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Thermostat: brand? temp? where to buy?

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Old 09-23-03, 09:28 PM
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Thermostat: brand? temp? where to buy?

I'm going to replace my thermostat, just as a preventative piece of mind, and haven't ever done this before.

Are there any differences between brands? What brands have shown themselves to be the most accurate and reliable? What temp should I get for my FD that is run mostly street, but I will be tracking (road racing, not drag) it, so it'll need to be able to handle that.

Where can you buy them (if other than the local Kragen/Autozone)?

TIA,

Patrick
Old 09-23-03, 11:55 PM
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OEM is probably the most reliable thermostat.

You can get one that opens at low temp but it'll keep your car in cold engine mode which can cause your engine to run rich and foul your plug, waste gas, etc.
Old 09-24-03, 01:50 AM
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Go with the stock Mazda Thermostat. It's a couple bucks more, but worth the price.
Old 09-24-03, 02:02 AM
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My mechanic only recommends the OEM t-stat as he has experienced reliability problems with generic ones.
Old 09-24-03, 02:32 AM
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Looks like OEM it is. Gotta call the $tealer tomorrow and see if'n they got any in stock. Anyone know how much they run ($)?
Old 09-24-03, 02:38 AM
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not too sure about mazda oem, but it shouldn't be more than like $25, and even that is really high for a t-stat. I got a new one for the pusstang for only $7 but mazda likes to charge a lot for theres and since its for an rx7 which may or may not be an ordered part not a in stock one it may be more which is why I said $25. Just a cusion.
Old 09-24-03, 09:55 AM
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call Malloy Mazda. Best prices.
Old 09-24-03, 11:16 AM
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Probably closer to $15
Old 09-24-03, 02:14 PM
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Go with the Mazda OEM. I blew a motor due to a faulty Napa T-stat.

Napa was great about their warranty too. They offered me another T-stat to replace the POS they sold me.

As far as the rebuild? I was out my own $$$$

How do I know it was the POS T-stat?

Less than one month after install, my car overheated in stop & go traffic. Talking to Atkins Rotary in WA about it, they claim 2-3 motors a month die because of aftermarket T-stats.

I checked, my fans were operating normally. I also only had the stock water temp gauge so I had no warning.

Critical items to remember? Burp the system to remove all the air you can prior to starting your motor.

You burp the system by squeezing the upper rad hose, with the rad cap (on the thermostat housing) removed.

Carry a gallon jug of distilled water in your car. If the low coolant buzzer goes off, pull over imeadiatly & add more water. For the next couple of drives, after cool down, check & add water to the AST.

You can check the overfill bottle too, but you want to make sure the AST is always full.
Old 09-24-03, 03:15 PM
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Just get OEM. It's only $11.25 from Mazdaformance, or ~$15 from Mazdatrix
Old 09-24-03, 04:04 PM
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I think I'm gonna get a new one anyways just to be on the safe side!
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