front cover oring: low oil pressure

my second gen is suffering from low oil pressure. at idle it seems ok but as the engine warms up the pressure works its way down to zero and never gets any higher than 50 pounds at high rpm. i have aftermarket gauges that are working properly. I recently installed a race oil pressure reg and i replaced and shimmed the front reg spring. still it never gets higher than 50. I've heard this is most likely due to a busted oring in the front cover right? i contacted a shop and they estimated $800 for the repair! well that means that i definitly want to do this myself. How hard of a job is this?

thanks

Matt,
I did that exact inspection before the start of last season on my 1st gen. It isn't that bad of a job, except that you'll have to remove the water pump, which means a new waterpump gasket and a new front cover gasket. Don't make the same mistake I made, though, and be sure your crank bolt is torqued to spec.

That being said, the o-ring was NOT my problem, but was caused by too much backpressure in the oil cooler. I would recommend that you verify the pressure right at the oil pump output by either taking the cooler out of the system or by putting a T fitting in line, before the oil cooler, and checking the pressure drop across the cooler. If I had done that, it would have saved my engine (instead of me botching the repair/inspection!!!)

http://www.mazdatrix.com/faq/pulley.htm
http://www.mazdatrix.com/faq/oring.htm

It is most likely the front cover o-ring but further diagnostic is prudent. If you get to the point fo removing the front cover do not use a gasket when replacing it. Believe that is also mentioned in the Mazdatrix write ups. Just using some sealant instead places a bit more squeeze on the o-ring to help hold it in place. Another thing to watch is making big revs on cold engines, especially with high pressure oil systems. Let the oil warm before cranking on the engine.

I pulled my front cover apart once only to find a perfect oring. I had also installed a new oil press. regulator. It had a plugged oil cooler. It is easy enough to bypass the oil cooler and take it out of the equation.

yea i would certaintly be bummed to go through the effort of taking off the cover to find eveything ok. I just got my oil cooler ultra sonic cleaned- i think that should be enough to assume its not clogged . and oil pump failure is a rare occurance correct?
thanks

Assuming the oil cooler is not the problem, while you have it apart...

Swap in a new rear oil pressure regulator. The 3rd gen regulator is rated at 110 psi and is much cheaper than the comp piece. They're only about $27 from Mazdaspeed.

Put a new spring in the front regulator. They do break on occasion. Possibility of causing your current problem.

Pull the oil pump off and seal it to the front iron. I've never heard of one going bad but they can blow oil out the sides. Clean both sides well and seal it with a light bead of silicone or hylomar. I prefer hylomar.

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yea i would certaintly be bummed to go through the effort of taking off the cover to find eveything ok. I just got my oil cooler ultra sonic cleaned- i think that should be enough to assume its not clogged . and oil pump failure is a rare occurance correct?
thanks
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I had the super cleaning done once. It flowed so good that the oil didn't cool down enough until I dropped the pressure. It slowed the flow rate enough to get the temps back in order.

ok so i found my problem. first off i went through the hassle of taking off the front cover to find everything just fine :bash_1_: so i removed the bypass valve from the oil cooler to see if pressure improved.. and pow full pressure. ok so that tells me that my cooler is clogged or something but i had just sent it out for an ultra sonic clean! so i figured maybe my valve was installed incorrectly. i was told that i sould put the big spring underneath the valve in the cap to keep it up and keep oil flowing through the cooler. is this not correct? also the extending piece on the valve is frozen sticking out but that doesent matter because i have it pushed up with the spring as it is. so is this corect? should i be doing something else with my valve?

thank a lot

Take the valve completely out and seal the hole with a bolt and nylock nut. Your situation is exactly why I remove them. One less part to fail.

Chris,
I'm not sure I follow, as I don't totally understand the flow path - of course, I'm only familiar with the 1st gen cooler. Does the 2nd gen allow access above and below the thermostatic valve?