Today I dropped in the new Mishimoto Radiator. I'm highly satisfied with the build quality of the radiator but I have a few issues after the install. I was somewhat rushed to install it since I had to be to work a couple of hours after starting the project. I also replaced the thermostat while I had everything apart.

First of all, I snapped one of the bolts installing the OE fans on the Mishimoto. The bolt was rusty and probably should have just been replaced. I could have saved myself the hassle of drilling it out if I just replaced it to begin with.

The only other issue I have with it is hood clearance. The hood will barely close because of the radiator cap. The closed hood is applying pressure to the radiator and damaging the radiator grommets. The radiator is set in properly, it's just much higher than the OE Radiator. I could probably fix this issue by propping the rear part of the hood to give it more clearance but I'm trying to find another solution as I don't want to prop the hood from the hinges.

If anyone else has installed a Mishimoto and dealt with this issue please share some input on how you resolved it.

 

Do they sell thinner rad caps? That one looks kind of thick. But besides that, that radiator is damn sexy! I imagine your engine will be running a bit cooler.

 

That's interesting because I snapped one of the bolts too installing the OE fans onto the Mishimoto radiator. For some reason, my radiator sits unevenly. My hood closes with no problem, but the driver's side of the radiator sits slightly higher than the passenger side. Checked everything and could not figure out why.

 

Hah, maybe your radiator is built at an angle? Though, I highly doubt that.
Not sure why you are having that issue. Maybe the same reason I'm having mine with my hood. I'm going to pull the snapped bolt tomorrow and fix it with a new bolt. It doesn't surprise me it snapped. It is after all a 13 year old bolt that is rusted.

I'm probably just going to end up propping the hinges to give the raidator a little more clearance. I still am trying to move away from this direction though. I really don't like the hood prop look.

 

The engine will run at the temperature of the t'stat no matter how big the radiator is.

 

That looks beautiful! too bad it's not a direct fit

 

such thing as a performance t'stat for the 4thgens never seen one

 

A Z33 thermostat would be nice.

 

I has Z33 thermostat.

OP: Have you checked the clearance on the hood stops to make sure they're not adjusted all the way down? Don't know if the rubber stops on our cars are adjustable, height-wise, but I know they are on some other makes and models.

 

Good idea. Check this OP.


Also, how about a pic where the camera is level with the top of the radiator? I'd like to see just how much higher it sits compared to OEM.

I'm surprised to hear this news, as quit a few orgers have this very same radiator and haven't spoke of this issue.

My Griffin is a very tight squeeze as well and just makes it. Any higher and I'd have the same problem as you.

Just curious, where did you buy it from? Vendor here on the org? Ebay? or?

 

Here is a low down pick to show you the height difference over the OE radiator.



As you can see the Mishimoto is higher than the OE by about 1/4 - 1/2 inch and the cap protrudes much higher than the OE. I can't use the cap from the OE radiator because it doesn't fit. The cap on the Mishimoto is much wider and thicker.

The hood doesn't have adjustable stops, they are only rubber bumpers glued to the underside of the hood. You have to apply force on the hood to get it to latch. It sits flush when it's closed as it always has. It's just putting force on the Radiator and damaging the grommets.

 

I have both a Mizu radiator and a Griffin, the Mizu fits nice I didnt have a problem- from what I've heard its actually the same radiator as the Mishimoto, I could take pics this weekend when I see the car again

 

The price of the Mizu is exactly the same as the Mishimoto. They look very similar as well so you've probably heard correctly. I love my Mishimoto so far. The cooling is amazing with the new thermostat and a bottle of Redline coolant.

 

The rubber adjustment stops are on the chassis, not the hood.

Good pic, thanks.

 

hit up -> boneebone (Kevin) he installed his mishi rad a month or so ago.

does it matter if your auto or manual? i wouldnt think so but last time i checked on the website a month or so ago it had a separate listing for auto trans, and manual trans.

 

That's just for the auto guys that require the tranny cooler hookup. Overall dimensions shouldn't change.

 

ahh gotcha^

 

had my fan bolt break also but as far as fitment hood closes and nothing rubbing

 

These rad look great. Mista you're pretty well modded how come no Cattman headers?

