Nissan 370Z Forum - View Single Post - DIY: GT Motorsports Oil Cooler Kit Install/Review

rackley · 06-27-2009, 05:41 PM

I recently ordered the GT Motorsports Oil Cooker Kit (GT Motorsports*::*ENGINE EXTERNALS*::*GTM HD OIL COOLER FOR VQ), having had problems with oil temps since I purchased the car. Recently my oil temps have been hitting 240 regularly in the 95-100*F weather of the South, so an oil cooler was arguably a necessity rather than an option.

I wanted to do a cooler with the ports pointed downward so I could drain the oil out of the cooler at oil changes. This ruled out the Stillen kit since the way their mount is fabbed, it will only point the openings upward.

The kit is very well priced since it includes a Setrab cooler. In fact, I doubt I could buy the parts individually for what the kit costs. So in that sense it's a bargain. +1

Customer service: I sent an inquiry via their web site regarding a tracking number since I didn't sign up for an account when checking out. I received a tracking number fairly quickly and also got a voice call (!) from them making sure I had received the tracking number. +1.

It came via Adult-Only Signature UPS, which was a bit of an annoyance. Since I'm on temporary active duty two states away and my wife works, that doesn't really work out so good. I called and inquired if they could contact UPS and change the delivery option as I live in a very safe neighborhood, but they politely explained it was their policy only to do adult-only signature deliveries due to past issues. Inconvenient, but understandable.

I make it home on the weekends, so I had UPS hold it at their facility. The UPS facility is on the north side of Charlotte, a 40 minute drive from the south side under ideal traffic conditions (and there is no such thing as ideal traffic in Charlotte). The compound is fenced with a variety of barbed and razor wire since it's not in a very good neighborhood. It vaguely resembles a FOB with the exception of sandbags and roving patrols, but I digress. So I grabbed by trusty M&P 9C and went on a trip to get the cooler.

(stock picture)

Two hours later I was back home. Yay.

Unboxing:

As I unpacked it I noticed it was exceptionally well packed. Everything was individually bagged, all hose ends were bagged/taped, and everything was wrapped in at least one layer of bubble wrap, usually two.

Everything shown on their web site is included, including the Setrab mount, which fits well on the car (more on that later). One thing I noticed missing was any type of mounting hardware to attached the Setrab mount to the vehicle. Another thing I noticed missing was directions/instructions. There were none. A kit with no install instructions? Even for a simple oil cooler.. -1.

Install:

Mixed. Modshack's install (http://www.the370z.com/diy-section-d...ttsa-pics.html) helped significantly. If I had not seen his install and had been a novice car modder, this could have been a potential problem area, one where install instructions would have helped immensely. I've done some major surgery on quite a few cars though, so with Modshack's trail blazed I didn't have any reservations.

As stated above, I wanted to do a ports-down install so I could drain the oil from the cooler at oil changes. So I proceeded to mount it very similar to the way Modshack did his. However, I ran into a fairly significant problem - the 45* angle adapters on the hoses causes the hoses to dip too low to be safe.

Needless to say, since the belly pan already has scuff marks from hitting the road on it, having the oil line fittings FIRMLY bulging it outward makes me very uncomfortable. All I need to do it hit the road once for either the fitting or cooler to break, a potentially disastrous scenario. Verdict: -1

Next oil change I'll get a pair of 90* fittings for the cooler so the 45* fittings on the lines can bow out to the front instead of down. That should fix the clearance issue without needing to replace the lines completely.

Tools used:
Philips screwdriver (powered)
4mm Allen wrench
10, 13, 14mm sockets
14, 22, 27mm wrenches
Loctite Blue

Parts used that were not included:
(x2) M8x16mm hex head bolts, zinc plated
(x2) M8 nuts, zinc plated
Zip ties (heavy duty, high temp rated)
~2 feet of 5/8" coolant hose to prevent chafing

Full picture album with comments:
Picasa Web Albums - Ray - 2009 370Z GTM...

Overall:
It's not really a kit so much as it is a box of parts that work. It wouldn't take much to throw in a few M8 bolts/nuts, some zip ties, a foot or two of coolant hose and a few pictures to show you how to do the install, which would make it an actual kit IMHO. If the hoses had 90* fittings instead of 45* it would have been even better. Of course, they may have intended it to be installed in a different configuration where the 45* lines would work, but there were no directions to indicate anything to that effect. Overall, not bad, but could be better with a few minimal parts and some install directions.

