I was not able to confirm whether my issue was due to hose failure or installation failure, so that's going to remain a mystery...

as for abakja, the data we've collected suggests that AT cars have much less problem with overheating, so unless you are experiencing problems, I would hold off... ie are you regularly seeing temps above 280F? 260F? (EDIT: 2nd though, don't answer this here! we already have enough oil overheating threads, lol!)

Just to add a little light on my hose failure. I tied the hoses into the frame (using what GTM supplied) at the cooler on the left (passenger) side. I also used cinch straps to secure the hoses further against the front structure.

When removing the hoses I saw that the plastic on the passenger side (drill holes through the pieces for the hose to pass through) was in a different position than when I initially did the install so your theory on the hose movement is correct. The hose movement occurred on the other side of the left side cooler, (the small one beyond the hose clamps at the base) though, so I'm not sure how much tension actually got transmitted to the fittings at the oil cooler.

I was also wondering about the vibration of the mounting bracket and if the hose was fairly snug, the bracket movement might induce a load at the fittings as well.

The idea of having enough slack in the hoses seems like the way to do the install in order to accommodate for engine movement and general vibration.

I only see higher temps when I manual or paddle shift compared to normal "D" driving. Of course this would mean revving till I upshift or vice versa...

I think that members will start to leave a little more slack in the lines and lay off zip-tying the hoses together or to the frame as I dont see this totally necessary, but again Im going to keep an eye on the threads and change my oil next weekend and see what comes up after the next 3k miles...

When the op called us saying that one of the hoses we supplied with the oil cooler kit has burst, we assumed responsibly and send him a new hose with a return shipping label so we can get the hose back to inspect it . Upon inspecting the hose, we discovered that the hose has been shorten, we order thees lines pre-cut to an exact length. if you shorten the line and you don't have the experience required to reassemble this type of fittings, the line will com apart end of story . and this exactly what happened in the op's case .

The kit is specific to the 370z we don't offer any other kit for any other make, the few inches of extra length that the hoses comes with is to give flexibility to the installer so they can install the cooler anywhere they want and for the extra slack required with the engine torquing.

Sam

interesting, Sam, thanks... that would have been good info to have at the beginning of this thread, lol ;)

That explains a lot. Sounds like you did the right thing as a company too Sam. Not many companies in the aftermarket game will just give you new parts before inspection of quality failure. I would just like to point that out.

That would also explain why Tardcore has not returned my PM with regards to whether he altered the lines at all.

I am trying to take this in as just a learning experience, I just wish that I did not have to clean up all of this oil and disassemble everything just to learn from it. HA

GTM, how much would it be to order 2 new lines?

Sad. You hear cases of owners supposedly wronged by dealers, and look what we have here - a case of deception on the OP's part so he could get a new pair of hoses that he modified. Maybe not him, maybe someone he got to install the part, but none the less...its obvious GTM caught him red handed.

GTM - a lot of respect to you for standing by your product and shipping him some new hoses.

OP - wow. Jigs up, eh?

The even sadder part is that I was dupped into thinking that his other "used" line was unaltered and perfectly fine, and thus purchased the kit from him. This weekend, I will post pics of the un-install, while I await some new lines from GTM. Grrrrr....

Whoa whoa whoa...you bought some lines from him? Do you know if they were unaltered at all?

Man, that'd be scary...not even worth the gamble. Let me guess, he was all talky leading up to and including the sale, but he's gotten quiet since.

Kudos, GTM. Seeing how you handled this situation definitely earns some repsect for your business.

Something seemed like it was missing from the OP. A lie by exclusion, it seems to be.

I guess GTM is going to have to include a little warning in their packaging now, sort of like the "Don't use this in a bathtub" warning on new toasters.

TipsZ.....I posted a link to the assembly instructions for the Hoses in my DIY thread. I was gonna PM you on Sam's revelation, but seems you found it. Looks like you're getting new hoses? I'm sure it would prove interesting to disassemble to old ones, at least the suspected modified one and see how it compares to a correct assembly..

Lottsa drama, that's for sure...

