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Thermostat Replacement???

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Old 01-18-24, 02:45 PM
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Thermostat Replacement???

My thermostat is sticking from sitting for long. What is best replacement for aggressive driving. Send links if you can. Thanks y’all!
Old 01-18-24, 03:05 PM
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Aggressive where? Street or track?
Old 01-18-24, 05:12 PM
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Originally Posted by FDAUTO
Aggressive where? Street or track?
yea either or. I do a lot of canyon/track driving so whatever is best in your opinion
Old 01-18-24, 05:25 PM
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Are you overheating in these drives? What is the reason for this replacement? What are you trying to accomplish?
Old 01-18-24, 06:13 PM
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OEM Engine Coolant Thermostat - 8AF6-15-171-9U
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Old 01-18-24, 06:32 PM
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The 9U thermostat is not an oem thermostat, it is a motorad rebranded mazda thermostat…
Old 01-18-24, 06:55 PM
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Originally Posted by R-R-Rx7
The 9U thermostat is not an oem thermostat, it is a motorad rebranded mazda thermostat…
Well, it's sold as OEM at dealerships and Mazda Auto Parts stores



Last edited by neit_jnf; 01-18-24 at 10:25 PM.
Old 01-18-24, 09:05 PM
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The factory thermostat works well, I would buy directly from a Mazda dealership or trusted shop to avoid fakes. Mazdatrix is near Long Beach. Rotary Power is in Gardena. Lucky 7 Racing is City of Industry. I'm sure there are others I'm missing.

I would drain and replace the coolant if it's more than 1 year old, and use a coolant funnel like the Lisle no-spill funnel to bleed the air out of the system. Be careful of rusted fasteners, these cars are getting old.
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Old 01-18-24, 09:30 PM
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the stock thermostat is fine. if you want to feel like you're doing something then you can remove it entirely but there's really no point. any sort of thermostat related "modification" will yield no benefit and only drawbacks. if you are driving hard enough ON THE STREET where it would make a difference, which it won't, then you should probably slow down. because of the job of the thermostat and how it works, you will net nothing by "upgrading" it. replace the sticky one with a new stock one and you'll be good.
Old 01-18-24, 10:32 PM
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is your car stock or modded? how much power is it producing? what kind of "aggressive" driving are you doing? is it overheating with the stock thermostat?
have you upgraded the radiator? what about the oil coolers? and the thermoswitch? what kind of coolant are you using?

there are 68 - 71 - 76 - 82 (stock) deg C Thermostats available but it is just one piece of the puzzle
Old 01-19-24, 05:17 AM
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Originally Posted by neit_jnf
Well, it's sold as OEM at dealerships and Mazda Auto Parts stores

you are correct. it is marketed as such but it is not OEM. Personally if i am going to get a real OEM one, I would get one from Japan.






I did not like the 9U "OEM" branded thermostat as the dual pass plug does not extend out where it has to be. I was specifically looking for that though.

Last edited by R-R-Rx7; 01-19-24 at 07:21 AM.
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Old 01-19-24, 06:41 AM
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I’m with the others. Seems like marketing has convinced many that a thermostat can be a performance item for a street-driven car. Even though you can’t see them, if they start anodizing them in bright colors they’d probably sell even more.

And that’s interesting R-R-Rx7, I wasn’t aware of the difference. Thanks for posting pics.

Last edited by Sgtblue; 01-19-24 at 06:44 AM.
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Old 01-19-24, 07:28 AM
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Originally Posted by Sgtblue
I’m with the others. Seems like marketing has convinced many that a thermostat can be a performance item for a street-driven car. Even though you can’t see them, if they start anodizing them in bright colors they’d probably sell even more.

And that’s interesting R-R-Rx7, I wasn’t aware of the difference. Thanks for posting pics.
https://www.rx7club.com/build-thread.../#post12576801

i had posted my findings along with the issues i came across with the aftermarket “OEM” thermostat
Old 01-19-24, 11:49 AM
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Ray Crowe for all OEM parts
Details in the FAq thread
Old 01-19-24, 12:02 PM
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Ray will also sell you the 9U thermostat…its a mazda USA item
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Old 01-19-24, 12:15 PM
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Originally Posted by R-R-Rx7
you are correct. it is marketed as such but it is not OEM. Personally if i am going to get a real OEM one, I would get one from Japan.

I did not like the 9U "OEM" branded thermostat as the dual pass plug does not extend out where it has to be. I was specifically looking for that though.
Awesome info I wasn't aware of this thanks! So the Japanese Thermostat Part # is N3A1-15-171 and can be bought in some online places
Old 01-19-24, 12:16 PM
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Originally Posted by R-R-Rx7
Ray will also sell you the 9U thermostat…its a Mazda USA item
the OE part is an NTC = probably Nippon Thermostat Company?
82c, it is available aftermarket, and of course in Japan

it is weird that to get a Genuine Mazda part, you can't get it from Mazda (USA). we brought it up to Mazda USA, and they didn't see the problem

Old 01-19-24, 01:16 PM
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Originally Posted by R-R-Rx7
Ray will also sell you the 9U thermostat…its a mazda USA item
I can confirm that's what I got from Ray last time I order a T-stat from him, been in the car since 2016 so it does its job fine. Maybe next time I'll try to get the N3A1 unit.

Now I'm curious which T-stat came with the waterpump housing I got from Mazda Motorsport...
Old 01-19-24, 01:43 PM
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Pretty easy to find!

Amazon Amazon
Old 01-19-24, 01:55 PM
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Originally Posted by Natey
https://www.ebay.com/itm/16605153694...mis&media=COPY

i bought a couple
from this guy on ebay. Came right away and for a lot less

$122 from amazon is an absurd amount

Last edited by R-R-Rx7; 01-19-24 at 01:57 PM.
Old 01-19-24, 02:08 PM
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Originally Posted by R-R-Rx7
https://www.ebay.com/itm/16605153694...mis&media=COPY

i bought a couple
from this guy on ebay. Came right away and for a lot less

$122 from amazon is an absurd amount
Yeah, the price by that amazon store is ludicrous.
The part is under $20 from mazda motorsports... Although, given what j9 mentioned, unsure whether it is true OEM like what you'd get from Ray or the knockoff
Old 01-19-24, 02:12 PM
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Lol that link would have been cool about 18 posts ago for the OP.
Old 01-19-24, 02:15 PM
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Originally Posted by Natey
Lol that link would have been cool about 18 posts ago for the OP.
i am not sure that classifies as “a replacement for aggressive driving” though. Its only good for oem non aggressive driving
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Old 01-19-24, 03:56 PM
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Originally Posted by gracer7-rx7
Yeah, the price by that amazon store is ludicrous.
The part is under $20 from mazda motorsports... Although, given what j9 mentioned, unsure whether it is true OEM like what you'd get from Ray or the knockoff
anything that comes from Mazda USA is going to be the 9U. its not a Ray problem its a Mazda USA problem, ask him about Mazda USA sometime, i bet you get a funny story

N3A1-15-171 = Genuine NTC/Tama
8AF6-171-9U = aftermarket
Old 01-29-24, 04:04 PM
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Does anyone have the contact information for Ray? The number I have is no longer in service.
Thanks

Dave


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