I just installed a new engine into a manual 2004 RX8 with dual oil coolers.

When I connected the oil cooler hoses I found that the steel line that runs from the rear of the engine is lightly touching the A/C compressor pulley. Is there any adjustment for it or did it maybe get bent? I dropped the engine in from the top so it is possible it got bent up, but I never noticed it hitting anything.

How much clearance should there be between the oil cooler hoses and the A/C compressor pulley? Is there any adjustment for the long steel fitting that connects to the back of the engine?

The connectors themselves all look perfect and came off and went on with no problems. I've read about enough problems with the oil cooler lines getting rusty and stuck and start leaking, but I haven't read anything about them getting bent to interfere with the AC pulley.

 

It likely got bent. Make sure it is bolted to the front cover properly and bend it back in place.

 

Do you know how much clearance it should have? I want to bend it as little as possible.

I need to figure out a good way to brace it to bend it back. It would have bent against the block, but bending it back will be against a small bracket with small bolts which doesnt look strong enough to take much torque.

 

This is the best pic I could find quickly. Don't hook them up backwards, I know it sounds dumb but people have soemhow and ruined engines.

 

That is a good picture. Thanks.

I'm concerned with the bracket right at the end of the drawn red. It is not meant to take much torque and it is held with very small bolts so I'm concerned about not breaking it or stripping the small bolts that hold it when I bend it.

I bought a new engine, so I had my old engine and the new engine side-by-side on a bench as I transferred parts. That made it really easy to avoid mistakes like swapping those lines, although hopefully that one would have been obvious enough in any case. Hard to see how to switch those (though I've made my share of brain dead mistakes in the past).