ClubRoadster.net banner

M-tuned coolant reroute system

8K views 12 replies 10 participants last post by  mini_FD 
#1 · (Edited)
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:
It took a while, but I finally got around to installing the reroute on my '97.

Here are a couple of pics:

Not a great pic, but you can see the water outlet on the back of the engine. I used some constant-torque hose clamps rather than the clamps supplied with the kit.


The thermostat housing is also a bit of a tight fit but nothing touches/rubs. I had to bend a bracket to move some wires out of the way, but it was no big deal.


It's a tight fit around the bend due to my oil filter relocation, but most people won't face this issue.


It's a bit of a tight fit between the AC lines and the intake manifold as well, but the oil filter lines keep the hose off of the intake manifold. I don't think I'm going to have any issues, but I still might take some more old hose and insert it between the coolant hose and the AC lines though just to be safe.


A shot of the front block-off plate:
Sadly, all my robots are packed away in a box somewhere upstairs. You'll have to settle for an Isz or Buddha.

 
See less See more
2
#4 ·
Needs pix of robots. :D You should just go in and edit-copy-paste your entire linked post with photos. That way, the link doesn't go away in the future if we go to another different forum software.

Nice review! I've been looking into this too for future turboing possibilities. This kit just rose higher on my list of possibilities.
 
#5 ·
Got mine done a while ago when I was replacing my clutch and installing the turbo kit. Everything went smoothly and pretty easily cuz the tran was out and really opened up a lot of space, no need to remove coilpack+CAS but still not done with the turbo install and the tranny hasn't been put in yet so not sure if I will have clearance problems.
Anyway, the kit fits great and looks good. Great product, highly recom. when doing clutch.
 
#8 ·
Reviving this thread for search purposes.

5 years after I purchased this part, finally had the time to install it.

M-Tuned Coolant Reroute kit install

Removed the coilpack

2013-06-22-822 by marlonmercado77, on Flickr

Removed the coolant housing at the back of the block near the firewall

2013-06-22-820 by marlonmercado77, on Flickr

What the OEM coolant housing looks like

2013-06-22-824 by marlonmercado77, on Flickr

2013-06-22-823 by marlonmercado77, on Flickr

Now you have space to install the M-Tuned coolant housing


2013-06-22-826 by marlonmercado77, on Flickr
2013-06-22-825 by marlonmercado77, on Flickr

The M-Tuned coolant housing

2013-06-22-828 by marlonmercado77, on Flickr

Installed new ECU thermostat sensor

2013-06-22-829 by marlonmercado77, on Flickr

Assembled the outlet going to the thermostat housing

2013-06-22-831 by marlonmercado77, on Flickr

The outlet going to the heater

2013-06-22-832 by marlonmercado77, on Flickr

Installed M-Tuned coolant housing

2013-06-22-833 by marlonmercado77, on Flickr

2013-06-22-834 by marlonmercado77, on Flickr
 
#9 ·
The ECU Thermostat sensor wires has to be lengthened by at least 4"

2013-06-22-835 by marlonmercado77, on Flickr


Install ECU Thermostat sensor

2013-06-22-839 by marlonmercado77, on Flickr


Intstall new heater silicone hose

2013-06-22-840 by marlonmercado77, on Flickr

2013-06-22-836 by marlonmercado77, on Flickr

2013-06-22-851 by marlonmercado77, on Flickr


Install M-Tuned thermostat housing

2013-06-22-841 by marlonmercado77, on Flickr


Install silicone hose going to radiator

2013-06-22-842 by marlonmercado77, on Flickr

2013-06-22-843 by marlonmercado77, on Flickr


Connect silicone hose to the radiator

2013-06-22-845 by marlonmercado77, on Flickr

2013-06-22-844 by marlonmercado77, on Flickr


Block off the old thermostat housing at the front of the engine

2013-06-22-850 by marlonmercado77, on Flickr


There you go. now time for an engine detail service

2013-06-22-853 by marlonmercado77, on Flickr
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top