Greetings Paul,

   I received the taps today, thank you.

   I do have some questions about the mounting of the water block for the
   RX8, most of which I think I know the answer to.

   I assume that I am to extract the studs holding the original housing and
   replace them with bolts. Any idea of the thread in the case that is
   used?  Can I just double nut the studs and extract them, or do I need
   heat or other methods?

   Since two of the bolts will go through the water passages, will the
   gasket be sufficient to prevent leakage around them. Should I use
   locktite or other thread sealant with them?

   Should I use  lock washers under the heads (I assume that they will be
   Allen bolts.)?

   Any idea of the torque values for these bolts?

   I assume that I will use the sealing washer that was under the banjo
   bolt for sealing the taps.

   Is any of this correct.

   Happy holidays,

   Rich

   No on the threads. Here is the drill. Remove the studs and find
   a metric nut that fits. Then take the nut with you to the hardware
   store to find an internal hex head  screw that fits. Metric screws
   are a problem as there are three common threads for each diameter.
   It is hard for me to tell them apart by just looking at them.

   The gasket should be sufficient but Mark S can fill us in
   as his is working I think.

   I would use lock tite on the threads. I don't know the torque
   rating but it should be not be hard to find that on google.

   The screw diameter is 8 mm.

   Double the nuts and they will come out no problem.

   Paul Lamar


Paul,

I tried making a gasket from gasket material... and it leaked.  I made
another one... and it leaked too.  So, I purchased a metal gasket from
the local Mazda dealership and it worked.

As for the bolts, one is outside the water passages, and the other two
bolts fit inside the water passages and are covered by plugs (which need
sealant).

Mark