Radiator Help Needed
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Joined: Nov 2001
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From: San Diego, CA
Radiator Help Needed
I have a 1988 Mazda RX-7 Turbo.
The plastic housing along the top of the radiator (just left of the radiator cap) is cracking, presumably from age. It is leaking. I have applied opoxy to slow the leak but I believe it needs to be replaced.
Does anyone know where I can get a replacement radiator? www.radiators.com had what I thought was a good price for a replacement at $164.00. However, that was for the non-turbo version. They did not have a turbo version. Their advice: "call the dealer..." I did. $550.00!
Is there even a difference between the turbo and non-turbo radiator? (Mazdatrix has one at $406.00 but doesn't list a "Turbo" version)
Any ideas for a reasonable source?
Bob
The plastic housing along the top of the radiator (just left of the radiator cap) is cracking, presumably from age. It is leaking. I have applied opoxy to slow the leak but I believe it needs to be replaced.
Does anyone know where I can get a replacement radiator? www.radiators.com had what I thought was a good price for a replacement at $164.00. However, that was for the non-turbo version. They did not have a turbo version. Their advice: "call the dealer..." I did. $550.00!
Is there even a difference between the turbo and non-turbo radiator? (Mazdatrix has one at $406.00 but doesn't list a "Turbo" version)
Any ideas for a reasonable source?
Bob
There is no difference between turbo and non-turbo radiators. The only difference is for automatic cars (there's an auto tranny cooler in the radiator) and the '89-91 radiators are different, but will work in the early cars.
My daily driver ('86 base) recently had a small, seeping leak on the upper radiator tank. I bought some epoxy putty at Auto Zone that's designed for sealing leaks on plastic radiators. Worked GREAT. But, you have to clean the area SUPER good with brake cleaner first. It looks a little ghetto, but it will do for now.
The cheap parts store radiators are IMHO not as good as the stock radiator in cooling capacity. They're all metal - usually brass - and are quite a bit heavier as well.
Might want to shop around some places like mazdaformance.com and see if they can get a stock '86-88 radiator for a good price. Failing that, the Fluidyne is a top-notch drop-in unit. If you are on a budget, just find a used radiator - you can easily find '86-88 radiators that are in great shape.
Dale
My daily driver ('86 base) recently had a small, seeping leak on the upper radiator tank. I bought some epoxy putty at Auto Zone that's designed for sealing leaks on plastic radiators. Worked GREAT. But, you have to clean the area SUPER good with brake cleaner first. It looks a little ghetto, but it will do for now.
The cheap parts store radiators are IMHO not as good as the stock radiator in cooling capacity. They're all metal - usually brass - and are quite a bit heavier as well.
Might want to shop around some places like mazdaformance.com and see if they can get a stock '86-88 radiator for a good price. Failing that, the Fluidyne is a top-notch drop-in unit. If you are on a budget, just find a used radiator - you can easily find '86-88 radiators that are in great shape.
Dale
Opinions are like........
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 879
Likes: 1
From: Prov RI
First, try the 3 links way up above.
Overheating is an issue with the RX7. If your radiator is shot and you plan on keeping the car or adding more power, then get a better radiator. Feel free to use the search engine in the upper corner of the screen. Search radiator or overheating and you will understand why its best to upgrade.
The dealer is unreasonable. For less, you can get a fluidyne.
I almost purchased a rad from the radiators.com site. I called them for a customer and the radiator was a GDI made in Mexico special. Pepboys/autozone... sell these for the same price, as do other car part stores. They last about 3 years(have replaced several already) and pboys and azone have that lifetime warranty. But, IMHO, the GDI is a rusty POS as are other cheapo radiators.
www.absoluteradiator.com
http://griffinrad.com/
www.k2rd.com
Overheating is an issue with the RX7. If your radiator is shot and you plan on keeping the car or adding more power, then get a better radiator. Feel free to use the search engine in the upper corner of the screen. Search radiator or overheating and you will understand why its best to upgrade.
The dealer is unreasonable. For less, you can get a fluidyne.
I almost purchased a rad from the radiators.com site. I called them for a customer and the radiator was a GDI made in Mexico special. Pepboys/autozone... sell these for the same price, as do other car part stores. They last about 3 years(have replaced several already) and pboys and azone have that lifetime warranty. But, IMHO, the GDI is a rusty POS as are other cheapo radiators.
www.absoluteradiator.com
http://griffinrad.com/
www.k2rd.com
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