http://949racing.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=106
or
http://www.etdracing.com/m-tuned/product_info.php?cPath=11&products_id=86
Preface:
While I haven't been having any overheating issues, I wanted to do a coolant reroute for both peace-of-mind and in anticipation of turbocharging the engine some time in the future. I chose the M-tuned kit for it's simplicity of design and completeness. All necessary parts are included and it uses a common Stant thermostat which can be obtained from any decent auto parts store. The parts are well manufactured and the instructions are fairly detailed and easy to follow.
Notes on install:
- The EGR tube is a son of a (Potty Mouth). The instructions mention that it can be a problem, but I think they understate how much of a pain in the ass it can really be. Once I got the nut and bolt off of the water outlet, I still couldn't remove the water outlet because the EGR tube was so close to the stud that the flange could not get past the tube to allow removal. Ridiculous! After about 30 minutes of head scratching and another 1.5 hours of pounding and prying on the EGR tube I was able to gain a small modicum of clearance, but still not enough to remove the water outlet. It was enough that I could use a 3/8" breaker bar to pry on the EGR tube in a different location and juuuuust barely get enough clearance to yank that bastard out. I cannot stress how much of an absolute pain in the ass this part of the install was. Hopefully mine was one of only a handful that have this clearance issue, but just in case... you have been warned!
- The new water outlet and hose get in the way of the lower 3rd bolt for the coil pack. I had to shorten my bolt about a 1/4" in order to thread it in (since I was not about to remove the water outlet just for that bolt). This was not a problem for me because I notched the coil pack bracket and can now just slide the bracket in/out of the grommet on that bolt.
- The long hose was a little bit longer than I needed. I thought about shortening it slightly, but decided that I may need that extra length to clear intake plumbing once I go turbo, so I just rotated the hose a bit to create a small spiral effect that takes up the slack. If you don't think you'll ever need a longer hose, then I'd recommend cutting it to fit, as the spiral probably stresses the hose and radiator inlet a little bit and it might also make it more difficult to purge air from the system.
- Getting the thermostat housing onto the short hose after it's been attached to the water outlet was surprisingly difficult. You may want to mount the short hose to the thermostat housing first and then attach it to the water outlet.
- The speedometer cable was constantly in the way and frustrating me at every turn of a wrench. This may not be a problem for NB owners, as they have electronic speedometers, right?
Summary:
Beyond those items, the kit was a breeze to install. Really the worst part was removing my old water outlet. It was relatively smooth sailing after that. The instructions were very detailed and helpful (I used the PDF file on 949's website, since it has color photos) and all of the necessary parts were included. You'll probably want to have a variety of wrenches, ratchets and sockets in order to get to some of the nuts and bolts, due to the tight clearances between the engine and the firewall.
Photos: You can see some photos of the installation on my '97 in the product thread in 949 Racing's subforum: http://www.clubroadster.net/vb_forum/showpost.php?p=365981&postcount=43
EDIT:
or
http://www.etdracing.com/m-tuned/product_info.php?cPath=11&products_id=86
Preface:
While I haven't been having any overheating issues, I wanted to do a coolant reroute for both peace-of-mind and in anticipation of turbocharging the engine some time in the future. I chose the M-tuned kit for it's simplicity of design and completeness. All necessary parts are included and it uses a common Stant thermostat which can be obtained from any decent auto parts store. The parts are well manufactured and the instructions are fairly detailed and easy to follow.
Notes on install:
- The EGR tube is a son of a (Potty Mouth). The instructions mention that it can be a problem, but I think they understate how much of a pain in the ass it can really be. Once I got the nut and bolt off of the water outlet, I still couldn't remove the water outlet because the EGR tube was so close to the stud that the flange could not get past the tube to allow removal. Ridiculous! After about 30 minutes of head scratching and another 1.5 hours of pounding and prying on the EGR tube I was able to gain a small modicum of clearance, but still not enough to remove the water outlet. It was enough that I could use a 3/8" breaker bar to pry on the EGR tube in a different location and juuuuust barely get enough clearance to yank that bastard out. I cannot stress how much of an absolute pain in the ass this part of the install was. Hopefully mine was one of only a handful that have this clearance issue, but just in case... you have been warned!
- The new water outlet and hose get in the way of the lower 3rd bolt for the coil pack. I had to shorten my bolt about a 1/4" in order to thread it in (since I was not about to remove the water outlet just for that bolt). This was not a problem for me because I notched the coil pack bracket and can now just slide the bracket in/out of the grommet on that bolt.
- The long hose was a little bit longer than I needed. I thought about shortening it slightly, but decided that I may need that extra length to clear intake plumbing once I go turbo, so I just rotated the hose a bit to create a small spiral effect that takes up the slack. If you don't think you'll ever need a longer hose, then I'd recommend cutting it to fit, as the spiral probably stresses the hose and radiator inlet a little bit and it might also make it more difficult to purge air from the system.
- Getting the thermostat housing onto the short hose after it's been attached to the water outlet was surprisingly difficult. You may want to mount the short hose to the thermostat housing first and then attach it to the water outlet.
- The speedometer cable was constantly in the way and frustrating me at every turn of a wrench. This may not be a problem for NB owners, as they have electronic speedometers, right?
Summary:
Beyond those items, the kit was a breeze to install. Really the worst part was removing my old water outlet. It was relatively smooth sailing after that. The instructions were very detailed and helpful (I used the PDF file on 949's website, since it has color photos) and all of the necessary parts were included. You'll probably want to have a variety of wrenches, ratchets and sockets in order to get to some of the nuts and bolts, due to the tight clearances between the engine and the firewall.
Photos: You can see some photos of the installation on my '97 in the product thread in 949 Racing's subforum: http://www.clubroadster.net/vb_forum/showpost.php?p=365981&postcount=43
EDIT:
Sadly, all my robots are packed away in a box somewhere upstairs. You'll have to settle for an Isz or Buddha.