Oil Cooler Leak - 2010 fit 2007

[NoSuchSol]

Anyone purchased a 2010-2011 gasket to fit between the oil cooler and filter housing? By the diagram - the housing and oil cooler look almost identical to the 2007. Is this an option?

Seen a few posts on the leak and I just can't bring myself to pay 450.00 for an entire part when it's a stupid gasket that needs to be replaced.

Thanks for the replies - any money i save goes towards a BPV and Intercooler!

[NoSuchSol]

OK - 2010-2011 oil cooler gasket will not work. I still find it grossly inefficient to replace a perfectly fine part b/c a stupid gasket is out of sorts. I'm really not fine replacing the entire part and will try gasket+RTV sealant.

[skiptowncat]

Originally Posted by NoSuchSol OK - 2010-2011 oil cooler gasket will not work. I still find it grossly inefficient to replace a perfectly fine part b/c a stupid gasket is out of sorts. I'm really not fine replacing the entire part and will try gasket+RTV sealant.

How did it work out, I have the same problem.

[NoSuchSol]

The new gasket will not fit without a replacement part. I'm going to go the create-a-gasket kit route. I have a painter friend that is a mechanic as his main job. He's going to do the work.

1. RTV supposedly works well.
2. One recommendation was to run lucas oil through on the next cycle(in moderation) to cause it to swell.
3. Another recommendation was to take the gasket, place in transmission fluid for a little while then put it back in.

I'd rather go the mechanic route first. There's no way in hades that I'm spending 650.00 to replace a 5.00 gasket.

[NoSuchSol]

Originally Posted by skiptowncat How did it work out, I have the same problem.

Did not work well - Pulled the oil cooler off the filter housing and the gasket/o-ring is not really an ideal part. It's plastic or metal with a rubber insert on both sides. So if it's crushed, it doesn't do much where it's held in place. The RTV didn't hold.

I'm tempted to purchased the Oil cooler for the Mexican CX-7 as it appears identical inside, but it's a couple hundred less than the other part. I'm just attempting to confirm with the parts guy. I'd have to make a new coolant hose, but that's hardly a problem.

[Neverlift]

Delete the oil cooler all together. Buy a MZ3 Spin On housing for <$40 from Edge.

That's the route I had to go when I found bearing in mine and didn't want to buy a new cooler to go with my new motor.

I plan on installing a legit oil cooler & temp sensor soon and the spin on allows for this.

[skiptowncat]

Originally Posted by NoSuchSol Did not work well - Pulled the oil cooler off the filter housing and the gasket/o-ring is not really an ideal part. It's plastic or metal with a rubber insert on both sides. So if it's crushed, it doesn't do much where it's held in place. The RTV didn't hold. I'm tempted to purchased the Oil cooler for the Mexican CX-7 as it appears identical inside, but it's a couple hundred less than the other part. I'm just attempting to confirm with the parts guy. I'd have to make a new coolant hose, but that's hardly a problem.

I managed to source the gasket separately, and had it fitted and all is well.
When the garage had fitted the spin on conversion and sandwich plate for the gauges, they had way over torqued the top part. That coupled with a slight gouge on the face meant the oil could force its way past.

[NoSuchSol]

Skip - I know they don't make the gasket item any longer. Still available from your source?

Neverlift - How does it run without the cooler? Did you make a new coolant hose?

[3Gee Tee]

I think you could just connect the coolant hoses together.


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[NoSuchSol]

Well, a little update. I let the car sit over the weekend. I drove it yesterday and today with no signs of a leak. I'm going to need to get under the car and clean up the residual and see what we have but I haven't seen anything. We'll see after extended use.

[NoSuchSol]

Update: Found the leak, or another leak from the oil cooler. It's not running down like the previous leak, but dripping. So that was a bust.

Still hoping to find an old style gasket, but if not I'm thinking a couple different routes. There is a mexican oil cooler, and there's a cosworth part that looks exactly like the Mexican oil cooler that might work. That's over at Streetunit. Also of interest, on the line diagram of the Mexican breakdown is an oil cooler deletion plate. Very interesting stuff.

[NoSuchSol]

Update again:

Part from StreetUnit isn't available through Cosworth any more.

1400A - OIL PUMP & FILTER (2500CC). Fits: Mazda | Jim Ellis Mazda
I'm finding it hard to get assurances of which item is which based on the line diagram. They have multiple options, but can't verify based on my VIN and not being a Mexican built/sold version.

