why only mazda thermostat?
 

I have a quick question. My cars been running a bit warm lately, and im pretty sure the culprit is the thermostat. I remembered seeing before that somene said to only usa a Mazda thermostat, so i searched and i found hundreds of threads where people said only use Mazda ones, but nowhere did i ever see a reason why.

So my question is, why do i need a mazda thermostat? Also, do any parts stores carry them, because the only Mazda dealership around here is about 80 miles away, and i really dont wanna travel that far just to spend $20 on a new thermostat. I also need my car running at a good temp now since its my primary source of transportation at the moment, so whats the deal with generic thermostats being bad?

You can order a mazda thermostat from mazdatrix, and maybe mazdaformance.
http://www.mazdatrix.com
http://www.mazdaformance.com

Thanks, thats actually not a bad idea.

Um, i'd still like an answer to the why part though. So far i still havent found the answer by searching. Btw, i never realised how many thousands of threads there are on overheating.

The easy reason is that aftermarket thermostats may only last a short while in the engine. Whether they're just crappy, or whether it's something else I am not sure of...Also, many aftermarket thermostats don't have the little jiggle pin, and may only be a "parts bin" generic replacement...

Mazda dealers normally keep thermostats in stock.

Because it works

take a part number with you if your going to the dealership

my dealer ship told me that they discontinued

Alright, so you think a generiic one would do me for a week or two until i could get to the dealership?
BTW, i used that RX-7 Technical information site you made to track ddwn that and another problem, and i gotta say that is a very well put together and very informational site. I found it while searching. Is there a link to it posted somewhere on the this forum? If not there needs to be.

Thanks.

my car had a stant thermostat in it for 1.5 yrs before i checked it and replaced it routinely with a mazda one. my buddy had a stant one in his car as well, but it only lasted a year before dying. when it die's, you'll know. cars seemed to run ok with them while they were working.

any idea what the jiggle pin does/why its needed?

I just ordered a couple from mazdacomp, no problem

the jiggle pins helps break apart lage bubbles and to allow a metered amount of coolant to pass while it is closed

I believe atkins has them as well (?)

The fact that some people have had no problems with non-OEM thermostats does not make it okay to use one. The failure rate of non-OEM thermostats is considerably higher than for Mazda ones. Keeping in mind how intolerant of overheating rotaries are, do you want to take a chance with your engine? :(

Either way, im running a cheap Napa one until i can get an oem one off the net. Either way, thats the least of my worries now, because when going to take the bad one out, i twisted the damn bolt off, so i gotta get up early tomorrow and drill it out.