A while back I ordered the Mocal sandwich plate w/ thermostat so I could install an oil cooler. It requires BSP to NPT adapter fittings and then you can run NPT fittings off of that. I ordered straight AN fittings to go with.

Got under the car and realized there wasn't enough room for straight fittings to run straight off the sandwich plate.

So, I ordered two 90* AN fittings.

Got under the car today, removed the IM brace to make more room, and found that there isn't even enough room for the 90* AN's!

The sandwich plate needs to butt right up against the surface where the oil filter contacts the block. The problem is this surface is rather recessed into the block - 360* around it all has some raised surface or another which the fittings that stick off the sandwich plate hit and don't allow the sandwich plate to go all the way on!

Someone please chime in with what they used to make this work. Other than grinding away at the block to make clearance, I don't see how this can be made to fit.

Here's pics and I've marked all the spots that it hits. The plate + fittings is too long to point up (it hits stuff), too long to point towards the front of the car (hits alternator), there's no room to point it towards back of car, and when I point it down the fittings hit the bolt hole for the IM brace, lifting the sandwich plate about 1/4" off of the mounting surface.

 

In the Miata, that plate won't fit directly against the engine block.

On the 1.8 cars, the factory oil cooler acts as a spacer to move it away from the block. On the 1.6 cars, a spacer of comparable size is required. If you buy the kit from FM, they include a machined aluminum part (and a longer threaded tube) to effectively match the geometry of a 1.8 engine with factory oil cooler.

 

Well F me.

Is the plate available anywhere?

edit: nevermind, called FM and ordered the spacer. 36.95 for the aluminum spacer w/ o-ring, 10.95 for the longer threaded tube/bolt thingy.

Thanks for the info Joe.

-Ryan

 

Mocal has thin spacer plates, but I'm not sure if any of them would be adequate. You could call 'em and see what sizes are available.

I believe that the one FM sells is proprietary to them, but again, you could call and ask if they'll sell you one.

Alternately, you could hit up the junkyards and find an OEM oil cooler. Doesn't have to be from a Miata- lots of cars (including Hondas and Subarus) use an essentially identical design. Just be sure to get the longer threaded tube, and of course, be sure that the thread matches. If you actually hook up the water lines, you'll have the added benefit of quicker oil warmup in the morning.

(Is this a street-driven car?)




EDIT: you beat me to it.

 

I barely got mine between the bolt in the 1 o'clock position and the boss in the 3 o'clock position in your picture. Slight differences in sandwich design would render my solution useless, it's close. The lines rest slightly on the alternator. I also used the reusable -AN lines, not the push lock like you have.

Edit: This:

ended up hitting the intake manifold. It's been rotated roughly 20* clockwise.

 

I use the same oil filter on my '05 outback xt, '97 outback sport (impreza 2.2 single cam), meg's old millenia, and the miata. Typically. Each takes a different filter but F it, I use the largest one on each. I think it was originally for the '97 subaru.

So point is, subaru and miata threads are the same.

 

What is that orange can doing in there, Curly?

My FM kit did not include a spacer. I am using a second sandwich plate which was used for my oil pressure and temp sensor. I still haven't started it up since installing the cooler, but I'm hoping all the plates seal properly.

 

Yeah I saw that too. Internet says "Not good."

 

Oh.

 

On the NB though, you don't have my problem in the first place