NC Oil Cooler Kit for MX5 Miata for MX5
Found this, but not a proper manufacturer. Assuming Cosworth. I would think that means the crappy gasket is still made.

*sigh* 430.00 is a lot of money for a working part. =\

[edmsmallcash]

My oil cooler is leaking as well, and I was going to go the RTV sealing route. How long did you let it sit before driving again? If I have to buy a new oil cooler, this is the cheapest that I've found so far. $374.64. Genuine Mazda Oil Cooler

Edit: I didn't look at your links before. They are cheaper parts. Lol. There are also some other aftermarket oil coolers that I saw cheaper, but I don't have the links right now. My link was just for the stock replacement I believe.

Edit: Just realized I'm in the CX-7 Section. So my post is probably invalid. I'm sorry if I didn't provide anything useful.

Edit: That link does say that it also fits the CX-7.

[Ian0611]

Just discovered this issue on our CX7 a few weeks ago. The cheapest I could find the new oil cooler was on Ebay. I got the OEM cooler with a new gasket and a new bolt (apparently you can't reuse your old one) for $326.00 shipped. Definitely stinks having to fork over that much money to replace a gasket but I prefer to do it once and do it right. The install looks pretty easy so I'll probably be attempting it next weekend. I may try to do a short write with pics.. we'll see how it goes.

[88gambit]

Hey Ian,

I have a 2007 withe same type of problem where the bolt size seemed to be different than the original. How did everything turn out where you able to get it to work. I ended up purchasing te part from Mazda but the bolt didn't come with it. Any thoughts on the fix? Also any pictures diagrams with circles and arrow for an illiterate car guy would be very helpful!

[timjs]

The new bolt is needed because it properly locates the cooler on top of the oil filter housing.
You can use the old bolt, but you must eyeball what is "centered" as you tighten it down. I suggest just getting the bolt.

[Ian0611]

Originally Posted by 88gambit Hey Ian, I have a 2007 withe same type of problem where the bolt size seemed to be different than the original. How did everything turn out where you able to get it to work. I ended up purchasing te part from Mazda but the bolt didn't come with it. Any thoughts on the fix? Also any pictures diagrams with circles and arrow for an illiterate car guy would be very helpful!

Sorry I didn't respond sooner.. I don't get on here very much. Unfortunately, I totally forgot to document the install process when I did it. It's really pretty straight forward though. Here's the link I used as a guide: http://www.justanswer.com/mazda/7xht...ing-mazda.html

You basically just remove the two coolant hoses and then the bolt and pull the cooler off. The biggest problem I had was getting the new cooler to line up properly. I couldn't really feel any notches to line it up but I eventually got it. I haven't gotten underneath the car to look lately but I haven't seen any more oil on the driveway so I'm pretty sure it did the job. I'm not very literate myself when it comes to cars but as long as you have some basic tools and a good pair of long needle-nosed pliers you should be able to get it.

[morphast]

Found this on ebay, looks like its the right part, considering buying it, will update if I do and it works.

Mazda 3 5 Speed 6 CX 7 New Oil Cooler Seal | eBay

Update, got this on today, 50 miles and no leaks so far!

[Project_dog]

well if you get the one from a escape its cheaper and it is the same.

[Design]

Originally Posted by morphast Found this on ebay, looks like its the right part, considering buying it, will update if I do and it works. Mazda 3 5 Speed 6 CX 7 New Oil Cooler Seal | eBay Update, got this on today, 50 miles and no leaks so far!

Updating this thread. If you want to be ultra-cheap, here's a how-to showing disassembly and repair using standard gasket sealant. I know others have posted this but didn't see many visuals of the process. Hope this helps.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3Yx3rFnMuc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glhk_RQTH8k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YO9mgpotcik

In talking to the Master Tech here in Irvine, it appears to be most common on cars with over 100k. I got to 130K before mine began to leak. Going to try out a gasket replacement with possibly a little sealer and hope for the best.

As most folks here know, the gasket is different between some years. I believe the MS3 variant got updated in 2008 (?).

