Introducing the Z1 Motorsports 370Z Oil Cooler Kit *Customizable*

FL 4Motion

/\ that's an issue with pretty much any oil cooler, oem or aftermarket. wouldn't worry about it since the vast majority (85% or so) of the oil gets changed everytime anyway. You could always unmount the cooler once every 3 or 4 oil changes and just "dump" all the oil out just for piece of mind if you want. Just to put into perspective, the GTR has an oil cooler standard and in it's maintenance guidlines, which are very very strict and specific, it never mentions draining the residual oil out of the cooler ever.

XwChriswX

Interesting thought about the dumping the cooler separately... that was the only idea that came to mind, with just loosening the lines and unmounting it, doesn't even seem like it would be that astronomical to just do it all at once. Thanks for the info!

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Bonnie - Stage 2, Audio build coming this fall!
R.I.P. Abby 3/29/10 - 3/30/14

pty370z

I have a doubt on the Thermostatic / Non-Thermostatic Adapter..

I understand this is to prevent oil from flowing through the cooler until it reaches certain temperature..

I live in Panama, Central America, which has warm/hot weather year-round.. Temperature never falls below 72-73°F and this is at night time. During the day temperature is always around 90°F on average..

My Z is daily driven and I don't track it. I would be interested in the 25-row cooler. Do I still need the thermostatic adapter? Or would I be OK with the non-thermostatic one?

Also, what is the Protective Hose Wrapping?

Thanks!

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2010 Solid Red 370Z * Touring-Sport-6MT * Black Interior
Performance: STILLEN * BERK * UR * MISHIMOTO * K&N * Z1 * ZSPEED * UPREV * DBA
Interior: GT-R Red Start/Stop Button * MSA Floor Mats * PW:JDM
Exterior: INGS+1 * SEIBON * FUJIMURA * PW:JDM * UAM * KICS * VOLK

Dustin@Z1

In your situation, I think you would be perfectly fine without a thermostatic sandwich plate. Combined with a 25 row core, this setup would work well for spirited mountain drives even during the hotter summer months.

You will just have to make sure that your oil temp warms up before thrashing the car in the mornings/leaving work. Keep in mind, oil that is too cold is just as detrimental to the engine as oil that is too hot. This is regardless of whether you have a thermostatic sandwich plate or not.

The protective line wrapping is a solution that we have found to the problems associated with the Stainless Steel Oil Cooler Lines coming into contact with the chassis. Due to constant movement of the engine and the chassis, the Stainless Steel braided lines have a tendency to wear into whatever it contacts. This could mean wearing away paint on the chassis, fraying braided lines on a sharp courner of the frame or scuffing up the plastic fender liners. Previous oil cooler kits used plastic split loom or split rubber heater hose. Neither of these two products seem to adequately protect the lines and have also proven to hinder with the line routing due to their bulk and inability to flex with the lines.

The product we use for our protective line wrapping is heat shrinkable, which forms nicely around the lines. It is a woven, fabric based material which has many positive properties.

1. Stays fairly cool to the touch, even when the oil is at its hottest.
2. Flexes very well with the lines while routing them thru the frame rails
3. Is easy to remove (Basic utility knife will work in the event that you need to remove it)
4. Is soft enough not to damage the paint on the chassis
5. No adhesives are used (This means it is easy to clean up when removed and actually allows for the wrapping to be slide into the proper location, with some effort applied)
6. It is very low profile, only enlargening the OD of the lines by around 0.05" (~ 1.25 mm).
   
   I hope that I have answered your questions. By all means, feel free to shoot me a PM or give me a call here at the shop if you have any further questions!

XwChriswX

Dustin, is it possible to get some of this material for other lines as well, could I purchase some from you by the foot?

__________________

Bonnie - Stage 2, Audio build coming this fall!
R.I.P. Abby 3/29/10 - 3/30/14

Jason370

Would like to purchase an oil cooler kit for installation in my 2009 370Z Nismo. The car will reside in SW Florida and will never be tracked. Is the 19 row unit sufficient, or should I consider the 25 row unit? Will any alteration to the Nismo be required to install either unit?

Dustin@Z1

Since you will never be tracking the car, a 19 row should be sufficient for a DD. However, since you live in SW Florida (where it can be equally hot and humid) I would recommend the 25 row if you are planning on doing any spirited back road driving. Although not on a race track, our shop 370Z went into limp mode on the Tail of the Dragon at the 2010 ZDayZ event in North Carolina. This came as a result of aggressive mountain runs in short bursts.

The decision of whether to choose a 25 or 19 row cooler really comes down to your budget. Personally, I would recommend a 25 row for your car. It would be added insurance to allow you the ability to "play" even during the hotter summer months.

In regards to the installation of our oil cooler kit on the NISMO, there are ONLY two things different between the two models:

1. Removal of the undershrouds and fascia to facilitate installtion will be slightly different.
2. The NISMO/Autech/Yamaha Lateral brace will need to be flipped 180 degrees. Placing the thicker end on the passenger side of the car in order to accomodate the oil cooler core.

Let me know if you have any further questions!

Dustin@Z1

Correct, I generally dump my core about every 2nd or 3rd oil change. The OEM Nissan 300zx TT did not even have a comment about doing this. In comparison to the total volume of the oil system, as long as you change it regularly, the amount of "bad" oil is small.

The 3,000 mile oil change interval is really a standard recommendation. If you change you oil regularly without overheating it or allowing it to break down, then that oil could technically be used for more than 3,000 miles (given certain criteria). With this said, the leftover oil in your oil cooler core and other cavities of your engine will not technically "BAD".

But for piece of mind....I still take the time to dump mine regardless.

This is another reason why we choose to add an intermediate fitting both on the sandwhich plate and the oil cooler core side. It is very easyy to simple unscrew the top fittings and drain the core.

Over time however, like any other metal-on-metal contact surface, you will eventually need to replace the fittings. All AN fittings will eventually require replacement due to usage. To help prevent damage to the most expensive components of the system (i.e., core, lines and sandwich plate) these fittings can easily be replaced or allow for disassembly for drainage/maintanence/removal. The Stillen and GTM kits also use a similar setup whereas the Nissan Motorsports Kit does not (this could potentially be bad in the event that you accidentally strip out a fitting while screwing it into the sandwich plate of core).