Yep. Unfortunately, I bought the kit from Tardcore. He supplied the one used hose and the new replacement hose that was shipped to him from GTM. I installed the oil cooler and drove it for a short period of time. It was then that I noticed the seepage. Then I asked you guys about the AN fittings and proper torque as I was not comfortable with the seepage. I got it up and checked the lines and noticed that one of the lines actually spun completely around on the AN fitting. I went back in the house and posted / questioned whether this was normal. Went out-side to move the car .. and pwooosh .. the line blew. I am waiting for SAM to return my PM's and/or call me. I understand that I purchased the oil cooler from Tardcore "As Is", however I was under the pretence that he did not alter the lines in any way. He never responded to my PM from the 8th of March and it appears that he has not been on the forums since the end of February. Oh well .. all I can do is learn from this .. get some new lines from GTM.. and move on. Right??

Wow. Get this guy off the damn boards - he obviously has NO problem "hosing" (get it?) our own members, and that just doesn't sit right with me. Who knows if he'll do that crap again.

We haven't had many members take part in "rip off" bad deals, if we do I suggest we get a feedback sticky going in the classifieds to provide notice and warn members

My naivety got the best of me. I guess I never would have suspected that he would have sold the other line, after he intentionally attempted to alter it. To make matters worse, there were warning signs .. ie. bashing the Z and stating he wanted a Z06... doh!

there is one up there for the one guy

Sorry to see this affected you too TipsZ.

TARDCORE!!! Come out and Playyyyy!!!!!

:iagree:

That helps understand the oil burning issue. Imagine what the valve stem seals are seeing...

x2 what a fuking jackass

Then again, we all should have known early on with the 'shoulda bought the Vette' BS. My first reaction to the OP was "WTF, that NEVER happens". Always stay with your first reaction :shakes head:

And the name TARDCORE <sigh> dead giveaway to a douchebag. This guy says he's a Border Agent? Pity his partners and any Mexicans he encounters on the border, unless of course he is a fry cook in McDonalds, which is more likely.

AK any chance of deleting this thread since it makes a very reliable supplier look bad due to blatant assholery by the OP?

Love that word! Stop the assholery!

Err......Valve stem seals don't see ANY oil pressure... Just the cam bearings, then the oil drains to the sump.

If you wanted to remove that, you'd need to delete a TON of threads!....:tup:

wtf... Sam called me on March 5. He asked if I had cut the hose because it was shorter than the other hose. I said no, they came like that. Sam what exactly is going on here? I didn't know that the kit sold by GTM was technically universal so I didn't do any adjustments to the kit.

GTM Oil Cooler

Here is the link to their kit. Look at the hoses. One is shorter. I figured it was shorter becase the core itself is about 10 inches long right? So If both hoses are going to the same place one would have to be shorter or be routed through a different, longer area. WTF sam. I never said I did any cutting or mods to the hose.

Included in the kit:
(1) 55" S.S. Braided hose with 45 degree swivel ends (-8AN)
(1) 48" S.S. Braided hose with 45 degree swivel ends (-8AN)

There certainly are 2 different length hoses.

I wonder what the length of the hose GTM received was?

When I first got the kit I was a little confused as to why it didn't come with any hardware to mount the kit to the car itself like Stillen's does. It should have hit me that this kit IS NOT made specifically for the Z and from what an employee at GTM told me after I called them about when the hose disconnected, it isn't. That was the first thing he had asked me "did you cut the hose" I don't even know how to reconnect the hose if I cut it. I inspected the longer hose (the one that worked) and I couldnt even tell how it was connected inside the AN fitting.

I really hope Sam misunderstood me when I was talking to him because if he posted that as if I was lying to him...

The hoses could have been poorly assembled by the manufacturer (GTM already stated they don't make the hoses) or could appear frayed from all the movement making them look like they were altered. The manufacturer could also be cutting the hoses to a slightly wrong length.

Both Tardcore and GTM deserve the benefit of doubt at this point, so don't jump down anyone's throat just yet.

Oh man did this thread just get good.:drama:

Ho boy....we're gonna need more...:drama:

And to cover my rear end on the install: So Cal Local Installer this is my friend who helped me with the install. If you look at all the things he does the cooler was nothing. Hes very well known among the honda/acura/mitsu community in So Cal. I have seen him do some crazy swaps and enginge internal builds from his garage and his customers have only good things to say about the longevity of the builds. And he didn't cut the hoses becasue I told him the kit was designed specifically for the 370z... little did I know its not. And even if he did, its not like he wouldn't do a poor job on reconnecting the hose to the AN fitting.