[jack_hammer]

instead of making a new thread, i'm going to bump this and add some pictures.

i replaced my gasket with the dorman gasket, part number 917-105.
it was $17.51 shipped from rock auto.

i had a couple pictures that i took with my phone that got corrupted somehow. but these are the ones that i have left. the worst pic i lost showed the cleaned assembly right before i put it back together. so, just imagine it cleaned up real nice. i didn't use any RTV.

notes:
the new gasket was tough to get on the cooler. it presses in place and i really had to work to get it on there.
i found it easier to remove the one hose while attached to the cooler because that hose clamp was easier to access.
i'm not sure how my busted gasket would cause a leak, but i'm still 99% confident that gasket was the source of my leak based on the way the oil appeared on my engine.
i topped off my coolant before i test drove it. the car still over heated. i popped the hood and saw the reservoir was still full. by the time i got it home, the coolant had been sucked into the system. i had to add even more. but finally i got it cooling properly again.
just be sure you have some fresh coolant available when doing this change.
i can't imagine how much of pain it would have been to do this with the cooler still on the car.
based on other posts, i torqued the top bolt to 28 ft/lb. the accepted range i found was 25-29.

[Design]

Yeah fitment of the inner ring was an issue for me as well. I simply sanded the inner ring with medium grit sandpaper. Only did a couple passes as it needs to clamp down tight. I've been driving almost 2K and things look good.

BTW, I can see in the third photo the break in the seal. That's enough for a steady leak IMO.

[jack_hammer]

yea it was definitely broken. i just expected a break on the outer seal.

[vegaslightsss]

Hi,Working on Mom's car, The CX7 2007 first run model 2.3 Turbo. Damn oil cooler started leaking. I bought the gaskets via ebay . Dropped the car off because Mom bought a telephone salesman aftermarket vehicle mechanical insurance policy for around 2k for 3 years of coverage. It did fix the A/C twice which the shop hit the insurance company for at 1300.00 a pop. Anyway,I took it to the mechanic to get the cooler leak fixed and provided the 2 gaskets needed. Turned out the head gasket went between cylinders 1+2 ,so I pulled everything and took the head to the shop. Cooler was removed,shop lost the gaskets we provided new in the packages and told us it would be 300.00 because we had to buy a new cooler to go with the gasket,MAZDA doesn't sell the gasket by itself. SO first attempt we used the best RTV we could find and really cleaned the block and cooler assembly removing trace oil with alcohol,torqued it after 2 hours as per instructions and let it cure 24 hours,it leaked. I have ordered the new gasket with the blue inlay of gasket material. I will prep it meticulously and install per specs. This is the original black cooler,does the gasket need to be trimmed for different years as I have read 09-12 are slightly different than previous years. Should I use RTV on the new gasket. There is also a cheaper looking quality silver cooler and gasket for 79.00 on ebay .and then there is the "MZ3 Spin On" adapter from Mazda 3 that looks like a clean option eliminating the seam between the water block and oil cooler. I would assume then each of the 2 hoses would go to a traditional oil cooler?

The Million Dollar Question is Gasket,79.00 cooler & gasket,or Spin On MZ3 I cant find a link for,supposed to either be made or sold by " EDGE" for around 40.00.
**Also if the line separating the two halves or the cooler is compromised ,can water get in the oil or oil in the coolant somehow,or is there something inside the cooler that could cause that to happen? Hell of a first post,Sorry about that

[Design]

The aftermarket gasket should solve the issue. And no, you shouldn't have to use sealant with a new gasket.

The cooler is a simple block that allows coolant to come in close proximity of the oil. Unless there's a crack in the housing, the oil and coolant should remain separate.

If the aftermarket gasket fails, and if it were me, I'd just get the genuine OEM Gen 2 cooler and call it a day. A poorly constructed aftermarket cooler could lead to rapid oil and/or coolant loss. It's not a part that I personally would risk unless someone here can vouch for its reliability.

[hahaitzskippy]

what is the expected life of these oil coolers?

mine is leaking about 1 quart every 3000 miles... i think it is time change it but cheapest i found is mid to upper $300.

[Design]

Just look underneath for oil seeping. Mine had a good coat of film on the splash guard and a portion of the cooler/filter housing. If the block is dry, time to pull the IC/TIP and check for pooling from a bad PCV or weak turbo seals. GL.

[tuner-tom]

Originally Posted by morphast Found this on ebay, looks like its the right part, considering buying it, will update if I do and it works. Mazda 3 5 Speed 6 CX 7 New Oil Cooler Seal | eBay Update, got this on today, 50 miles and no leaks so far!

This EBAY listing says "This gasket seal is ONLY for the oil coolers with the Black Finish "
What do I do if my oil cooler is NOT the one with the black finish?

[Design]

Dealer sells genuine oem gasket separately on non-black coolers (gen 2). Cooler should be silver. If so, gasket is around $5.

[Frequentflyer]

So does this look like the seal is leaking? My cooler is rusting pretty bad and I can't tell whether or not it's rusted through on the bottom where that leak is.

