ok, so my car is an S4. you gotta try to imagine this since my description may be a little bad. ok, u know the neck (thermostat cover/neck i think) that the main coolant hose connects to, my model has the cap assembly and a little spigget(sp) that runs a hose to the overflow bottle. well on mine, the little plastic nozzle piece that the overflow hose goes onto broke off. my car was smoking like crazy and there was a coolant trail after my car! (coolant leaking and getting burned off). . it scared the shiet outta me since it was driving fine for that last few days + i was stuck in traffic for a bit (bet the folks behind me were like, oh shiet, were stuck). i doubt i overheated because i didn't drive far from home and i filled the coolant back up before driving (drove slow 25 mph in 40 zone) home. so the car's parked now and i don't want to move it til its fixed. i checked the local junkyard and they recently removed all but one 2nd gen. the same piece is broken on that 7. here's where i need your opinion.
A) find a 2nd gen with cover without the cap assembly and replace that piece and run the overfill line from the spigget (sp) from the radiator (currently the spigget is just blocked off)
or
B) go buy a new piece from the mazda dealer or get one from mazdatrix (but they don't have the little piece i need, i must get the whole assembly for $60)

i just don't want this to happen again so im leaning more towards the first choice (price-wise). the next closest junkyard i know of that had 2 gens is an hour away. do you think i should change the thermostat since i will have that piece off? i don't have any problems with my current thermostat.

 

I don't have this setup on my '88, but I (think) I can visualize yours...can you block off the overflow tube nipple on the t-stat housing you have, and then buy the overflow piece to fit under the rad cap on the radiator? (and get a pressure cap for the rad, of course)...I thought I've seen these setups on the Mazdatrix site...

 

well i went back and check out mazdatrix again (slowly this time) and noticed they did have the cap assembly (30 bucks for that freakin plastic!) but im thinking now, i would like to avoid plastic piece like that since it'll break again later on. it looks like mazdatrix doesn't have the neck without the cap assembly for the 86-88 (i've seen it on 86-88 so i just need to find one) so i guess i will have to go look at the junks for the neck then. the sad thing is last time i check the junkyard (the 1 hour driving distance one), they crushed most of the 7 and i only saw two gens. one had the same assembly as mine but broken the same way and the other one, damn, i forgot to check. would anyone have one handy? by the way, the 89-91 necks won't fit the 86-88 huh (3 bolts instead of 2 i think)?

 

anyone have one of those necks without the cap assembly for the S4 just laying around?

 

hey, I just thought of something...I put in a new rad about 6 months ago, so the old OEM one is sittin around somewhere- it should have that little neck piece with the overflow tube nipple on it...want me to check when I get home?

 

that's cool but no thanks. im checking out a neck from another forum member. he has the one without the little tube thingy. my rad already has a tube for the overflow bottle so i want to avoid the plastic tubey on the neck (might break again in the future then same problem all over again). thanks though.

 

Post a wanted to buy (WTB) in the 2nd gen for sale section.

 

got the part i needed. just got it cleaned up and installing (replacing) tomorrow. thanks.