[roastbeef]

i'm going to be looking into getting a custom all aluminum radiator built for my truck. i plan on it being direct fit, but much thicker and much more efficient.
estimated cost for a custom radiator is going to be in the neighborhood of $700.
i know i'm not the only one with cooling problems. this would be for the 01-04 frontier V6 and would probably fit the xterras as well.
any interest in a group by if they can give us a break on the price?

 

[joefrontier2]

I know you use your truck more than street but here are somethings that you could do before dropping the 700$

1. Nismo thermostat - opens sooner
2. reroute the transmission lines to it's own cooler
3. Flush the block - remove the engine plugs
4. Dual e-fan, w/shroud.
5. More water less coolant. (if you live in an area where it doesn't freeze). However, more water means less protective properties.
6. Water wetter - coolant additive (I doubt this would work by itself).


I guess if all that has been done then the only thing that I see is clearance issues with the clutch fan.

 

[jamanrr]

really unless you are racing your truck like BAJA or something then an aftermarket radiator is overkill. Also from my experience with my sr20 turbo 240sx the electric fan mod while reducing engine drag is not as efficient as the mech fan and will not cool as well. Just my 2 cents.....

 

[penski61]

i posted up on N4W , from what i was told the supercharged radiator is double pass vs single pass , you may want to try swapping the supercharged radiator in

i havent had any issues with cooling , since i did a flush on the radiator

 

[roastbeef]

1. Nismo thermostat - opens sooner
2. reroute the transmission lines to it's own cooler
3. Flush the block - remove the engine plugs
4. Dual e-fan, w/shroud.
5. More water less coolant.
6. Water wetter - coolant additive (I doubt this would work by itself).

I guess if all that has been done then the only thing that I see is clearance issues with the clutch fan.

1. thermostat is not the problem, the radiator is just not efficient enough.
2. i'm running dual tranny coolers, one of them has its own fan.
3. done (plus a brand new, 1" radiator)
4. i have a flex-a-lite 3,300 cfm fan with its own shroud
5. done
6. running it.

i posted up on N4W , from what i was told the supercharged radiator is double pass vs single pass , you may want to try swapping the supercharged radiator in

i havent had any issues with cooling , since i did a flush on the radiator

are you sure it is a true double pass, or is it just twice as wide.

i bought a direct replacement radiator that was 1" thick as opposed to the stock .5" thick. didn't do much.

 

[penski61]

ill go look

 

[jamanrr]

I guess I did not read all this correctly to see what you were doing to your truck. Have you contacted the guys at Stillen or Jim Wolf? They make a lot of custom Nissan parts especially for the Z or SXs but you would be surprised how similar the engineering is among Nissan vehicles..... The engines from the Z cars is similar to the v6 frontiers and the KA24 was used in factory 240s sold here so I have noticed the go fast aftermarket parts for those vehicles sometimes will fit the frontier as well.....

 

[penski61]

the supercharged radiator is 2.5" wide , i could not tell if its double pass though

 

[roastbeef]

thanks aaron, i'm going to have to look into that.

 

[houdini]

the SC radiator is double core and the others are all single core. definitely worth the upgrade.

i just put that condensor fan on mine (so...that's a total of 3 efans) and no problems so far. i wasn't havinig too much of an issue unless the air temp was close to 100, but its been a mild summer. in the past i have had more trouble.

 

[TwoBills]

I put an over size radiator in my '01 sc. Got it at radiatorbarn.com for about $180. Holds an extra 2 qts. of coolant. Helped some, but I'm still not happy. Dropping my mix down to 35/65 (more dist. water) seems to help more.
Starting to suspect my clutch fan. Time to go electric, I guess.

 

[penski61]

Mike check with ABC over on N4W to get a price , if they have a good deal goin on if you want to buy i can bring it to you at the WCM if you can make it , or you can come out early and we can throw it in

 

[joefrontier2]

I just have two more things.

1. Have you changed or checked the thermostat? A stuck thermostat causes the coolant to stay in the engine longer. That is why a Nismo thermostat would help. It opens sooner allowing the coolant to circulate more. Race guys use em to keep engine cooler.
2. If you have a single e-fan you may want dual. Also you may want to check to see if you e-fan is pulling air into the engine bay and not trying to push it out. With the maxima fans you can run two fans on high speed (but I do not know the CFM).

 

[roastbeef]

aaron, i'm probably not going to make it to this year's wcm because of financial priorities. i'm bummed, but i have to discipline the spending somewhere and the wheeling suffers. thanks for the help though. i'm definitely going to call abc nissan and see what they can do for me. i'm going to also check with some local nissan dealers.

joe, the efan isn't the problem. 3,300 cfm is a strong fan. its definitely operating correctly, its just that the radiator is not efficient enough.

 

[jmbaxter00]

I don't know if you have looked yet, but Aluminum Radiator & Performance Cooling Products - Mishimoto Automotive may have performance radiator that will fit. Their radiators are about 3.5" or more thick, and double pass. hope this helps.

 

[XE_KING]

Beef, let me know how that sc rad turns out... When it was 98+ here the truck was trying to overheat on the damn freeway... I couldnt run the AC at all and had to keep it under 65 with the heat on just to keep the temp normal(this was @ 110 outside)... Yes my coolant is mixed a little thick but WTF... I have gotta do something before next summer... I have heard that 10% coolant 1 bottla of water wetter and the rest water is the way to go if it never freezes... But I would freeze the block 8 days out of 10 in the winter around here...