OK, This may not be new to some guys, but it is new for me and MAZDA.

What you see is the genuine Mazda EPC and Mazda's OIL COOLER which simply fits onto the specific Oil Filter Mounting BODY (Mounts on Engine Block), between the OIL Cooler and Oil Filter itself.

Engine COOLANT circulates from the Thermostat Housing through OIL FILTER COOLER and Car HEATER and back through RADIATOR.

It is used on the NC British MX-5/Miata, but not the Australian NC MX-5.

Now as I don't have a USA EPC I can't confirm if it is used on the US Miata, But the Parts are listed on US Dealer Websites, so I guess it is Standard on USA MX-5's.

The Parts are not that expensive....all up under the $300 approx.

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So again like the RX-8 Single and Twin Oil Coolers, why does the UK (a Cooler climate than Australia) have this on their MX-5's, and Australia does not?.

Does this device Really Cool the Engine OIL, I guess technically most Mazda Thermostats, Radiators and Fans keep Engine Coolant around 82c (Celsius) to 96c.

Again is it an Oil Filter Cooler Cooling or Heating the Engine Oil..?

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Could a Similar or even this "OIL COOLER" be Used in an RX-8 to Heat the Engine Oil for US WINTERS....is it worth it?

Anyway, I put this up for some discussion, thought..

What do you think about an OIL FILTER COOLER in an RX-8, where would one find the room to fit it?

 

That's something to think about for sure! It does say 'oil cooler' not 'water heater' so that's what it must be trying to do. Seemingly then it inlists the help of the entire thermal capacity of the coolant and airflow to the radiator to lower oil temps thru oil to water transfer.

Although it does seem rather tiny for producing any major effect during periods of oil heat sterss, who knows....the only question is does it fit the RX-8 filter housing? I mean, will it sit atop our oil filter mount with room for the filter still?...

Part is readily avail here in USA > OIL COOLER - LFE214700A list $163.12 net $146.81

 

i bet you that it is some regulatory difference that makes it necessary to add it for the UK (fuel efficiency testing standards?) but allows them to leave it out for Australian market and add that 10 buck to the bottom line

 

huh, reminds me a bit of the oil cooler setup on the old 12A's.

 

So coolant goes through the hoses? Or oil?

 

It's gotta be coolant through those hoses. Wouldn't make sense to send your engine oil to your heater in the dashboard.

Whether it cools or heats the oil would depends on the coolant temp after the thermostat right?

 

That's what I thought, hmm.....

 

Hard to understand what it's doing. In the bad/good old days, similar adapters were used to cool the oil in cars without real oil coolers. Does the Miata have oil coolers or does it depend solely on "oil pan"/"valve cover" cooling? If the latter, this adapter might make sense. I doubt if it'd give much if any benefit on the RX-8 though.

 

It prob let's coolant run over a coil inside the oil cooler. This transfers heat from the oil into the coolant. Typical of how lot of automatic tranny coolers are inside radiators in a coil.

 

What I wouldn't mind is if the coolant was meant to keep the oil at the same temperature. I don't know which liquid is easier to maintain between 180-220 degrees F in our car, but I would think the coolant is easier.

 

There might be some advantage to an "equalizer" between the water and oil temps if there's a significant imbalance between the two, which I don't see in cruising mode at all. On warm-up, the water temp leads the oil temp but only by about 20 deg F, which is not enough to get much heat transfer in a heat exchanger as small as that adapter. It might have been of help in my old GTI where that difference was much larger both cruising and in warm-up mode.

 

Yes, A US Mazda Dealer shows all the necessary Parts, so is it actually available/fitted on US NC Miata's.???

No, the NC MX-5 or Miata does not have any Separate OIL Cooler for the engine (like RX-8) for any Nation, apart from this OIL Filter one.

The Oil Filter Mount Body (Bolts onto Block) is also Specific, so It will not fit on an RX-8.

You need the Oil Cooler,Two Hoses, Bolt, and the Mounting Body.

 

Wouldn't this warm up the engine faster?

Hence why it is Britan. Faster warming = less polution.

Good for cols enviroments.

 

So in that context, it does make sense. Perhaps (only perhaps), it's done in Britain and not Down Under in expectation of the much lower average speeds in the UK where the lack of moving air over the oil pan is compensated for by transferring some of the oil heat to the (fanned) water radiator.