I sold the kit to a member on this site. I will not say his name but IF he wants to say something please do. He sent me a PM stating that one of the AN fittings is leaking. IF this AN fitting is on the BRAND NEW hose that GTM sent me, then there is your problem right there. Its not GTM's fault. Its not my fault. Its not his fault. Its the manufacturers fault. And please, if that member wants to say something please say this: Measeure the lengths of the hoses I sent you. they should both be the same length since GTM sent me another long hose for some reason and when I called them about it, they said the same thing: its a universal kit. So let us know (if you want to) wether or not its the brand new hose and if its NOT, if its the same length as the new hose to prove I did not such cutting because I didn't.

And furthermore... I am a damn law enforcement officer. When people need help because some illegal aliens break into their home or are attempting to steal their car who they gonna call? ghost busters? Dude I help people for living. Risk my life for people I don't even know for a living. I have a gigantic bruise on my left arm after some idiot hit me with a tree branch responding to a citizens report of a group of people who had taken shelter in her backyard in a tool shed and believe me when I say; thats one weak war story compared to the crap I seen and had happen to me helping other people with their "visitor problems". I have no reason to lie or pull any kind of bs as if it was GTM's fault not mine. If I did cut the hose I would have posted a thread saying "yes a I screwed up can someone give me some advice on how to reconnect the AN fitting." because thats what a forum is for. to help people. So please enough with all this BS about "the jig is up" Sam if you would like to speak about this matter in person or on the phone, I can understand. But don't put words in my mouth that I didn't say nor do.

OK .. I just got off the phone with Sam from GTM. He said he will take care of me, and I trust that he will. It could be just as others have said, that at times these things occur. I chaulk it up as a learning experience for me. Never forget that vendors who are responsive and really want to put out good products take care of their customers, and Sam is doing that for me, EVEN THOUGH I did not purchase the kit directly from him. Now THAT is good customer service.

So the online kit says 55" and 48" I received a 59" and 55" and both of the hoses had a 45 degree and a 90 degree. the 120 wasnt there but it still installed fine. This is the pic of the kit the day I unboxed it. The hose that failed was the 55 inch not the 59" and I sent the 59" with the kit along with the brand new hose that I got from GTM.

edit: Ok so writing on the packaging stated 59" and 120 and 60 degree fitting. However what I received was 45 and 90 degree. Sam I am not trying to discredit you or your company in anyway. Its just I am trying to cover my side. This is a learning experience for me and what I learned was next time I receive something other than what is stated, I should call the company and make sure its ok. Also I should mhave measured the lines to amke sure they actually were 59" and 55"
http://i667.photobucket.com/albums/v...MOilCooler.jpg
http://i667.photobucket.com/albums/v...er90degree.jpg

We have been in business for 15 + years, We do understand and believe that even with the best people employed,best materials bought,best product and best equipment used things go can wrong and mistakes can be made. So when a customer calls with an issue they 're having we focus on fixing the problem instead blaming and pointing the finger, that does mean we don't go back and investigate to find out what caused the problem, what to do to correct it and how can we prevent it from acquiring again .

All the data in front of us indicate that the hose has been shorten, Preston if you are saying that you did not, then i I'm not sure what to say at this point, we can go back and forth here for ever and the outcome won't change .

We are working with the second buyer to get him back on the road and that's all we can do .

Sam

^ Is it possible that they sent you the wrong size hose from your other mfg?

2 engines could have blown up.....I'm really glad none did, but this thread could have gone very very differently.

We went back and checked every hose on the self, every hose had the right length, we had consistency .

Sam

I guess the oil temp got so hot that it shrunk the steal braided line then. Oh well, everybody was taken care of in the end, and GTM did the right thing. Moving on! How about that Z06??

lol for a 22 year old the Z06 was $304 a month for my insurance. I can afford the car payment. not the insurance. Gotta wait a few years.

Anyway, I am still planning on purchasing an oil cooler from GTM but I am going to have them install the kit that way I can have it documented that it was installed by a professional and if anything like this happens again, well I certainly hope it doesn't come to that.

And yeah for a while there it didn't look good since I wasn't active on this site since the 27th of Feb and the issue with TipsZ's 370 and me not repsonding. I can only imagine what kind of person you all think I am but I want to apologize for the tension created.

edit: I updated my post above this one.