[dougpt10]

Does anyone have torque specs on the 4 bolts that bolt the oil filter housing to the block? Bought a new cooler and bolt today with new gasket for the filter housing. See acceptable range for cooler bolt is 21-29 ft lbs but cannot find a spec for the other 4 mounting bolts....

[shamie]

14.8-22.1 ft lbs - found in the engine assembly manual (oddly absent from the factory service manual)

What is even odder is the non-available gasket this whole thread revolves around is marked to be replaced in the engine assembly manual while the whole oil cooler assembly is replaced in the FSM.

[dougpt10]

Originally Posted by shamie 14.8-22.1 ft lbs - found in the engine assembly manual (oddly absent from the factory service manual) What is even odder is the non-available gasket this whole thread revolves around is marked to be replaced in the engine assembly manual while the whole oil cooler assembly is replaced in the FSM.

Ty! Does it note a specific order to tighten?

[shamie]

Nope. I just crisscrossed them in a few passes.

[dougpt10]

Originally Posted by shamie Nope. I just crisscrossed them in a few passes.

Got it together. No leaks from block or cooler seal. Seeping from around oil pressure sending unit. Tightened that up a bit and fixed but it must have a crack in the housing. Seeping slowly above the sending unit. No local dealers had housing and sending unit in stock or would have bought to have all new.

Now I need a new gasket for the new cooler. Does anyone have that part number?

[shamie]

Like this one?

Mazda OEM Oil Filter Housing Gasket Mazdaspeed 3 Mazdaspeed 6 2006-2013

LF02-14-342

[dougpt10]

No the gasket for the new gen oil cooler. It's just black and rubber. Doesn't have a plastic piece like the original oil cooler gasket. I saw it in a thread here but I can't find it again.

[Frequentflyer]

Just replaced my gasket and added a spin-on oil filter adapter. I got it all back together and shortly after I started the car up and checked for leaks, I found a significant leak between the oil cooler and the adapter. I did not pull the cooler out of the car, but rather removed and reinstalled everything with the cooler still connected to the coolant lines. I am thinking I didn't tighten the center bolt enough, but I am afraid of over tightening it. It is not easy to get in there and tighten much down.

[MortalMechanica]

Anyone here have a hell of a time with the 4 bolts that hold the assembly to the engine? For some odd reason, the two bottom bolts threaded in cleanly, the two top bolts had a hell of a time being threaded.

[Juschiln19]

Hey so I did the mazda oil filter conversion kit. For one so oil changes would be easier. And 2 because the oil cartridge and drain screw were tread locked on so well I stripped out the drain screw and couldn't get the cartridge off. So anyway did the conversion kit. Everything went well. I had a small oil leak before I did the conversion kit. I was hoping the kit would fix this. No luck found the leak to be small but coming from between the oil cooler and conversion kit block. I followed the how to guide for the conversion kit but didnt have a turque wrench, so just tighened the oil cooler bolt as tight as I could get it. but the same small leak from same spot. Did some research found the link for the Dorman seal for $20. Threw it on and went and got a torque wrench but found I couldn't get the torque wrench with socket on to the top of the bolt while the conversion kit was installed. So did as I did before tightened as tight as I could then backed it off a half turn and leak was gone.... drobe the car for a little over a week with no leak.. Then I went on long drive from thornton 120th and i25 to Englewood i25 and Arapahoe and all the sudden my car was smoking from behind. I got off and shut it off and had to restart it to get it to a parking lot. There was smoke coming from under the car and from the engine bay... got it parked and u could hear was sounded like suction sounds. And popped the hood and found my turbo smoking and sizzling and the oil cooler bolt had backed it's self back out enough to blow all the oil out and under the car. There was a line from the off ramp to the parking lot of oil that was poring out. Went bought wrench and oil tightened the oil cooler bolt (turned with ease) tighten as tight as I could backed off only a quarter turn and filled with oil. Started car and shut off as quick as I could the oil was pouring out the oil cooler gasket like there was no gasket all 5 quarts of royal purple poured out as I watched.... had to get car towed home. Found the new oil cooler seal had blew the rubber off a corner of the outer ring. So bought another gasket replaced still can't get torque wench on.... did u guys have to remove the starter or the starter silinoid to get the torque wrench on? Right now I JB welded a wrench on the top oil cooler bolt and zip tied it to the block by the back of the a/c compressor I believe so it can't back it self back out... i know its rigged but it's just so it's still drivable. ..but need to get to bottom of this asap. Please help