DIY Cusco Oil Cooler
 

Hello all

As some of you know oil coolers are highly recommended for this car if you regularly track it etc...

I will probably re-write this and make it neater at some stage in the near future, I am still working on finishing the install and the main reason for starting this thread is because I need some advice to complete the install. :(

I am not a mechanic, but an electrical engineer. I'm not too familiar on some of the terms, so please correct me if I am wrong. Yes, it would be easier to pay someone to do the install, but I want to do these things myself to gain more knowledge and to challenge myself. This DIY is all over the place at the moment, I am aware of that, will tidy it up when install is finished and I have more time, but at the moment there is nothing up on the forums regarding this kit except people speculating the performance.

I don't want to go into a big discussion over air cooled oil coolers or the heat exchanger units that use your engines cooling system to cool the oil, but here's a few reasons why I chose the Cusco kit:

• Excellent price, I don't think I could have gotten anything of this quality for less (Here in NZ at least)
• I like the idea of this cooler being hidden from view
• Cools oil even when you are not moving
• Less likley to get oil all over the engine bay (More likley to get coolant all over the engine bay)
• Cusco data shows that it will also decrease coolant temperatures (I know I find this hard to belive as well)

I ordered the revised AN kit which requires two radiator hoses to be cut, I just prefer the look of this kit to the original.

Official Website:
http://www.cusco.co.jp/products/etc-parts/86brz_mt.html

Here are some images from the website including PDF manual in both Japanese and English:

Before you begin, I suggest reading the PDF manual (included as printout with the kit), it's in Japanese but the diagrams really make most of the install self explanatory. I say this because it pays to be prepared and know what to expect.

You will require the following (just for the oil cooler install part):
-Torque wrench (Must be able to do 30Nm and 45Nm as in instructions)
-24mm deep socket
-Sharp craft knife or similar (There may be a better way to cut pipes but I didn't know about it)
-Philips screwdriver/10mm socket to tighten screws and also for coolant air release valve.
-Pliers or some other tool to take off the self lighteners off the radiator pipes.
-Toyota or Subaru genuine coolant (For warranty purposes)
-Spare engine oil (just in case, in my case I did an oil change afterwards).
(May have missed something, will update if I need to)

There are instructional videos and DIY guides for the following:
-Remove transmission under tray
-Remove metal engine under tray
-Drain coolant from radiator
-Remove radiator hoses
(To Do: Link to appropriate thread/video)

Screenshot from manual with my notes added:
(Will update to English Manual screen caps when I have time)

Picture 1:
I did the top hose first, you can see that I did not put the nipple part in, so this is where I learnt how hard it is with the flexible tubing to tighten it accurately, that's why I suggest doing it before hand.

Picture 2:
The nipple part is on, but it's kind of misaligned, hands too sore to re-do right now, may do it later.

Picture 3:
I could not get the bottom radiator hose off, so I decided to cut it as it was :P
(There was still some coolant in this hose as I pulled it off the engine side, so be careful not to get it over your eyes if working from under the car).

Picture 4:
Next picture shows a gap between rubber hose and metal, also shows the metal clip is not going to be tightening the hose properly. This is BAD, I re-did it but didn't take a picture :(

Pictured 5+
Pay attention to the alignment of the oil cooler itself, at first I had it over rotated and when the air filter box went on the hose would be squeezed by the box, so had to undo the bolt and rotate it away. You can turn it a bit more than I did in the pictures, but I thought this was just right.

I also went back and shortened the bottom hose by a tiny bit to make it a bit less loose and now it doesn't stick out as much so there is about a 5mm gap between the hose and the air box.

Routing the top tube to the oil cooler

Assistance required.
I need some help to finish this off. Personal experience tells me that the rubber hose should not really be in contact with anything unless it's tight enough that it can't move. If a rubber hose vibrates/moves along another surface it has the potential to wear out (and leak)!.

According to the instructions, it needs to go under the throttle body. I have attached some pictures to show you what I have done.

The Cusco manual, doesn't really offer much assistance here apart from a general idea on where to place the hose.

Update
After talking to some members from the NZ 86/BRZ owners club, it was suggested that I purchase some braided sleeves or similar and use that to protect the rubber hose from rubbing or damage.

Pictures are from left to right. Not sure if this would be acceptable. Need to decide where to add zip ties as well.

Opinions welcome!

Also which is better 5A or 5B?
5A it's pressed next to a rubber hose, 5B it's pressed down a bit.

hmm, interesting...sub'd for details!

Here is what I would do if I were to do this again (Stuff in Italics is still ToDo):

1. Remove transmission and engine under trays (Easy)
2. Remove air intake (Easy)
3. Drain coolant
   (Easy, remember to grab some 8mm piping to drain it without making a mess)
4. Proceed to remove radiator hoses. Bottom hose will still have coolant in it!
   (Medium/hard depending on how baked on your hoses are, I ended up cutting one on the car because I couldn't get it off)
5. Cut radiator hoses as per instructions, I used a craft knife for this, there is probably better tools out there! (With craft knife, Medium, possibly easy if you have the right tools).
6. Reconnect all radiator hoses (Harder).
7. Install oil cooler element (Easy).
8. Connect bottom coolant line to oil cooler element (Easy).
9. Route then connect top coolant line to oil cooler element (Harder).
10. Use zip ties to secure the coolant lines that are connected to the oil cooler element to avoid them moving about
11. Re-check all connections
12. Re-fill engine coolant as per manual
13. Reconnect air intake
14. Check for leaks/Fix leaks with engine running.
15. Check engine oil level and top up if low.
16. Go for short drive, check for leaks
17. Go for a longer drive and place the engine under some stress
18. Check for leaks/Fix leaks
19. Change oil + oil filter. The oil cooler element seems like it may have some loose bits of copper, so decided to do a few km's before changing the oil
20. Re-install under trays

Excellent DIY! :bow:
Great tip on top hose, I ruined one new Perrin hose my cutting all of the hoses first.
I didn't route the top hose under everything. I've routed water hoses on static engines (diesel water pumps and diesel generators) on our farm for years, the ones that were routed under and through accessories always leaked over time from vibration wear.

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps6b2c77c7.jpg

Are you worried about rubbing vibration on the upper hose through/under all of the parts? :iono:I realize I am being paranoid. :bonk:

I haven't had much time to update this, but the installation has been finished.

I too was paranoid about rubbing under vibration.

I ended up covering the hose with a braided plastic sleeve used for protecting cables after consulting with 86 owners in NZ. It was fairly cheap, something like $5USD, but it has given me a piece of mind.

Will snap more pics and update this thread.

I shall look into that protective sleeving.

Bump for updates on oil temp before and after!

installing mine today and came across this, in case anyone didnt know about it. And good job on the write up, very useful to see real pictures.
http://www.cuscousainc.com/downloads...rz_zn6_zc6.pdf