So went out drifting and started cooking my oil (240*+) I decided an oil cooler will be a wise choice. Now question....where would be the best place to tap in the oil lines.

Before the turbo?

After?

Somewhere else?

suggestions and experiances appreciated.

 

most i've seen are an adapter plate that screws onto the oilfilter nipple. the oem filter then screws onto that. the plate has two outlets. one goes to the cooler, the other is a return.

 

jep like kung fu say it´s i plate between oil filter and engine i take pics of mine while i upgrade it this week ...

 

But that means you have to have the oil filter relocation thingie??? right??

 

Not necessarily. That to which Kung Fu refers is called a sandwich adapter- it goes between the filter and the block. So the filter stays in the same place, just moved out to the right a bit. Here is a picture of the one that FM sells: http://tinyurl.com/r2dbk

Several other companies make products similar to this which are considerably less expensive, but I'm not aware of any which have a built-in thermostat. This should give you an idea of what they look like inside: http://tinyurl.com/oazlx

Look around Summit Racing under Oil Filter Adapters and Remote Oil Thermostats. Actually, the FM product is not that badly priced when you add up the cost of a sandwich adapter, a remote thermostat, and the -AN / NPT fittings you'll need to go between the two. I bought mine from FM simply because it was the cleanest, most compact solution.

 

The FM sandwich plate is a great unit because it incorporates the ability to run an oil cooler and oil thermostat.

I was going through Moss Motor's catalogue and came across this:
http://www.miatamania.com/Shop/ViewP...eIndexID=39638
This is the unit I am going to get when I do my oil cooler. For ~$300 you get the oil filter relocation kit, the whole oil cooler and all lines/fittings/etc. and you get a thermostat so that the cooler doesn't kick in until the oil is the proper temperature. The mounting plate for the oil filter also has an extra barb that you can run aline off of straight to the turbo if you want.

-Ryan

 

Yesterday i have installed an oil cooler kit with oil filter relocation which i bougth from mx5parts in the UK.
http://www.mx5parts.co.uk/product_in...roducts_id/892

The kit looks very solid, but to connect the oil lines to the adapter was a real pain . I did not have a tool in my toolbox which fitted the small space where you have to screw the lines.

I think the best system is where you put an adapterring between the the oil filter, then you can deciced where you want the oil fittings.

 

I decided on the FM sandwich adaptor primarily for the reason that I don't want to relocate the filter (with the intake manifold support bracket removed it's quite easy to reach right where it is) and I didn't want to mess with the extra plumbing involved with an external thermostat.

I'm using an Earl's bar and plate cooler, which looks identical to the one in the picture from mx5parts. They're probably using the same one.

I've never quite understood the idea of taking the turbo oil feed from the filter bracket- FM's relocation bracket (which I don't have) has the same feature. What advantage is there to doing this as opposed to using the fitting on the side of the block, which is much closer to the turbo and doesn't involve stringing a high pressure oil line across the engine compartment?

 

Only the 1.6 engines have the stock feed on the side of the block (left over when it was a 323GTX engine). FM uses a tee at the OP sender, which as I understand is a real pain in the *** to connect. Using the filter relocation kit is easier than the OP sender. If I had a relocation kit I would use it to feed the turbo.

 

I'm assuming you have a 1.8 jayc72? I thought I heard something about the fitting on the block that was left over from the 323GTX engine not being as good of an oil source as tapping the pan... don't remember why...
-Ryan

P.S. What is the price for this kit in US Dollars?
http://www.mx5parts.co.uk/product_in...roducts_id/892

 

tapping the pan is so simple everyone should do it.

 

Apples to oranges there...

Tapping the pan is an alternative to using the stock return fitting which is on the right (wrong) side of the engine next to the oil filter. The disadvantage to that fitting is that it's on the far side of the engine, and to use it requires stringing a hose across the front of the engine.

We're talking here about the supply fitting, which is on the correct (left) side of the engine, back near the bellhousing. Basically right below and behind where the turbo goes.

Oh, and jayc72, thanks for the info. I didn't realize that Mazda deleted the supply fitting when they went to the 1.8 casting, but sure enough I checked the instructions for the 1.8 FMI, and there's a big ole' brass tee at the oil pressure sender. Looks like a serious PITA.

 

That's about 320 dollar without shipping costs!

 

The '94/'95 blocks DID have the oil and water passages near the bell housing just like the 1.6L (for use as the BPT motor). They deleted it in '96 since.

 

No I have a 1.6. I tapped the pan, in the end it is the easier way to go.

 

My bad, I thought it was all 1.8l. New crate 1.6 motors are reported to have the oil and water feeds removed as well.

 

Thanks for all the info guys. Oli cooler is on with the thermostat. It was a time consuming proccess to put the sandwitch adaptor on and route the lines because of the lack of room. but other than that it was an easy job.

hopefully temperatures stay down on the next drift day.

 

Haha is that why you called roman? and posted at 4 am liar liar liar

 

Yep.

 

It's not.