Introducing the Z1 Motorsports 370Z Oil Cooler Kit *Customizable*

Dustin@Z1

Not at all. You will have to route the lines a little differently around the Stillen Gen III intakes (if you are installing them with a 34 row core). It is completely do-able, if you look at the pics in the installation manual you will see how we routed the lines.

The width and thickness of the 19, 25 and 34 oil cooler cores are the same. The only dimension that changes across the 3 models is the height. The increased height allows for a greater surface area, allowing for more air to pass thru the core.

Let me know if you have any more questions about the kit!

FL 4Motion

Figured I'd just bump this thread vs. creating a new one just to piggyback on what everyone already knows which is these oil cooler kits rock.

had our Z1 34R oil cooler w/thermostatic plate and protective sheathing installed on Sat by our mechanic. When the kit arrived a couple weeks ago, everything was there and the instructions were very clear. Our installer even commented that the instuctions were very good (not that he needed them). I haven't heard any strange sounds or any other hint that we added anything to the car other than the dramatically reduced oil temps. It does take a bit longer to get up to operating temp (160 deg +) but that was to be expected.

For fellow nismo owners, all we had to to was flip that front yamaha brace 180 deg so the "fat" side of the shock was on the passenger side and there is just a smidgen of space betwn the shock and the front of the oil cooler. I'm going to keep an eye on that area but with no moving parts around, I don't think there'll be a problem.

thanks Z1 for producing such a well thought out and functional kit at a reasonable $ to boot.

XwChriswX

Hey Z1, I'm looking to get an Oil Cooler installed before March 19th, is this possible ordering from you? Here's what I'm looking for, and you tell me which core you'd recommend:

I am planning to get the Stillen Gen III Intakes.

I do not track the car regularly, but if an event popped up for amateurs locally, I might go...

I live in Arizona and typically travel to SoCal so ambient temps are a concern. Last summer my oil temps were in the 240-245* range on the cruise out there. So the thermostatic plate is a no brainer, but based on these facts, would you recommend the 25 row or 34 row cooler?

My last question is how is the cooler mounted? With the feed/draw's at the top, or at the bottom? Is it possible to mount the cooler Vertically? So the feed line comes in at the top and the draw is at the bottom to both ease in flow and drainage for oil changes...

_________ <-- Feed
|XXXX|
|XXXX|
|XXXX|
|XXXX|
----------- <-- Draw

(Sorry for the horrible diagram but you get the idea...)

__________________

Bonnie - Stage 2, Audio build coming this fall!
R.I.P. Abby 3/29/10 - 3/30/14

Dustin@Z1

What's going on Chris?

I will answer each question individually:

1) March 19th - Definitly doable. FedEX Ground only takes about 3~4 days to you in AZ. We have the kits in stock and ready to ship.

2) Core size - this really comes down to your budget. A 25 row would be fine on your car for basic street driving and the occasional, infrequent track event. A 34 row would be more ideal and would offer more heat dissipation, especially during the Summer and early fall months. Both the 25 and 34 row cores will clear the Stillen Gen III's without any issues, so you will not have any issues there.

3) Core Orientation - The standard Setrab/Z1 Brackets supplied were designed for allow for positioning the fittings vertically (12'o'clock position). However, you could flip the brackets around and mount the fittings in the 6'o'clock position. For a side mount position, it will require some extra fab work for the mountings and swapping out of the fittings. At that point you are basically redesigning the kit. The biggest challenge to this type of setup will be the mounting brackets.

Our reason for mounting the oil cooler in this manner is the fact that oil could potentially drain out of the oil cooler core when the engine is turned off. This would cause a brief loss off oil pressure until pressure was built up across the system. This would happen during EVERY start up. A vertical mounting position, like done on our kit (as well as Stillen, GTM and Nissan Motorsports kits) does not have this issue since the oil cooler acts as a type of reservoir for whatever oil does drain out of the oil lines (this will happen regardless due to gravity). This minimizes the amount of oil that will drain back into the oil pan.

I hope that this answers your questions. Give me a shout if you have any questions.

Dustin

XwChriswX

Ok, thanks for answering my questions, the one about the Stillen Gen III's was based on how in your OP you had said the cooler (34 row) would get in the way. Glad to see that issue is resolved.

My other point was based on the worry of if you mounted the ports in the 12 o'clock position, when it came time to change the oil, used oil would still be in the cooler and then recirculated instead of being drained. So I thought about mounting them in the 6 o'clock position, but then I thought gravity would keep oil from being able to flow through the whole thing, not maximizing it's ability.

I guess my problem in theory was the actual flow direction of the oil. I was thinking it went from the engine through the cooler to the pan... Or does it go from the pan to the cooler then to the engine??

__________________

Bonnie - Stage 2, Audio build coming this fall!
R.I.P. Abby 3/29/10 - 3/30/14

FL 4Motion

/\ that's an issue with pretty much any oil cooler, oem or aftermarket. wouldn't worry about it since the vast majority (85% or so) of the oil gets changed everytime anyway. You could always unmount the cooler once every 3 or 4 oil changes and just "dump" all the oil out just for piece of mind if you want. Just to put into perspective, the GTR has an oil cooler standard and in it's maintenance guidlines, which are very very strict and specific, it never mentions draining the residual oil out of the cooler ever.

XwChriswX

Interesting thought about the dumping the cooler separately... that was the only idea that came to mind, with just loosening the lines and unmounting it, doesn't even seem like it would be that astronomical to just do it all at once. Thanks for the info!

