here is my review of the mishimoto radiator. at first right out of the box it looked badass, i couldn't wait to put it in my car. the stock fans didn't fit perfectly but it's aftermarket so i didn't mind the 5 minutes with the dremel. then once i went to drop it in, the studs in the bottom of the radiator that go into the rubber bushing things were off by about an inch making the radiator brakets not fit up top and since the core support angles back on each side of the radiator it hit the core support and wouldn't come far enough forward. not only this but the radiator sits about 3/4" to high and hits the hood when you close it. here is the final kick in the balls for me, after all the above mentioned crap , the big ass nipple/mouth/ thing where the lower radiator hose slides over hits the big piece of metal that the front motor mount is attached to. this is fucking ridiculous, i have been at it for hours fabbing parts to make it fit and i'm still not close.(did i mention it's 100 degrees in my garage?) do not buy this radiator unless you are prepared for one hell of a headache.
White Knight
mishimoto radiator- DO NOT BUY!
Wow that sucks... A friend of mine bought it awhile back and had no problems... I think he used washers instead of the dremel to fit the fans
maybe you got sent the wrong one :dunno:. Id measure it first to make sure before i started hacking it up because several people have had no problems with it.
Yeah check again and make sure you got the right one. Another guy on here bought one that was the wrong one too (inlet and outlet on wrong side). Mine needed a couple washers to move the fans out a tad but otherwise fit just fine with a little wiggling and trimming the holes on the fan shroud.
i had to use washers on one bolt for the fans but thats not a big deal. it is the right radiator, they just weren't very precise when building it.
I got sent the wrong one with those similar issues. I didnt start modifying it though i called mishimoto and they sent me another one which was better
that 3/4'' thing makes it sound like you got one ment for a Galant! I have a galant radiator on my car and it has all the problems you described lol
Recently I purchased and installed one of these. I have to say, they made it a bit more difficult than it should have been.
Though My install does not seem as bad as WhightKnight's it was a pain.
They do have a few things off. Once the radiator sat in the stock rubber mounts it sat up a good 1/4" to high for the top mounts to get installed. As with some things that are aftermarket there is some modification that needed to happen. The rubber mounts on the bottom needed to be shaved down to compensate for this height. It was not that big of a deal for me to do this (it was a pain but not a huge deal). Same went for the top. If you look at your stock radiator the top mounts sat flush with it. Well because of how the top posts were welded to the core the top mounts needed to compensate for that as well. Easy fix, just like the bottom mounts.
After the install and burping I though everything was fine. Nope. After reading up on a few different places the Mishimoto cap is crap. It leaks and does not fit so well. After a phone call with Mishimoto they have informed me (and I now will inform you) that they stock 2002-2007 WRX cap is the same. Please do not use your stock cap on these radiators. It is to short and causes your coolant to flow into your side tank and from there out of the system and to the ground (because it will overflow). It may not show that your car is overheating, but it is losing coolant.
Though My install does not seem as bad as WhightKnight's it was a pain.
They do have a few things off. Once the radiator sat in the stock rubber mounts it sat up a good 1/4" to high for the top mounts to get installed. As with some things that are aftermarket there is some modification that needed to happen. The rubber mounts on the bottom needed to be shaved down to compensate for this height. It was not that big of a deal for me to do this (it was a pain but not a huge deal). Same went for the top. If you look at your stock radiator the top mounts sat flush with it. Well because of how the top posts were welded to the core the top mounts needed to compensate for that as well. Easy fix, just like the bottom mounts.
After the install and burping I though everything was fine. Nope. After reading up on a few different places the Mishimoto cap is crap. It leaks and does not fit so well. After a phone call with Mishimoto they have informed me (and I now will inform you) that they stock 2002-2007 WRX cap is the same. Please do not use your stock cap on these radiators. It is to short and causes your coolant to flow into your side tank and from there out of the system and to the ground (because it will overflow). It may not show that your car is overheating, but it is losing coolant.
haha i forgot i wrote this, i was pretty pissed at the time, my install was a complete bitch but i do like the radiator,bad thing is if i have to replace it i will have to re-fabricate back to stock. radiator only dropped my temps by 3 degrees which could have just been the difference in weather maybe i need a cooler thermostat:dunno:
A radiator won't drop your temps unless you've surpassed the capacity of the factory one which takes forced induction and a huge front mount and even then it sometimes is just fine.
This kinda sucks that so many people are having these issues with the Mishimoto rads. Not to rub salt in the wounds, but mine went in without a hitch whatsoever. No modification to any of the mounts or isolators, and the cap hasn't started leaking yet. Maybe I just lucked out. :dunno:
I replaced with WRX cap today. Much tighter (gigady) and has not had a leak yet. But that was just a few times around the block. Also went to straight water and water wetter only saw temps hit 206 highest while going around the block.
I added a few photos. There is one comparing stock to mishimoto cap. As you can see, the mishimoto cap is longer and has a longer spring. This compensates for the long filler neck. The stock cap is to short.
I added a few photos. There is one comparing stock to mishimoto cap. As you can see, the mishimoto cap is longer and has a longer spring. This compensates for the long filler neck. The stock cap is to short.
Attachments
Ran it for around 60-70 miles this weekend. There is no leak with the shitty cap from autozone. Mishimoto caps have problems. They are sending me another one to test, but I am not to hopeful about it. Also found a few things out while researching this problem I had.
The drain plug does not have an oring or gasket of any type. It has Teflon tape as a sealer. I also found that the overflow nipple is attached the same way. It is screwed on and has the tape around the threads. I was told removing the stock tape and replacing it will not void the warranty.
The drain plug does not have an oring or gasket of any type. It has Teflon tape as a sealer. I also found that the overflow nipple is attached the same way. It is screwed on and has the tape around the threads. I was told removing the stock tape and replacing it will not void the warranty.
after all this, why not buy the cheaper, more reliable csf radiator? it's a bit smaller but is great quality and even comes with auto tranny cooler.
I could care less about looks when It comes to this. I was looking for the thickest I could find. The polished look happened to fit my engine bay theme.
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