[Mishimoto]

Originally Posted by ryoma

first of all, I am looking at the Mishimoto oil cooler. though, I have looked it up on this forum and have seen a big thread with a failure and in it was mentioned a few other failures, but I haven't been able to dig up more information about those other failures. I also noticed that Mishimoto updated their sandwich adapter plate recently so I'm assuming that those earlier leaking problems were fixed, such as leaking from the small hex screws in the side of the adapter plate. does anyone have any inputs on the most recent Mishimoto oil coolers (I believe the sandwich adapter plates are now gold)? and for the ones that installed the Mishimoto cooler, did you screw into the undertray as well or did you just use the top clips to hold it?

next, I have a few questions about installing the oil cooler. I noticed in the Perrin instructions, it says to prime the cooler after install (which seems normal) but none of the other instructions I looked at mentioned this crucial step (I'm assuming they think you know what you're doing). however, my BRZ has the push start button and I just want to confirm if it's the same process to crank the engine by double tapping the start button to ON, then hold down the gas pedal and hold the start button to crank? I would assume it's no different than with a car with a key, but I just want to make sure. also, since I am looking to get the thermostatic cooler, would priming the cooler even work if the engine isn't up to temperature since the thermostat only opens up at around 185F? or would I have to drive the car up to temp, then quickly install the oil cooler?

as for the oil inside the cooler, would I have to manually empty it out by disconnecting the lines to get rid of the old oil? or would the amount inside the cooler not really matter compared to the 5.5 quarts inside the engine? I'm assuming that if you don't manually empty out the cooler every now and then, the old oil inside would be mixing with the newer oil and perhaps bring down the usable life of the total oil?

and finally, is there anything else I need to be aware of maintenance-wise after installing the cooler aside from checking for leaks every now and then? and anything specific to pay attention to when installing the oil cooler? from what I've seen, it looks to be pretty straight forward.

Thanks for the interest in our oil cooler kit Ryoma! I recall one customer posting in regards to leaking concerns here on the forums. I believe this leaking concern was in regards to the sandwich plate o-ring. Not long after this report, our team inspected our o-rings in an effort to find a method for avoiding potential future leaks. We modified our o-ring design to offer a flat surface for a more reliable seal less prone to splitting, tearing or cracking. These sandwich plates are used within all of our direct-fit kits, and our customers have been very satisfied with both the functionality and dependability. We do recommend checking that the NPT plugs are tight prior to installation.

We have 4 different sandwich plate options at the moment. Our non-thermostatic unit is silver, and we have three thermostatic plates which are gold. ¾ of these feature two NPT ports.

You’ve asked two questions that are quite common with our direct-fit oil cooler customers.

Priming: Priming is not 100% necessary although it can be done if you so choose. Oil pressure should make its way through the system in a matter of seconds, so dry-start wear on bearings should not be an issue.

Draining The Cooler: Assuming you follow normal oil change intervals, draining fluid from the cooler/lines should not be necessary. Some old fluid will remain in the system and will mix with the new fluid added during the exchange. If you are insistent upon removing all fluid, the cooler can be removed and drained along with the oil lines.

The installation process is relatively simple for our kit. We have an installation video on our site that is easy to follow and provides step-by-step guide for the process. Maintenance should not be any more involved than without the cooler. Just check the fittings for tightness after installation(we have torque specs on our site), and check them during each oil change.

Let me know if I can answer any additional questions regarding our kit.

Thanks
-John

Originally Posted by go_a_way1

I have a Mishimoto setup and it works great for me. I didn't bother prime it. something you need to know is it is a normally open thermostat that means it starts to close when it heats up (this is what forces more oil to the core) in winter I remove the thermostat all together as even at full open it still forces more oil to the core then what I want. No leaks since a failed install attempt (forgot to tighten all the banjo fittings lol! pissed oil everywhere) I do not bother empty the core during oil change intervals. Also oil will always be flowing to the core so dont worry about it going "bad" in the core. Install is super easy if you are a hands on guy. The hard part is dealing with all the extra hose you get. Sandwitch plates are only gold for thermostatic application. Hex screws leaking was fixed with Teflon tape installed by them.

sorry for another poorly laid out crude answer from Go_a_way1 but I think I got all your questions. Anymore quote me or you can always PM me too.

Thanks for the kind words! The thermostatic plate definitely works in an interesting way. When oil flowing through is cold, the pin is recessed which keeps the oil bypass open. This means oil will travel the path of least resistance, which is not through the lines and cooler. During this instance, a small percentage of flow goes through the cooler, but most (around 90%) will bypass the cooler.



Once oil is warmed up to thermostat temperature (185°), the pin is pushed outwards and blocks off the oil bypass port. This forces oil to pass through the lines and cooler.



Interesting that you decided to remove the thermostat during winter as this is the primary season for its need. By retaining it, oil will bypass the cooler until optimal temperatures are reached, allowing the fluid to warm as quickly as possible. Once up to operating temperature, fluid will move through the lines and cooler.

Thanks
-John