__________________

Bonnie - Stage 2, Audio build coming this fall!
R.I.P. Abby 3/29/10 - 3/30/14

pty370z

I have a doubt on the Thermostatic / Non-Thermostatic Adapter..

I understand this is to prevent oil from flowing through the cooler until it reaches certain temperature..

I live in Panama, Central America, which has warm/hot weather year-round.. Temperature never falls below 72-73°F and this is at night time. During the day temperature is always around 90°F on average..

My Z is daily driven and I don't track it. I would be interested in the 25-row cooler. Do I still need the thermostatic adapter? Or would I be OK with the non-thermostatic one?

Also, what is the Protective Hose Wrapping?

Thanks!

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2010 Solid Red 370Z * Touring-Sport-6MT * Black Interior
Performance: STILLEN * BERK * UR * MISHIMOTO * K&N * Z1 * ZSPEED * UPREV * DBA
Interior: GT-R Red Start/Stop Button * MSA Floor Mats * PW:JDM
Exterior: INGS+1 * SEIBON * FUJIMURA * PW:JDM * UAM * KICS * VOLK

Au10tc

Just installed the 25 row oil cooler with thermo sandwhich plate along with my gen 3 intakes. Must say shipping was very fast and the instal was a breeze. Thanks dustin for the good deal. Only problem i had was the protective hose wrap isn't in the right place but i did some mods to make it work. While testing the car hard oil temps never past 185. Awsome kit!!!! Awsome service!!!!

Dustin@Z1

Correct, I generally dump my core about every 2nd or 3rd oil change. The OEM Nissan 300zx TT did not even have a comment about doing this. In comparison to the total volume of the oil system, as long as you change it regularly, the amount of "bad" oil is small.

The 3,000 mile oil change interval is really a standard recommendation. If you change you oil regularly without overheating it or allowing it to break down, then that oil could technically be used for more than 3,000 miles (given certain criteria). With this said, the leftover oil in your oil cooler core and other cavities of your engine will not technically "BAD".

But for piece of mind....I still take the time to dump mine regardless.

This is another reason why we choose to add an intermediate fitting both on the sandwhich plate and the oil cooler core side. It is very easyy to simple unscrew the top fittings and drain the core.

Over time however, like any other metal-on-metal contact surface, you will eventually need to replace the fittings. All AN fittings will eventually require replacement due to usage. To help prevent damage to the most expensive components of the system (i.e., core, lines and sandwich plate) these fittings can easily be replaced or allow for disassembly for drainage/maintanence/removal. The Stillen and GTM kits also use a similar setup whereas the Nissan Motorsports Kit does not (this could potentially be bad in the event that you accidentally strip out a fitting while screwing it into the sandwich plate of core).

Dustin@Z1

Glad to hear that install went well! I appologize for the error on the line wrapping. I will make sure that this issue is brought up and make sure it is addressed. I appreciate you pointing this out.

Dustin

Dustin@Z1

In your situation, I think you would be perfectly fine without a thermostatic sandwich plate. Combined with a 25 row core, this setup would work well for spirited mountain drives even during the hotter summer months.

You will just have to make sure that your oil temp warms up before thrashing the car in the mornings/leaving work. Keep in mind, oil that is too cold is just as detrimental to the engine as oil that is too hot. This is regardless of whether you have a thermostatic sandwich plate or not.

The protective line wrapping is a solution that we have found to the problems associated with the Stainless Steel Oil Cooler Lines coming into contact with the chassis. Due to constant movement of the engine and the chassis, the Stainless Steel braided lines have a tendency to wear into whatever it contacts. This could mean wearing away paint on the chassis, fraying braided lines on a sharp courner of the frame or scuffing up the plastic fender liners. Previous oil cooler kits used plastic split loom or split rubber heater hose. Neither of these two products seem to adequately protect the lines and have also proven to hinder with the line routing due to their bulk and inability to flex with the lines.

The product we use for our protective line wrapping is heat shrinkable, which forms nicely around the lines. It is a woven, fabric based material which has many positive properties.

1. Stays fairly cool to the touch, even when the oil is at its hottest.
2. Flexes very well with the lines while routing them thru the frame rails
3. Is easy to remove (Basic utility knife will work in the event that you need to remove it)
4. Is soft enough not to damage the paint on the chassis
5. No adhesives are used (This means it is easy to clean up when removed and actually allows for the wrapping to be slide into the proper location, with some effort applied)
6. It is very low profile, only enlargening the OD of the lines by around 0.05" (~ 1.25 mm).
   
   I hope that I have answered your questions. By all means, feel free to shoot me a PM or give me a call here at the shop if you have any further questions!

XwChriswX

Dustin, is it possible to get some of this material for other lines as well, could I purchase some from you by the foot?

__________________

Bonnie - Stage 2, Audio build coming this fall!
R.I.P. Abby 3/29/10 - 3/30/14

Jason370

Would like to purchase an oil cooler kit for installation in my 2009 370Z Nismo. The car will reside in SW Florida and will never be tracked. Is the 19 row unit sufficient, or should I consider the 25 row unit? Will any alteration to the Nismo be required to install either unit?

flashburn

I'd get the 34-Row if you are planning on tracking it, the price difference is negligible, versus the repercussions of not having a large enough one (having to end a session early, or going lighter). Under aggressive downshifting I was hitting a little over 220 degrees, during a cool day (~50 degrees) on my first track day.

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Current Ride: 2012 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Centennial Edition Carbon Flash 6M
Previous Ride: 2009 Nissan 370Z Sport Platinum Graphite 7AT