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View Full Version : Mishimoto Fan Shroud Fail

om3ga
10-01-2011, 06:16 PM
On a buddies car about 6 months ago we installed a Mishimoto fan shroud on a Mishimoto radiator.

The design of the mounting points for the fans on the Mishimoto fan shroud had me concerned and confused since the beginning. The fact that the fans were allowed to move towards the fins on the radiator was rather strange. I thought it would be better for them to be stationary instead of moving around. Apparently they have moved around enough to penetrate the radiator core. We noticed that the coolant reservoir was low and did not know why it was slowly going down over the course of a few weeks. I decided to check the radiator and saw that it was low in there as well, we added about half a gallon of coolant in the Mishimoto radiator and decided to start the engine and check for leaks.

We were talking about it possibly being the headgasket because it was recently changed and thought it may not have sealed properly. However, when we started the car and the thermostat opened up we saw little drips coming out of the fans. We assumed it was just some coolant that we had spilled out so we dried the fans off with a towel and started it again. It was indeed leaking from somewhere, after shutting it off after a few revs we noticed a steady stream coming out of the radiator in two places right near the sharp edges of the mobile fan brackets.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/dayoldbagel/Random/4.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/dayoldbagel/Random/4.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/dayoldbagel/Random/3.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/dayoldbagel/Random/2.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/dayoldbagel/Random/5.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/dayoldbagel/Random/1.jpg :frown:

I'm not sure who the program manager for this project was but the engineers need to reconsider their design. :facepalm:
ZAKU
10-01-2011, 10:01 PM
Mishimoto... ...engineers

Haha, you're a funny guy.
Boost_Fiend
10-01-2011, 10:14 PM
Ive been running the same setup for a few months now. I haven't had any problems with it at all. Mishimoto has a lifetime warranty on their radiators thats pretty legit. They will replace it even if you get into an accident.
chetacheese
10-01-2011, 10:21 PM
I just picked on up myself. The mounting quality is indeed inaccurate. i had to massage the points into place very slightly, and it bolted on. However, it does sound like a potential issue, since aluminum is soft and easy to bend. over time im guessing, with my very tiny amount of knowledge, that it could stretch something.

Is this how yours was also when you first installed it?
Matthew Murphy
10-02-2011, 07:39 AM
koyo rad and flex-a-lite fans next? that wont happen to them
eighty-six
10-02-2011, 07:54 AM
I had the same problem happened to me awhile back, i informed the dealer i got it from and they sent me a new radiator right away. Their warranty is pretty legit.
stance
10-02-2011, 08:53 AM
I had the same problem happened to me awhile back, i informed the dealer i got it from and they sent me a new radiator right away. Their warranty is pretty legit.


oh yea?........
jdm2191
10-02-2011, 11:46 PM
Hmmm this is good to know I was just about to buy one too
huffandpuff00
10-03-2011, 12:42 AM
i have the same shroud and I noticed that the fans could move forward while installing them...so instead of hoping that something didn't go bad. I put epoxy in the mounting brackets and pulled the fans back away from the rad where they are supposed to sit. Not a big deal....accident prevention
Skilz10179
10-03-2011, 05:23 AM
I just bought the same set up (radiator, fans and shroud) but haven't installed them yet. How about some pics of the actual damage where the fans contacted the radiator?
onehundredoctane
10-03-2011, 07:41 AM
Mishimoto has great customer support, if you haven't tried calling them yet I would highly recommend doing so. I was given a Mishimoto radiator for free that had a drain plug that the head had broken off of. I called Mishimoto to purchase a new drain plug and instead they mailed me one for free, all I had to do was removed the old one, which was stupid easy.

That has instilled some appreciation in them for being super easy to work with over the phone, at least try calling them to see what they will do for you.
eighty-six
10-03-2011, 09:38 AM
Here's a picture of mine after the fans touched the fins of the radiator. I couldnt find the leak so i kept pouring water in until i found it.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v204/Diablos45/fan1.jpg?t=1317656145
mattack69
10-03-2011, 10:01 AM
Simple thing to do was run a bead of RTV on the backside and front of the fan clips when they are pulled away from the the shroud as far as it goes... Some foresight on your end could have been used.. But that does not help your situation, as 100 said get the warranty honored they are legit for customer service!
idahotuner
10-03-2011, 10:09 AM
I will take a picture of how I mounted mine on the shrowed, I don't thin I will have any problems
Chay G
10-03-2011, 10:55 AM
That happened to me, i was runing dual speed jetta mk4 fans on oem radiator, so i upgraded the radiator and installed spacer on the fans now they are 1" away from it, i think if you install them on the other side of the shroud you should have enough clearance
Skilz10179
10-03-2011, 08:00 PM
I just went out to the garage to check my set up. I think they may have changed the design, my fans are at least a half away from contacting the radiator core.
fliprayzin240sx
10-04-2011, 06:19 PM
Time to epoxy that hole....that shit worked on my Sr rad for almost 2 yrs till I finally got the motivation to get it rewelded up.
s13 drifta
10-06-2011, 09:42 AM
OP, you have the old design. They changed there design on the fan and shroud. I have the new version and the fans are mounted on top of the shroud, that way they will never be in contact with the radiator.
Mishimoto will send you a new radiator with no questions asked.
Dpacro001
10-07-2011, 12:09 AM
don't buy 3rd party copy from china and it wont happen.
om3ga
10-09-2011, 04:04 AM
Mishimoto has great customer service and good quality products which is why i see them as such higher quality than Godspeed, CX Racing companies. I don't typically buy from low quality companies on any of the builds i do but these guys stood out as a bit higher quality above others as well as great customer service.

Eighty-six, that is an awesome picture. Exactly the same area where ours had a problem.
They have honored the warranty and sent out a replacement shroud (Which has been redesigned) as well as a new radiator and cap.

The only reason i posted this up was to give other possible users visibility on this issue to maybe prevent it from occuring with their setups.