 

^^^^^^Their coming with this next Cattman batch with my new y-pipe too... so excited!!!!, Should be in by next week I hope. I already have a buyer for my Cattman y that I bought a while back too so a win win situation

 

I had a few buddies help look into it further to see if we could figure out what is causing it to not fit properly with the hood closed. We are pretty much stumped.

Maybe by some freak chance they made my radiator 1/4" too tall or something. I doubt it, but maybe. My only solution so far is to install 1" hood spacers which has resolved the problem until I have the time to come up with another solution. Not a fan of the hood spacers but at least I have an actual excuse to use them for fitment reasons rather then "Extra cooling" like some of the Honda guys .

I also had to order some new radiator support grommets from the stealership for the top hangers. The force of the hood pushing on the radiator and the old age of the grommets caused them to crack and fall apart.

Overall I'm very happy with my Mishimoto even with the few minor issues I've ran across. Thanks everyone for your input on this thread.

 

I know the mish looks good and all, but when my old rad crapped out i bought a new rad from autozone. no issues man.

Radiator is a radiator

 

Have you double-checked that the radiator is sitting all the way down in its mount. When I replaced my radiator, I saw that the lower mounting grommets were two different sizes because of an oil leak. When i got new ones, I saw that both of the old ones were swollen in size, the one closest to the oil leak was swollen more.

 

To each their own. If you just need your car to get from A-B and aren't a modder interested in upgrades or customizing then sure, A radiator is a radiator. However, if you are a car enthusiast that loves to mod his car and track it on the weekends performance cooling is a good thing to have. The looks are also beneficial for car shows and other events. Out the door my total cost to replace the radiator with the Mishimoto was about $290.00 including fluids, grommets and everything else needed. I could have replaced it with a OE radiator for 1/3 of that cost, but what's the fun in that? My Maxima isn't just an A-B car, it's my hobby.

The lower grommets are in near perfect shape. There is no swelling or cracks. The radiator is sitting exactly how it should.

 

 

Mine fits fine, no hood issues and no broken fan bolts.

 

so. no advantages other than looks??? i mean, is'nt any different from stock other than build quality??? ( metal top rather than plastic )

 

Yeah, I still can't figure out why it won't fit properly.. Oh well.

It's triple the thickness of a standard OE radiator. Thicker radiator means faster and more efficient cooling. Better cooling = better performance. Ideal for heavy modified tuned and/or boosted cars that see a lot of track use. If you never take your car to the track and just drive it from A-B I wouldn't fork over the $300 for this radiator. You probably wouldn't get your money out of it for daily driving.

Although my Maxima isn't heavily modified now, it will be later. It's already seen it's fair share of the track since the last 5 months I've owned it. Not to mention Dyno runs and other events. This radiator is a godsend for how hard I push my VQ. This radiator will be a must have for what I have planned in the future.

 

The radiator does look great. Hope you figure out the issue.

 

no such thing as a track in MA

Hell,

U can barely find a dyno shop

 

which perplexes me because of all the meets they have, must drive across country for a tune.

 

$290 is alot imo but like you said its better than stock...Koyos go for 106 bucks, same price as stock one from autozone. Not sure how much better

 

Considering the Koyo is all aluminum it's a much better choice over and OE plastic.

Utah has a lot to offer for motor sports. We have a Drag strip, Salt flats for land speed, drifting events, We also have a famous race track Miller Speedway.

 

The Koyo is not all aluminum. It has plastic tanks if I recall..

 

Amazon has the Mishimoto radiator for $186, that's what I paid for mine a few months ago. That was the cheapest price I have found and I have not had any fitment issues, just a broken fan bolt which I replaced with a new one.

 

o we have meets all the time. Its usually jus a pizza and beer thing with some car talk mixed in lol

 

 

cashoit try dent sport garage in norwood they dont really deal with maximas but they are great tuners very knowledgeable

 

I thought the Koyo was all Aluminum. If not then I'd steer away from it. Don't want a plastic radiator ever again.

I paid $220 for my Mishimoto on Ebay, but also bought a new thermostat, a new lower hose, fluid etc etc. The entire install was about $290.

 

Koyo's are plastic. I got mine from the group deal about 2 years ago and no issues. Pretty much identical to the OEM one.


This Mishimoto one appears to be much nicer than Koyo or OEM