ISIS Product Review/Instal: Aluminum Radiator and E-Fans

[(Yoshi)]

240SX ISIS Aluminum Radiator and Electric Fan Install and Review (KA24DE)

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ISIS is a new company offered by Enjuku Racing, whose goal is to proved high quality parts at an affordable price. The parts they offer range from aluminum radiators and intercoolers to under drive pulleys and exhausts. Companies like ISIS allow those of us who are feeling the pinch of these tough economical times to upgrade their cars with good quality parts without breaking the bank.

I recently installed my ISIS Aluminum Radiator and two 12in ISIS Fans for my 240. I never realized how much of a difference in cooling this would make. Let us start with the price. Listed at $199.99, it is one of the least expensive aluminum radiator of it’s kind.

With the stock radiator and fan set up I can’t say I was over heating but I did notice that at events on hot days the temp gauge would wander a little higher than I liked. So when I found the ISIS radiator I figured I would give it a shot and upgrade.

Compared to stock the ISIS radiator is MUCH thicker. This is one of the things you notice once you install it. If you are keeping your stock clutch fan you may have trouble re-using the stock shroud because the radiator is thicker, I don’t know for sure because I used the ISIS fans and got rid of the clutch fan. The radiator has mounts for the stock electric fan built in so you can re-use it. As far as looks, the radiator is shiny but not quite polished like Koyos and the sort but could be polished w/ a little elbow grease if that is what you are worried about.

The installation is pretty straightforward and easy. The fit is a bit tighter but again you have to realize the radiator is significantly thicker than stock. Due to a previous radiator fitment issue, I had modified the bottom mounts and the top mounts, so I wound up making my own top mounts. Had I not modified my mounts I could have re-used my stock brackets and all. So the radiator install is pretty much a remove and replace deal.

Adding the fans to the situation isn’t hard at all and is more than worth the $34.99 per fan. These fans are awesome, low profile and flow plenty of air.

After I got them installed I took it for a drive into town. I am not running a t-stat and it was a cool night so I knew it was going to take a while to warm up… I didn’t know that the needle wouldn’t even hit the cold mark until I got into town and sat in a drive through for five minutes. The car only started to get warm if it was standing still, if it was moving, the temp gauge would be below the cold mark. I wound up letting the car sit for about a half an hour until it finally got warm enough for the fans to kick on… for about 15 seconds… then it had cooled off enough to shut them off.

After driving in some stop and go traffic on some hot days, the car has no trouble staying at operating temp. Even under spirited driving the car stays nice and cool and if there is good air flow through the radiator the fans barely ever need to turn on.

Installation:

Tools needed:

Ratchet
1 Ratchet Extension
8mm socket
10mm Socket
10mm Wrench
Phillips Head Screw Driver
Long Flat Head Screw Driver
Wire Clippers/stripers
Electrical Tape
1 set of radiator fan mounts from your local auto parts store per fan.
1 gallon of coolant (get more bang for the buck and just get coolant and mix it yourself other wise you are paying for water)

*note* I HIGHLY recommend having a 10mm ratcheting wrench to help w/ the removal of the clutch fan *note*

You will need to be able to get under the car at times so Raise and support the front of your car on good jack stands.

Step 1: You will need to drain the stock radiator. Do this bay taking out the drain plug on the bottom driver’s side of the radiator. It also helps to open the fill cap.

Step 2: Remove the intake to make room for removing everything else.

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Step 3: Go ahead and remove the upper and lower radiator hoses from the radiator. This will give you room to remove the shroud.

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Step 4: Remove the bolts holding the fan shroud to the radiator. There are 4 in total, one in each corner.

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Step 5: Remove the two bolts holding the electric fan to the radiator. Both bolts are at the top.

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Step 6: Now you are ready to remove the shroud. The shroud comes apart in three parts. There is a top, bottom and then a small part that slides out to make room for the clutch fan. The top and bottom is bolted and the third part clips in. My shroud was held together w/ zip ties in place of bolts. The bolts are located about half way down on both sides of the radiator.

Step 7: Remove the upper fan shroud.

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Step 8: Unplug and lift out the stock electric fan.

Step 9: Remove the bottom shroud. This part is kind of tricky, but if you hold your mouth right and finagle it you can get it out.

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Step 10: Remove the radiator by lifting it out.

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Step 11: Now we need to remove the clutch fan. This is where a 10 mm ratcheting wrench will come in handy. To remove the fan just take the four nuts off the water pump pully.

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Step 12: Replace the nuts that hold the water pump pulley in place.

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Step 14: Now we need to get your new electric fans ready to install and work like the stock ones. What you need to do is clip the connector off your stock electric fan. Be sure to leave plenty of wire on the connector.

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Step 15: Now we wire the fans to the switch. Strip the wires enough to wire them together and tape them up. It’s pretty straight forward, blue to blue, black to black.

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Step 16: Mount the fans to the radiator with mount kits from you local parts store. They slide through the radiator and have clips that secure it in place.

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Step 17: Put the little rubber boots from the stock radiator onto the new one.
*NOTE* I didn’t do this because of previous mount modifications made to my car.

Step 18: Slide the radiator into place and blot up the top brackets.
*NOTE* I made my own top mounts out of spare sheet metal my friend had laying around. This was done by marking holes for the core support bolt, top radiator mounts, and for the passenger one, the intake support. Then I drilled out the holes and cut to fit. I used a spare nut and bolt to hold the intake in place.

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Step 19: Connect the upper and lower radiator hoses.

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Step 20: Connect the fan plug.

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Step 21: Reconnect the intake and other misc. hoses that got unplugged.

*NOTE* Do NOT forget to re-attach the over flow hose. Also the cap has a chain on it. I put mine on the part that the over flow hose connects to.

