Page 5 - oil

We reached out to the forums earlier this month with a request for a GTO owner to lend us his vehicle for product development. The response was substantial. Our inbox quickly filled with messages from enthusiasts willing to help out. We got a similar response last year when we developed an aluminum radiator for the goat. Before jumping into this GTO oil cooler product development, we want to extend a huge thank you to the GTO community for supporting us and for offering recommendations on new projects and product design.

The Test Subject

Our test vehicle came all the way from New York, brought to us by a generous fellow named Tom. This model, a 2004, features a bold Yellow Jacket paint scheme along with a manual transmission. Very nice combination!

Test vehicle for GTO parts development

Although the car is in good shape, inside and out, Tom has big plans that include some restoration work. The plate is quite fitting for this vehicle. Definitely a neat touch.

Test vehicle for GTO parts development

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Mishimoto 2014+ Ford Fiesta ST Aluminum Radiator Pre-Sale!

Now that we have a solid direction for our design plans, this project is moving right along. Last time we started the fabrication process for our fan shroud design. This unique setup would utilize the stock fan motor and blade, but we would relocate it in a space that would allow our thicker Ford Fiesta radiator to fit properly.

Fabrication Continued

With our shroud completed to its basic shape, our final portion of the design required mounting the fan to the shroud, creating a fan-blade cage, and creating appropriate mounts for the stock fan controller.

We started with the cage, as this piece would determine the location and design of the other components on the list. We designed our prototype in SolidWorks and printed out a template to be created in sheet aluminum.

Fan blade cage fabrication for Mishimoto Ford Fiesta ST radiator

Interested in picking up our Fiesta ST aluminum radiator? Check out our discounted pre-sale linked below.

Mishimoto 2014+ Ford Fiesta ST Aluminum Radiator Pre-Sale!

It's been a few months since our last major update, and for good reason. Our team has been quite busy. As a quick recap, last time we test fitted our first Ford Fiesta ST (FIST) radiator prototype, only to find that the core thickness was larger than the vehicle would allow. Once the radiator was bolted to the fan shroud, the shroud made contact with numerous components on the engine, prompting us to pull out our markers and take a second look at the drawing board.

Now, keep in mind the FIST has some serious cooling issues. Any pleasures on the track are normally negated after a lap or two causes coolant temperatures to reach the stratosphere, prompting a quick dart to the paddock. To improve the chances of our radiator holding up in any condition, we obviously want to stuff the largest, most efficient core possible into the

Interested in picking up our NB Miata oil cooler kit? Check out our discounted pre-sale linked below.

Mishimoto 1999-2005 Mazda Miata Oil Cooler Kit Pre-Sale!

During the previous articles we mentioned that we would be conducting experiments for the stock oil cooler/warmer. Myths and claims exist regarding its impact on the heating of engine oil as well as its impact on cooling. We decided to check out both sides of the spectrum and support them with some actual data. First up, warm-up speed both with and without the stock heat exchanger.

Testing Setup

Setting up the sensors and equipment for this test was relatively simple. For testing the system with the stock heat exchanger in place, we simply installed our oil sensor adapter below the filter and then installed our temperature sensor. Below is a look at the sensor adapter.

Mishimoto oil sensor adapter for testing the Mazda Miata oil cooler

Check out this component installed with the sensor in place.

Mishimoto oil sensor adapter for testing

Our engineering team often tackles complex problems to provide ideal solutions for customers. This is true for all our product lines, across a broad range of vehicle makes and models. We are not strangers to Ford's lineup of EcoBoost models, and our team is quite familiar with the issues that exist for each. In general, we've found that the stock liquid cooling systems are not handling the abuse from heavy-footed ST (Fiesta, Focus) and Mustang owners. Each model shows deficiencies in coolant heat transfer, rising oil temperatures, and power-crippling heat-soak.

In our effort to solve each problem, we've started a ton of awesome projects, performed unique testing, and we've had a blast working with the EcoBoost community. Now, we turn our attention to the Focus ST radiator. This component has become the elephant in the room, if the room were the paddock at the track. All around the world, Focus owners are hitting the track expecting a fun day of battles against physics, rev-match downshifts,

Interested in picking up our NB Miata oil cooler kit? Check out our discounted pre-sale linked below.

Mishimoto 1999-2005 Mazda Miata Oil Cooler Kit Pre-Sale!

In our last segment, we outlined the goals of the project, and we started fabricating mounting brackets to position our heat exchanger under the front of the Miata NB (second generation). We also hinted at the use of shrouding to direct airflow properly through our cooler.

Optimal airflow through a heat exchanger is vital to the efficiency derived from an oil cooler system. In addition, we see value in retaining the stock engine undertray, which aids in the proper regulation of coolant temperatures. We will build our air duct into the undertray, with the goal of a stock-like appearance on the top of our list, right next to optimal airflow.

Air Duct Fabrication

First, we needed to create some space to fit our ducting. We ordered a stock undertray so we could make some cuts for our cooler.

Stock under tray ready for modification

A couple

Interested in picking up our NB Miata oil cooler kit? Check out our discounted pre-sale linked below.

Mishimoto 1999-2005 Mazda Miata Oil Cooler Kit Pre-Sale!

The Mazda Miata MX-5 is the most-raced production vehicle in the world. It's a great top-down cruiser, features low entry-level pricing, and it's inexpensive to modify and repair. Fuel mileage is fantastic. Saying the Miata is the end-all and be-all vehicle would be a stretch (it has its limitations), but it is one hell of a car and an amazing bang-for-your buck regardless of use. If you do not understand any of this, I urge you to go out and drive one of these cars. If you've already driven one and still don't get it, perhaps you need to try again.

In all seriousness, the Miata is a fantastic car that deserves attention from the aftermarket. We offer a variety of cooling components for the NA/NB models, including several aluminum radiator options, electric fan shroud kits, and silicone coolant hoses.

If you've been following our

Interested in purchasing our BRZ/FR-S Fan Shroud Kit? Check out more details at the link below!

Mishimoto Subaru BRZ / Scion FR-S / Toyota GT86 Plug-N-Play Aluminum Fan Shroud Kit!

We're back for some more fan shroud fabrication! The last portion of this series highlighted the beginning stages of initial shroud design. The BRZ/FR-S uses a fairly unique overflow tank that mounts directly to the factory fan shroud. This is our first target for part two of product design.

Overflow Tank Mount Fabrication

This tank has two upper mounting points which use a bolt which passes through the tank material and into threads on the shroud. We utilized round stock aluminum which was cut to the proper length, drilled, and tapped for the appropriate factory bolt. These were then welded to the shroud in a position that would place the tank in the exact location as when on the stock shroud.

Welding overflow tank mounting points

The lower mounting point for the tank accepts a peg which is located on the base

After removing both catch cans for data collection in our previous post, we discussed the idea of relocating the bracket that holds the PCV catch can to a different area in the engine bay. We mentioned earlier that we were toying with the idea because the current location of the Fiesta ST catch can raised some concerns. One of them being that the current location for the catch can would interfere with right-hand drive (RHD) applications of the Fiesta ST, and we want this catch can to be all inclusive. In addition, it came to our attention later on that it would also interfere with some aftermarket intakes.  We try to take common Fiesta ST parts upgrades into consideration so that the products we make will fit all Fiesta STs. The consensus was that because there was a bit more room further forward in the engine bay to relocate the catch can, that would be the way to go.

Bracket and Hose Setup

With this new location in mind our engineers began fabricating a preliminary mounting bracket