My oil cooler has a leak at the threaded nipple ( crack ) what are my options to fix this? Is welding the only answer?

 

Yes, having it welded is the correct fix. This is very common. Search and youll see.

 

I had a rx4 cooler boss crack on me. It does get expensive to fix the deeper the crack. Finding someone to weld aluminum was hard to find. Most muffler or radiator shops don't weld aluminum; or if they do they didn't have the proper welder (MIG?). It was cheaper and easier to just use another cooler.

 

I had a dude that runs a boat propeller shop do it...maybe those things are aluminum....but he knew of the problem on that oil cooler and had this to say about it...or actually YELL about it...he talked very loud from years of welding I guess:

"Yeah Mazda really fucked that one up! It's a shitty ******' design!"

He charged about $70 for both of the bosses if I recall correctly...he welded the hell out of them. Be sure to bring in the threaded parts in so he can grind it smooth to match and avoid leaks.

Right on.

 

Yep, most boat shops can weld aluminum. Some rad shops can too. Just call around. If you're lucky to find another cooler cheap, it may already have a hairline crack in it that you can't see. I'd repair the one I have. You'll know it's done right. Big cracks are no big deal. In fact, some welders prefer to channel out the crack a little in order to weld it thoroughly.

Here's the trick. After you get it welded, do not go crazy when you tighten the fittings and hoses. Use new copper washers (a few cents) and 2 wrenches. If you try to torque down the hose onto the fitting without holding the fitting with a second wrench, you'll be right back where you started.

Good luck!

 

Oh yeah, here's the pics of mine before and after repair. Good luck!