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Step 22: Once everything is connected. We get to fill the radiator! In order to get rid of all air bubbles remove the bleed screw on the manifold where the upper radiator hose attaches. Fill until water comes out of the bleed hole.

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Step 23: Once everything is filled replace the bleed screw and radiator cap. Start it up and check for leaks. If there are no leaks go for a drive and let it get up to temp and watch for the fans to make sure they turn on.
*NOTE* Be sure to keep an eye on your coolant level for a week or so after wards because if there are any air bubbles in your system they will work their way out and your level will drop because the water is filing up the space taken up by the bubbles.

Stock radiator:

http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs019.snc1/4531_542074571578_52707109_32073119_7197120_n.jpg

ISIS Radiator and Fans:

http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v4531/12/0/52707109/n52707109_32073139_5508900.jpg

[4x4le]

Good work josh! You might as well throw that t-stat back in. I know you said you were worried about over heating in the past at events but now with that nice radiator your more likely going to harm your engine for riding around so long with it being cold.

I seen enjuku at road atlanta earlier this mont and I was looking at their isis product line (as well as wanting to copy their old sr build but I dont have the $ for that) and the isis stuff really does look nice. I was looking at their manifolds and I think its a nice touch that they polish them out. There is good quality in their products and I think its nice to support american companies like this.

[(Yoshi)]

Yeah as soon as I have extra cash I am going to get a nismo low temp one to put in. I have, obviously their radiator and fans as well as their short throw and I'm really happy w/ everything. You really can't get any better for the price.

[littledevil661]

Isnt that female plug you plug your fan into .. for the ac fan

[(Yoshi)]

yeah it is. it comes on when my car gets up to temp so that works for me.

[littledevil661]

hmm now i have to find a plug for my fan.. i cut mine off and miss placed it..

[s142jzkillav10]

wow I can't believe that you reused the dirt cheap and crappy hose clamps. Why not spend an extra 50cents and get the new wider clamp ?

[(Yoshi)]

To be honest it didn't cross my mind.

[4x4le]

wow I can't believe that you reused the dirt cheap and crappy hose clamps. Why not spend an extra 50cents and get the new wider clamp ?

Lol, I was going to quote you and say that I have re used stock ones many times over because I like them over the cheapo replacment ones but that lower hose clamp looks pretty haggard.

[Shadowhunter]

Nice writeup Thanks man!

[(Yoshi)]

Yeah next time I pull the radiator it prolly won't hurt to replace that one...

@Shadowhunter: Thanks man, glad you liked it!

[5t341tH]

lol looks like u cut urself before u started

[(Yoshi)]

If you are working on your car and your knuckles aren't bleeding you are doing it wrong.

[lewisfk]

Yoshi do u have their oil pan? Did u compare the rad with anyone who has a koyo/ mishi ?
thanks lewis

[(Yoshi)]

I do not have their oil pan but it is a consideration down the road. As far as comparison between koyo/mish and ISIS, a friend of mine had a koyo in his spec v and it's about the same thickness as the ISIS one. How ever the ISIS isn't polished where the koyo is. But if you are really worried about having a polished radiator, a bit of elbow grease and a good polish will shine the ISIS on up. For the price, it's worth the extra effort.

[irax]

good work, but honestly your stock radiator would of worked better if you had a proper fan shroud. heck you will probably get better cooling with the ISIS radiator if you fix that shroud.

[projectRDM]

I sincerely hope those fans draw lower current than the OE, otherwise you're going to blow the fuse and possibly melt the harness. Wiring both to the same source isn't a good idea, they should each see a relay and fuse of their own.

[SiNiStEr_S14]

What are the specs on these ISIS fans? Like cfm, currant, volts, amp, etc...?

[speedfreak90]

nice right up but that wiring looks a lil jank........ but hey if it works then right on

[Ceepo]

I just installed this radiator, fans, and silicone hoses on my s14, works awesome, no leaks, fans never even turn on unless im at a traffic light for a while, i wired my fans up to a relay kit i got at autozone(turn on at 185Degrees, off at 170Degrees). Radiator is awesome for the price...

I also wonder the the specs on the fan i contacted Ken at enjuku and he didnt know either, might have to call isis myself and see...

[240sxvaj]

i need e-fans quick. looks pretty simple to install

[ricedemon]

I just installed this radiator, fans, and silicone hoses on my s14, works awesome, no leaks, fans never even turn on unless im at a traffic light for a while, i wired my fans up to a relay kit i got at autozone(turn on at 185Degrees, off at 170Degrees). Radiator is awesome for the price...

I also wonder the the specs on the fan i contacted Ken at enjuku and he didnt know either, might have to call isis myself and see...


how was the wiring for that autozone relay kit? i was thinking of getting the one from summit racing, but if the autozone works just as fine them im all for going donw the street to pick one up....

[westly7]

hmm now i have to find a plug for my fan.. i cut mine off and miss placed it..
i have the same problem here and still couldnt find it..where is it? i see one blue and black wire that connect to nothing but located close to grill which is the opposite or outer of the fan.

[jamg]

Good review

[yodc]

....three years later?

[ultimateforce]

A good review is timeless I guess.

[CaliforniaMayhem]

Sweet review.

Any word on how the radiator held up over these years?

Also, did you ever blow a fuse by using 2 fans on the original single pigtail?

[kasperjd4]

Nice review. I have the ISIS radiator & fans on my s13, along with a nismo thermostat & apex'i radiator cap and I have never seen the needle even hit the cold mark. I had to get a water temp gauge because I thought it was broken.

[CaliforniaMayhem]

Hey Kasper, did you hook both fans up to the same connection or did you wire a second relay for the second fan?

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