Ok, I did the oil cooler swap on my car a little over a year ago. The rubber cap that i placed over the old heater line that ran to the original cooler is leaking from dry rot. What is the easiest/effective way to remedy this. Figure I will be buying new caps ever year or so.

 

either swap to a front mount oil-cooler, or replace that hose.

pretty much your only options.

Mazdatrix should still have that hose available..

if you would like to mod to front mount, let us know and we can help walk you through this.

 

Not to be rude, but did you read?

I all ready did the swap, (over a year ago) the problem I have is the metal heater hose that goes though the firewall has a "T" on the engine side of the firewall. When you remove the water to oil cooler you no longer need that metal "T" I caped one of the outlets with a nice little rubber cap that i found at advance auto parts. Heater hose cap or something other. problem is after a year or so its dry rotted to the point of leaking. Now what have other people done to make the "T" closed without worry of leaking.

 

if I am reading this right its the pipe on the fire wall that you are having a problem with????
S0rry if I am sounding like a dume a$$.
Dan

 

yeah That's the one. It's not he easiest one to get to. But I'm swapping out my IDA this week sometime, waiting on the post office for some parts. I was debating on getting a nice piece of 3/4 or 5/8 the heater hose and sticking a plug of some sort in it. The rubber caps just dont last long enough.

 

if the pipe is metal what you can cap it with a copper cap from plumbing and sodder it on. just a thought.

 

I have that pipe from a 79-82 RX it has only one water outlet on it so you dont have to worry about any more water leaks .

send me PM if you want it and we will talk from there.

Dan Atkins

 

When I did my swap last year I simply spliced a piece of heater hose into the two ends that used to go to and from the bee hive. No problems at all.

 

actually, out of honestly, no, I didn't Well i did, but maybe just skimmed it.. sorry really long day, I was thinking of the rubber heater HOSE itself.....

I have used those rubber cabs before, I found them at a hardware store though, they were a neoprene rubber made by "ferco" after about 3 years in the old car I din't have any issues with it. Maybe it is just the specific type of rubber boot you used.

copper pipe-caps on the brass ends to the water heater have also been used... but Mazda changed from the thread in water outlets from the R5 and previous housings... to that pressed in BS. ... it is not brass/copper so the copper cap cannot be brazed on.

Racing beat Suggests a short piece of heater hose with a 3/4" bolt shoved and clamped in the other end. just make sure the bolt has a shoulder and not completely threaded.

i have always wanted to just cut the tube off (with a hack-saw or whatever) just before the tee-itself, and re-connect the heater hose to that.

... moved on to another chassis, and now cannot even use the heater..

Sorry for my lack of thorough reading before, I'll be more cognicent of what is going on.

 

This works great.


Yours being an 85 the pipe is pressed in and not threaded like the early ones, So you can not remove it to replace it with only a single out let pipe.

 

I would suggest either cutting the tee off or findung a plug and cap that will fit tightly and JB Welding them. Do the plug first, any voids left, reputty, let set , then sand and epoxy the cap on. May be over kill, better safe than sorry.

All surfaces must be cleaned thoroughly.

 

Put a hose bib faucet on it and paint it red. A lightweight leak stopper and conversation piece. Everybody that asks what it is, just say, "I can't divulge proprietary engineering design information".