When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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
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...
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
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
