1st Generation Specific (1979-1985) 1979-1985 Discussion including performance modifications and technical support sections

Installing a oil cooler kit on 1985 maZda fx7 12a

Old Aug 21, 2018 | 03:27 PM
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Installing a oil cooler kit on 1985 maZda fx7 12a


I bought a oil cooler for my Rex on eBay it came with 3 lines and a adapter where like a oil filter goes I was wondering do I have to remove the beehive oil cooler to install it or can I leave it on I’m lost as ever help please how I install this
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Old Aug 21, 2018 | 03:46 PM
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That setup will not work. There is so much wrong with these parts as a stock or stock like replacement.

1. The oil cooler does not have an internal thermostat.
2. The cooler is way too small.
3. The hoses look way to long.
4. The oil pedestal sandwich will not work.
5. You need the correct adapters to convert the rear and front to AN.
6. You could can find something closer than Australia.

Last edited by KansasCityREPU; Aug 21, 2018 at 07:00 PM.
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Old Aug 21, 2018 | 05:52 PM
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Not much else to say ^

The only oil cooler that should be going in your car is a stock OEM replacement. Find one used for about $100 and have it cleaned out and replace the thermostat crush washer. Make up some new lines and you are all set.

Did you lose the original to your car?
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Old Aug 21, 2018 | 11:56 PM
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Darn. I thought skits looked to good to be true

its got to be better than the beehive, no?

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Old Aug 22, 2018 | 01:56 AM
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No.

The thing about a rotary engine is that the nature of the internally spinning rotors means that the oil has to carry away a significant portion of the heat from the INSIDES of the rotors. That oil that's sprayed there gets super hot and must be cooled effectively before it goes back into the engine. The oil cooler is responsible for getting rid of that waste heat and the factory units are sized appropriately, contain a thermostat that controls flow, and is mounted in such a way as to get a good bit of air coming in the front end. Mazda had the right idea originally with the 79/80 FMOC, went cheap on the 81+ 12a cars with the water/oil cooler, and realized it needed a bit more for the 13b GSL-SEs, and added the FMOC. All later cars had FMOC of several varieties, because that's how important cooling the oil is to a rotary engine.

Stick with stock; anything else won't work effectively and is likely to toast your engine.
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Old Aug 22, 2018 | 03:45 AM
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You could hypothetically use that little oil cooler in-line with the beehive if you really needed to improve overall engine cooling on the cheap. But not by itself.
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Old Aug 22, 2018 | 07:30 AM
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If you mount it so it hangs outside under the front fender and run the hoses over the nose through cutouts to the beehive that should work and add at least 20HP.

</sarcasm>
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Old Aug 22, 2018 | 01:47 PM
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This is the exact kit I got I want to keep the beehive and just add this
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Old Aug 22, 2018 | 01:48 PM
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Old Aug 22, 2018 | 03:35 PM
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That pedalistal wont work but you can make the lines work if you get one of the traditional looking oil coolers. I bought this cooler, without the hoses, and made my own. You still need to use a thermostat because this one doesn't have one. I used the Earl one.

For the pedestal, just get one from an early 12A (pre 1984) or 13B (pre 1986 - I'm not sure if a second gen RX-7 pedestal will work).

Those line can be shortened.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Earls-Plumbing-501ERL-Oil-Thermostat/182972192212?epid=1358985825&hash=item2a99fe15d4:g :PJoAAOSwEZdaOSZo:sc:FedExHomeDelivery!64068!US!-1

https://www.rotary-works.com/oil-coo...-13B-RX7FB-KIT

There are other oil coolers on eBay that look like the one I posed for cheaper.

I spent $500 putting mine together. At the end of the day, I should have went with a stock one and just TIG welded -10AN fittings on it.

Last edited by KansasCityREPU; Aug 22, 2018 at 03:40 PM.
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Old Aug 23, 2018 | 12:34 AM
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What if your premixing and deleted the omp? That should save on oil temps
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Old Aug 23, 2018 | 08:26 AM
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From: KC
Originally Posted by Ottoman5000
What if your premixing and deleted the omp? That should save on oil temps
No - The OMP has nothing to do with the oil cooler or it's abilities.
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Old Aug 23, 2018 | 08:40 AM
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Since you said you wanted to keep the beehive, you could disconnected the hardline going from the front cover to the beehive. Add one of the new lines to the front cover and run the the new cooler. Then run the other new line from the cooler output to where the hardline you remove to the beehive.

Without a thermostat, your oil will not heat up very fast in cold weather and you will probably notice low oil pressure until it goes heat up. Who knows how long that will take but it could cause lubrication issues by starving the e-shaft of oil.
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Old Aug 23, 2018 | 11:34 AM
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Mazdatrix sells 16mm/18mm to -10 mail male fittings that fit the oil ports on the rear iron, front cover and the bungs on the coolers. They use the OE aluminum crush washers. No need for a sandwich adapter unless you want to fit temp and pressure gauges. Also no need for welding
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Old Aug 24, 2018 | 05:23 PM
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Not sure why anyone wants to trust their entire engine to something like this.

A good used OEM oil cooler and new lines and fittings from Summit racing will not cost very much money.
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Old Aug 27, 2018 | 06:44 PM
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If you can't find an SA or FB oil cooler, FC oil coolers are plentiful and will work with a little adaptation.
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Old Aug 28, 2018 | 10:33 AM
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I'd keep the beehive. It works on my 13B with a turbo. I don't see why it won't work for an NA 12A.
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Old Nov 3, 2018 | 01:55 AM
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Old Nov 3, 2018 | 06:18 AM
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Use the GSL-SE oil cooler, lines, and pedestal in place of the beehive. You will also need the o-rings that seal the pedestal to the rear iron. Since you have an 85, this is all bolt in. The nuts are already there for the oil cooler mounts. this is the best oil cooler setup you can get for your 85 that's bolt in. Don't waste your time with the aftermarket stuff. Its too small and thin to be effective on a rotary and you will risk damage to your engine. If the car is just a driver and you don't plan on doing any autocrossing or road courses with the car, the beehive oil cooler will be just fine.
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