Oil cooler line routing question
My dealer installed NISMO oil cooler lines had developed leaked at a hose fitting, so took it to a local AAA cerified mechanic. He showed me the previous installation in detail, the leak was on the pre-assembled fitting point but unfortunately we also spotted some additional issues - some damage on A/C condenser (gouged fins, two scarred channels) exactly behind the stock center frame on which the installer had drilled a hole for putting a bolt through the custom bracket support to the cooler. Some of the pipe foam used for protection/insulation had ripped or slit at the parts of contact with rest of the body. I had this mechanic fix the oil leak by tightening the fittings, recheck everything, remove the pipe foam insulation, and instead wrap the lines with exhaust wrap first and put an additional heatshield velcro wrap at the points where it touches other parts. He thought the oil lines had been a bit awkwardly routed because of the kit's line were too long (which was indicated before by the dealer mechanic too); so he shortened them a little bit.
Now, the question I have is about the new routing of the oil lines. He has routed the oil lines through the gap between the metal arm that attaches the aluminum bumper to the frame rails and the plastic radiator support. (Marked with a red circle on the 1st picture). He did not cut or modify any plastic panel or create any hole to pass the oil lines through to the back. He managed to use this factory gap to feed them through, pick them up from the bottom and attach them to the sandwich plate. It seemed like the best way to do it when he did this. However, much later I have started wondering if there will be any flex or movement of this bumper arm or the plastic radiator support that will make this gap become narrower and thereby pinch the oil hoses to cause blockage/kink. Do you think this gap can vary during rigorous movements of the car? I have heard that blockage/kink on the hose can blow up the cooler or damage the oil pump depending on which line (input/output) the block is. Do you know if there is a failsafe for the factory oil pump that kicks in when for instance oil flow is blocked at the filter? I did not read about a bypass in the sandwich adapter of NISMO kit unlike Stillen kit. I am really gun-shy about to taking my car to any mechanic again because every time it has visited one it seems to receive many unintended damages like nicks on the alloy wheels, swirl/scratch marks on the paint, damage on a/c condenser etc. No one loves your car as much as you do! .. but unfortunately I do not have a good lift or a garage space to do repair/installation job myself.
Any thoughts about the routing the hose through the gap near the bumper arm (as in 1st picture)?
Last edited by Prashiy; 05-01-2012 at 03:10 AM.
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