Installing a Mishimoto Radiator on a 2G DSM

Posted by james on May 4, 12:00 AM

My stock radiator started to go bad (massive corrosion), so I started looking for replacements. I could have bought a generic radiator for 200-300 at my local store, or an OEM for ~500 online. I decided to go with a Mishimoto aluminum radiator. It looked good, had some positive reviews, and was reasonably priced. I also got 2 12" Mishimoto slimline fans to go with it.

My first impressions were that the package was good, and the radiator looked very solid and well built. The fans were all-plastic, including the blades, but were stiff enough.
In the boxes, 1 radiator and 2 12" slimline fans
Shiny
In packaging, 1 radiator and 2 12" slimline fans (not installed yet)
The radiator feels pretty solid. The fans are plastic, but they're pretty stiff.

Pretty thick
Disconnect the negative battery terminal and tape off the post
Drain the coolant into a tub. You may be able to reuse it if you keep it clean
This is the radiator drain plug, on the bottom (left/driver's side?). Right next to a whole lot of rusted metal (bad).
Remove the coolant overflow reservoir.
Remove the upper and lower radiator hoses.
Hoses out of the car.
Disconnect both fan connectors.

Remove both fans (may require some creative angling)

Both fans out of the car.
Remove both upper raditator mounts, and remove the radiator. This is the old radiator. It was horribly corroded, and the fins would fall off like brittle paper. It's just a matter of time before this fell apart and started leaking.


This is from just leaning the radiator on its side. All those fins just fell off!
This is the new radiator resting on top of the old one. To install, do everything in reverse. The stock fans bolt right onto the posts (with 3 screws each instead of four). I used worm/screw clamps, they're so much easier to use than the stock-style hose clamps. They're cheap too.
The old radiator resting above the new one
Hook everything back up, make sure the bottom drain plug is closed, and fill with fluid. For some reason, my radiator drain plug would leak slightly if I screwed it all the way. Instead, I keep it one turn out.
With the stock fans, there's not much clearance. Slimline fans would be a good idea if you're going to be doing anything in the turbo/exhaust area.

Looks good, works well, done. Not too bad.

I didn't install the slimline fans since they didn't come with the mounting hardware (why??). I bought those separately ($10 on ebay), basically just a few zip ties, springs, and pads. I'll post up that part when I get the parts in. For now, the radiator is working well and keeping the temps low. I'll have to keep an eye on the drain plug to see if it's leaking any. But for now, everything looks good.