Anybody know if there is a FAQ or How-To out there for this procedure? I didn't see one on the MazdaTrix site and no instructions came with the SS hoses I got from them.

Has anyone done this before and have any tips that they could share? I'll probably replace the oil/filter at the same time so there's less mess.

 

Pretty easy, I thought someone had posted it before.

Remove the front lower engine cover and upper bumper radiator feed cover (between the bumper and the upper front support, just infront of the radiator.

Remove the battery and battery tray.

With a long extension on your socket/wrench, remove the upper hose from the oil cooler.

remove the lower hose, from the oil cooler.

Remove the 10MM nut holding the clamp that holds the upper and lower hoses together, right next to the belts on the engine.

With an open end wrench on the adapter of the upper hose, loosen the outer hose nut.

Reaching up under the back of the engine loosen and remove the lower hose that runs towards the back of the engine.

Pull the old upper hose out through the engine compartment. pull the lower back hose out through the bottom of the engine compartment.

replace with the new hoses the opposite of removal.

Note: sometimes its much easlier to connect the new hoses back up to the cooler if the cooler is loose. You may wish to unbolt the 10mm bolts on each end of the cooler to give you a little more play when installing them.

Some aftermarket hoses will also rest against the drivers side engine mount. You may wish to put a piece of scrap hose around the engine mount edge and/or cooler hose, to keep the hose from rubbing against the engine mount. SS braided hoses will act like a hack saw on the engine mount if you don't, and rubber hoses will wear through. The piece of scrap hose seems to protect pretty well.

 

I want to replace my oil lines too - they are leaking at the banjo under the engine. Mazda quoted me a few hundred dollars for the lines - that of course is why it still leaks. I cannot see paying Mazda that much. So, are these lines you are installing less expensive? What is your source?

 

Corksport and Mazdatrix both use the same SS covered lines, which are a decent quality and sheilded where they need to be.

Last I checked Corksport had the lines for around $125 for both + shipping. http://www.corksport.com/store/index.php3?cat=214909

 

Thanks for the tip.

 

Just to save you some work, you don't need to remove the battery tray. It's a pain in the *** if the bolts have rusted (which they probably have).

 

Battery tray is in and out often (I just replaced the air-conditioning compressor twice) and yes they were rusted. One broke off and the top of the shaft is above the surface level, but I can't see a way to get it out. And I have never been able to use a screw extractor. How dow anyone get a hole drilled into the shank of a screw? I think it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle.

 

Use a grinder to grind a small dish into the broken off shaft, then slowly drill with a small bit. Use a larger bit to make the proper size hole for your extracter, then extract.

 

Hmmm... I'll get out the dremel and see if it has the power to grind the screw... But that won't be for a while. I don't plan to remove the battery until a couple weeks from now when I repaint the frame rail (leaking break fluid ate the paint)... And so it goes, you fix one problem and another is there to take it's place.

 

yes, Aaron is correct that it is not manditory too remove the tray, I just find it easier to route and remove the lines and line clamp with my big hands with it out.

And the other end of that, is that if the battery tray bolts are all corroded they should be replaced anyway.