06-27-2009, 05:41 PM	#1 (permalink)
rackley Base Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Charlotte NC Posts: 77 Drives: 09 370Z Sport-Yellow Rep Power: 16	DIY: GT Motorsports Oil Cooler Kit Install/Review I recently ordered the GT Motorsports Oil Cooker Kit (GT Motorsports::ENGINE EXTERNALS::GTM HD OIL COOLER FOR VQ), having had problems with oil temps since I purchased the car. Recently my oil temps have been hitting 240 regularly in the 95-100F weather of the South, so an oil cooler was arguably a necessity rather than an option. I wanted to do a cooler with the ports pointed downward so I could drain the oil out of the cooler at oil changes. This ruled out the Stillen kit since the way their mount is fabbed, it will only point the openings upward. The kit is very well priced since it includes a Setrab cooler. In fact, I doubt I could buy the parts individually for what the kit costs. So in that sense it's a bargain. +1 Customer service:* I sent an inquiry via their web site regarding a tracking number since I didn't sign up for an account when checking out. I received a tracking number fairly quickly and also got a voice call (!) from them making sure I had received the tracking number. +1. It came via Adult-Only Signature UPS, which was a bit of an annoyance. Since I'm on temporary active duty two states away and my wife works, that doesn't really work out so good. I called and inquired if they could contact UPS and change the delivery option as I live in a very safe neighborhood, but they politely explained it was their policy only to do adult-only signature deliveries due to past issues. Inconvenient, but understandable. I make it home on the weekends, so I had UPS hold it at their facility. The UPS facility is on the north side of Charlotte, a 40 minute drive from the south side under ideal traffic conditions (and there is no such thing as ideal traffic in Charlotte). The compound is fenced with a variety of barbed and razor wire since it's not in a very good neighborhood. It vaguely resembles a FOB with the exception of sandbags and roving patrols, but I digress. So I grabbed by trusty M&P 9C and went on a trip to get the cooler. (stock picture) Two hours later I was back home. Yay. Unboxing: As I unpacked it I noticed it was exceptionally well packed. Everything was individually bagged, all hose ends were bagged/taped, and everything was wrapped in at least one layer of bubble wrap, usually two. Everything shown on their web site is included, including the Setrab mount, which fits well on the car (more on that later). One thing I noticed missing was any type of mounting hardware to attached the Setrab mount to the vehicle. Another thing I noticed missing was directions/instructions. There were none. A kit with no install instructions? Even for a simple oil cooler.. -1. Install: Mixed. Modshack's install (http://www.the370z.com/diy-section-d...ttsa-pics.html) helped significantly. If I had not seen his install and had been a novice car modder, this could have been a potential problem area, one where install instructions would have helped immensely. I've done some major surgery on quite a few cars though, so with Modshack's trail blazed I didn't have any reservations. As stated above, I wanted to do a ports-down install so I could drain the oil from the cooler at oil changes. So I proceeded to mount it very similar to the way Modshack did his. However, I ran into a fairly significant problem - the 45* angle adapters on the hoses causes the hoses to dip too low to be safe. Needless to say, since the belly pan already has scuff marks from hitting the road on it, having the oil line fittings FIRMLY bulging it outward makes me very uncomfortable. All I need to do it hit the road once for either the fitting or cooler to break, a potentially disastrous scenario. Verdict: -1 Next oil change I'll get a pair of 90* fittings for the cooler so the 45* fittings on the lines can bow out to the front instead of down. That should fix the clearance issue without needing to replace the lines completely. Tools used: Philips screwdriver (powered) 4mm Allen wrench 10, 13, 14mm sockets 14, 22, 27mm wrenches Loctite Blue Parts used that were not included: (x2) M8x16mm hex head bolts, zinc plated (x2) M8 nuts, zinc plated Zip ties (heavy duty, high temp rated) ~2 feet of 5/8" coolant hose to prevent chafing Full picture album with comments: Picasa Web Albums - Ray - 2009 370Z GTM... Overall: It's not really a kit so much as it is a box of parts that work. It wouldn't take much to throw in a few M8 bolts/nuts, some zip ties, a foot or two of coolant hose and a few pictures to show you how to do the install, which would make it an actual kit IMHO. If the hoses had 90* fittings instead of 45* it would have been even better. Of course, they may have intended it to be installed in a different configuration where the 45* lines would work, but there were no directions to indicate anything to that effect. Overall, not bad, but could be better with a few minimal parts and some install directions.