DIY: Oil Cooler (scratch built install, lottsa pics).....>.

shika805

thanks for the info, i'm finishing with the braided lines without the thread sealant. I'm only using sealant on the sandwich plate fittings and oil cooler. did you notice any leaks without? How long should you wait for the sealant to cure for those who went that route? (says nothing on the brand sealant i boought)

__________________

Cbtech

I used the sealant on both sets of couplers. You don't need to wait for it to cure you can plug it right in and go

Sent from my SM-G925P using Tapatalk

__________________

Purist

assuming no clearance issues with the bumper, etc, are there any cons to having the oil cooler off to one side of the radiator and running much shorter lines? for example, placing it where the washer fluid reservoir is?

JARblue

Yes. Airflow.

__________________

Cbtech

Yeah it kinda loses its purpose then

__________________

Purist

ah so it sounds like it just comes down to getting enough air through the cooler? i have a g37 and the bumper has large openings that would allow air to flow to those areas. i guess my original question was more about the lines themselves and whether or not there was a reason not to shorten the lines so much

evensen007

This has been a huge hassle for me so far.

Weekend #1: lay all the parts out and start taking the car apart. Realize that they sent me mismatched fittings even though I ordered the -10 kit. I got -10 on one side, and -12 for the 90's. Called them and they sent out the correct size (slowly...)

Weekend #2:


So, the 90d fittings that plug into the oil cooler are facing OPPOSITE of eachother and there is no way to get them to grab/thread so they are facing the same way. On top of this, the one on the right is STUCK in the tru cool oil cooler and no amount of force, wrenching, leverage was able to unscrew it. Now it's stuck in there facing the wrong way and all scratched up.

I really appreciate this write-up; it was very good. Unfortunately for me, the hassle of all of this and trying to fab up a bracket isn't worth the 200 bucks I saved by not buying a pre-built kit.

tjlazer

I had issues also and it was a pain in the *** trying to rotate the fitting. You might have to use a vice to try to rotate the whole cooler to move, and you might have to order a new fitting if it's all scratched up like that. Also be careful with the cooler because it is made out of aluminum and it will bend.

__________________
2009 370Z Monterey Blue,Nismo Conversion,RE-11's, K&N Typhoon intakes,Blue Kickplates,Homelink,FI 18" CBE,ERZ HFCs,Hotchkis sways, Swift Spec-R, EVO-R Highwing, UPREV

evensen007

Glad to know I wasn't the sole person out there that had the issue. At this point it is STUCK. I used vice grips, vice, everything. It's not coming out. The cooler will start to bend at this point before I even get movement on the fitting.

I just can't believe that this isn't mentioned anywhere. Is it the luck of the draw on what 2309 90d fittings you get? Do the oil coolers grab threaded differently? The only thing I can think of is to just use the straight fittings and then a 90 fitting like the one that comes off of the sandwich plate. I need to buy a whole new tru cool now which really annoys me.

tjlazer

As I was tightening the fittings I noticed one did not turn as much as the other so I had to stop. The other fitting seemed to be able to turn more on the threads. Did you have a hard time threading it on? Yeah the cooler is aluminum so it can bend easy. Sounds like you might be SOL. Might have to order another one. They're not that expensive. Be more careful next time and thread it on slowly. You can also wrap the fitting in a cloth to protect it from damage.

__________________
2009 370Z Monterey Blue,Nismo Conversion,RE-11's, K&N Typhoon intakes,Blue Kickplates,Homelink,FI 18" CBE,ERZ HFCs,Hotchkis sways, Swift Spec-R, EVO-R Highwing, UPREV

evensen007

In my case, both 90's threaded with the same amount of resistance, so it would have been impossible to get them both pointing the same way without doing this damage.

I called RPW and they were really nice. They gave me a break on the replacement oil cooler and also the 90d swivel fittings that I will now be using. I would recommend using the 90 swivel fittings (like the ones at the sandwich plate) so that you don't get yourself into this situation where the 2 90 fittings off of the oil cooler refuse to thread so that they both face the same way. Live and learn.

Bananaz

Gonna be doing this soon!

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

__________________

tjlazer

I had the same issue so I had to make sure they both pointed in the same direction.

__________________
2009 370Z Monterey Blue,Nismo Conversion,RE-11's, K&N Typhoon intakes,Blue Kickplates,Homelink,FI 18" CBE,ERZ HFCs,Hotchkis sways, Swift Spec-R, EVO-R Highwing, UPREV

chknhawk

I know this is an old post but I figured I would share my old install pics.. the piece I found to mount the cooler was an actual "tool" I found in home depot. Just drilled for custom mounting. It had a slotted groove on both sides that slid onto the mounting area and the cooler. Then I just drilled and secured with bolts. I also removed the metal "bumper" underneath the bumper for airflow and weight reduction. Say what you will but that metal bar is not stopping something traveling at 60+ mph regardless... might stop the engine from ending up in your lap... just drive correctly and be careful. Thats my disclaimer. Hope this helps.

Attached Images

	20140621_204848.jpg (795.6 KB, 125 views)
	20140621_185153.jpg (467.2 KB, 112 views)
	20140621_153204.jpg (580.7 KB, 115 views)

__________________

dts3

Sorry for bumping an old thread, but my questions are relevant to this particular install.

As some have pointed out, most other kits/instructions suggest mounting the cooler with the fittings on top. I understand the merits of mounting it fittings-down. One thing that the fittings-up method allows for is the "priming" of the cooler with a quart of oil before the sump itself is refilled after the install. Without being able to prime the cooler, what is the correct method to go about the refill? In my mind you would need to turn the car on to begin circulation, then turn off to add more oil once it's made it's way through the cooler. With the thermo. plate will the cooler fill up enough without bringing the car up to 180+ before adding the last quart of oil?

Are there any installs of the 36/48 row coolers? Were there any fitment issues?

My Z is 2017, so I have the oem oil/water cooler, which I believe is just another sandwich plate behind the filter. Do I have to remove that ( ) or are able to just stack the two sandwich plates back to back ( )