[Blacksport]

Originally Posted by chris_flies

I bought the car in March of last year with 159k on it. I regret nothing, it's been entirely reliable (nothing unexpected, at least).

It's an oil cooler, but instead of being air-oil like one you'd mount in a wheel well, it's water-oil so the coolant carries the heat away (or helps warm the oil faster).

I don't know...coolant cooling of auto trans fluid is common, but I'm not on board with trying to cool 240-250 degree oil with 220-230 degree coolant...you may be right, it's probably to heat the oil. IMO, and in my experience with a half dozen competition cards, a regular air/oil cooler is best for oil...One year at Daytona, it was so cold, we had the brake ducts taped over on the RX-7, the oil cooler covered, and half the radiator covered...

If that cooler/(heater?) was on my car, I'd remove it...and with the mileage you have, I'd do a rebuild...pistons, maybe .020 over, rings, main & rod bearings, you'd probably have to go down .010 on the journals...on the head, do a valve re-seat, new valve springs are a must, new vanos too...you'd have an engine good for another 160 mi...