Ok so i am doing a motor swap and when taking out the oil lines and oil cooler the return line kinda got a hole in it so i need new oil lines and my oil cooler looks like it's had a bad day in bosnia... anyway, the point of the story is i'm looking to find a place where i can get a new oil cooler for an S4 NA... I went on mazdatrix and for the stock replacement they wanted $580.00... I was wondering if there were any aftermarket oil coolers or somewhere I can find them cheaper.. thanks guys.

 

Ask over in the for sale section. I'm certain you'll get replies.
WTB Oil Cooler & lines

If not, there are a dozen available in CA on the internet.

 

Just buy a stock one on the forums. The FC oil coolers are quite large from what I have seen on other vehicles. It's alot bigger than the FD's.

 

thanks... just curiuos, What's the best way to clean those, cuz mine is ugly as hell and i was wondering if soaking it in gas, or solvent would help or just damage it?.. it's caked with dirt +dry oil

 

I'd just use a wire brush and some brake&parts cleaner. It'll work like a charm. I am not sure if there is a way to test if the oil cooler flows correctly or not. Should be though.

 

there is a thermostat in the oil cooler that you should replace while its all apart.

 

I don't think I've ever seen (or heard) of that thermostat failing. Unless it's broken, there's no need to replace.

 

You might try taking it to a radiator place and have them straighten the fins. Once you get the dirt and grease off (hot soapy water followed by a degreaser) try buffing inside the fins with a felt bob and power tool. You can get everything you will need from http://www.caswellplating.com/ . Just an idea.

 

iF U replace them go with Racing Beat Oil Cooling lines the Steal Braided ones There around 170ish but VERY GOOD!

 

We sell stock replacement SS lines; $125 with your core, or $150 outright before shippage..

 

I'm replacing my original oil cooler and lines due to oil leaks where the lines connect to the cooler. I have a used replacement cooler and new SS oil lines from Corksport but will need to add the strip of foam isulation that runs along the bottom and seals the space between the cooler and the tray. I assume I can probably find this foam just about at any engine or radiator shop but looking for some recommendations on what to buy and where I might find it?

 

Oh boy!, I get to be your first then.
Mine failed and was replaced just a few months ago.
Symptoms were very erratic oil temps as sometimes the thermostat failed to close and force the oil through the cooler.

At first we thought that maybe there was crud or something that was obstructing the orifice but an inspection failed to find anything, so we just replaced it.

Never would have noticed the problem (or been able to confirm the fix) if I didn't have aftermarket oil and water temp gauges.

 

Sweet. Yep, you're the first.

 

Can anyone give me some help on this question? Just need someone who has replaced this foam sealer on an oil cooler. Thanks

 

I'm not trying to threadjack here, but does anybody know with certainty if it is ok to have the oem FC oil cooler installed upside down compared to it's original orientation? Can it be mounted inverted and just have the inlet and outlet lines switched??

 

You can get the foam at the dealer I think. Failing that, just a high temp epoxy to glue foam to the new cooler. To he brutally honest, I don't see the foam making a big diff in oil temps. Maybe one or two degrees. Most RX-7s don't have any foam left at this point.

The cooler can be mounted in any orientation. Up, down, left, right, inverted, etc.

 

Thanks, AC - you're right about most of our cars not having any foam barrier left. I thoiught since I was replacing the cooler I'd put the foam back if I can find any just to help the ol'girl out. She's been awfully good to me and a lot of fun and besides its often a challenge to put her back the way she rolled of the transporter and I tend to learn something on every repair. I'll see if I can find some appropriate foam and some very tough epoxy.

 

Use a plumber's red pipe wrench to grab the oil cooler fitting points when you wrench on the hose fittings, or you can crack the oil cooler.