while my engine is at goopy performance being rebuilt i decided to give my engine bay a refresh, paint some parts and clean as much as i could . Today i was working on the oil cooler decreasing and cleaning when i notice this weird mounting adapter on the side that the lines go in. I also notice that this cooler does not have a thermostat. Is this a factory cooler?

 

that looks a lot like my friends Rx2 oil cooler...

 

This is not a factory GSL-SE oil cooler. As far as coolers go, I don't even recognized it as an RX-7 cooler.

 

i just researched and it is definitely not factory. Ive have the car for 2 years now and ive never had a problem with the oil. Should i keep it or buy a factory one? Ive read that if u run a cooler with out a thermostat the oil may not get warm enough. But i don't see how that's a problem if we want cooled oil any ways????

 

what happen to the engine..?

 

blew a coolant seal car over heated on the highway

 

that sucks ...good luck with your new old engine..oil cooler look funky look for a se one

 

thanks man

 

It depends - did it overheat, and THEN blow the coolant seal, or did it blow the coolant seal and then overheat?

From what I've read over the years (*and I have 213k miles on an original SE engine), the oil cooler on the SE is all aluminum for maximum heat dissipation, sized appropriately for the engine flow, and placed in such a way as to get it's own clean, clear airflow for maximum efficiency.

If the cooler you show above is aftermarket, made of steel or clogged up at all, it could have contributed to your overheating issue. Do you want to take that risk with your rebuilt engine once it's installed?

If it were me, I'd be replacing that oil cooler with a factory SE cooler.

As problematic as they can be with the aluminum bungs cracking from overtightening them, I have yet to see any issues with the cooler not working properly to keep engine temps down, and I live in the AZ desert where it gets up to 118*-120*F regularly, and that's AIR temperature - the temps off of blacktop that the cooler sucks in are probably 10-20*F hotter than that.

With a rotary, you need as much cooling capacity as you can get. Good luck,

 

it over heated then the coolant seal went. I was having problems keeping it cool before it blew it would over heat sitting but would be cool on the road. I did a coolant flush and changed the thermostat and the water pump worked fine but she would still over heat sitting. Any one have a decent oil cooler to sell me??

 

Oil is a funny thing. Ask any old porsche guy about oil temps and they will tell you. That thermostat is important because oil that is too cool can be just as bad as oil that is too hot. I say, replace it or add a t-stat in line.