also.. I bought one from autozone. In their computer it says it is the right one. But it in fact is not the right one. Orileys sells the right one or better yet Mazdatrix sells the original Mazda thermostat.

I've been an O'Reilly fan since I started driving because of the service and hours they have in my town. Not ripping on any others, since we have OR, Napa, and Autozone now, but they are the best as far as people and hours go.

Anyways, OR is where I got mine as well and it fit fantastically and worked awesome.

Side note, my thermostat was letting out at about 210*F before and overheated daily to 250*F + and when I replaced it with a new thermostat it let out at 180*F and stays there constantly.

Ordered the Mazda factory part + gasket last week. Should be in this week some time.

It is more $ than than the O-Riellys part ( SP? ) .

The good natured fellow behind the counter asked me something to the effect of "you still driving that thing?????" ?

Weird how the jiggle pin position makes a bunch of difference in the engine temps....

the rule of thumb is to ONLY use an o.e.m. thermostat and gasket. the o.e.m. t-stat is really only the correct thermostat for the RX-7. aftermarket units can cause the engine to overheat.. i have had that experience and i switched to an o.e. unit right away and all was well. i only use the o.e. t-stats.

I put the new Mazda thermostat in. Made a BIG difference in how fast the car warms up now and how it stays consistent in engine temps on cold mornings. Paid almost 30 bucks for the thermostat and gasket but it was worth it in my opinion. Wished I hadn`t wasted the money on the after market replacement.

Good to hear it worked for you.

I like mines from Oreily