Since installing the turbo setup I noticed the intercooler blocks a fair amount of air going to the radiator (pretty much all of it in the lower bumper section) which doesn't seem to be any problem till we hit summer. When it was really hot out 95 + outside and humid as hell I noticed just cruising down the highway at 70 mph I was sitting around 210F sometimes even closer to 220.

So I'm working on some cooling mods to address this for next summer and one of them is a bigger radiator. I was about to purchase a Mishimoto for $195 shipped and then I noticed all these ebay specials for $59 shipped. Humm both 2 core units that look similar. I'm sure the craftsmanship and quality of the Mishimoto is superior but anyone using these ebay specials? Having decent luck with them?

Thanks guys
Malcolm

 

Mishimoto or Fluidyne.

Ebay junk is a downgrade from a stock half size.

Get a fan with a shroud.

I am running a half size Fluidyne with a FAL shrouded fan. Its quiet and keeps the car stable in heavy traffic on hot days.

Are you currently using a half or full size? If it is a half size did you block off the open area on the drivers side? That makes a big difference in highway cooling.

 

Right now I have a the stock half size radiator over on the driver's side. So those ebay 2 cores are junk that cool worse? If that's correct I'll avoid them.

What opening on the driver's side are you referring to that I need to block off?

I did pick up the most powerful SPAL fan I could fit in there as well a few months ago that will also be going in. I haven't built a fan shroud yet but I have some aluminum to do it and will once I get the new radiator in.

 

havent done mine yet but mine will be a KOYO with shroud and 13" spal fan(pretty much covers the whole thing).

One thing to keep in mind is that the shroud and fan is critical for proper cooling.

Ebay havent tried but some people have success.

 

theres a website called capt wholesale something like that usually their radiators are pretty cheap . i only had with issue while ordering from them but if you want to save money they are cheap

 

are you running an oem fan?

 

Yes agreed on fan and shroud. Hence I purchased a spal already and I was going to make a shroud myself but I see Mishimoto already makes a pretty nice one to fit their radiator so I may just snag that and save myself some time.

Thanks for the tip. I checked them out and their Mishimoto stuff is the same price as others. Their cheaper ones I assume are basically just like the ebay ones which TKERacer619 warns up above they suck worse than stock single core radiators.

 

No currently some slim fan I got off ebay I think. I forget, it's been a while. I've purchased a spal to replace it.

My current setup is:
stock radiator
slim fan (actually works pretty decent)
no shroud

Setup I'm aiming for:
2 core radiator
spal fan
shroud

EDIT: although just putting a shroud on alone may fix my issues before even putting in a bigger radiator and or more powerful fan. I just don't feel like doing it all again next summer. Fix once and be done

 

i could of sworn it was 150 well somewher around there when i was looking last time.

 

I'm using a eBay/CX racing 3 Core and it works fine for me.

 

Its not even worth trying to save money on a radiator. I tried to save a few hundred and it almost cost me a few thousand. Do it right the first time. There is a reason you see mishimoto and fluidyne on all sorts of fast cars.

The opening I am referring to is the hole that would be filled if you had a full width radiator. Civics come stock with a plastic panel that fits there and keeps air from bypassing the radiator. Makes a huge difference especially with highway driving.

If you need to trim a shroud get it close with a dremel and then go back with a socket wrapped in sand paper to get a perfect fit.

 

That's a really nice looking fan shroud setup. I ordered the Mishimoto one which is aluminum.

I'll take a look for this opening you speak of. You don't mean on the passenger's side where the a/c condenser is do you? Because I still have a/c so that side still has the a/c condenser.

 

Ah yes. If you still have the AC then its all good.

Thanks, was a pain to get to fit right but the results were as good as I could have hoped. Its a FAL fan meant for a civic and a fluidyne meant for a del sol? Has the bigger in/out that fits the b series. Fan is rotated sideways, cut to fit, and mounted with threaded rod through the radiator.

A lot of people like to say just slap a big fan on and it covers most of it so its all good. Well that might work for some but you lose 25% cooling area without a shroud.

A 14"x14" radiator core has a surface area of 196 square inches. A 14" fan will cover 156 square inches. Once you subtract the frame of the fan you are under 75% efficiency. Not acceptable in my book. It might work fine but 25% more cooling at a stop for $100 is a no brainer to me.

 

Agreed the shroud makes a world of difference. I installed a slim fan with no shroud because of space constraints and hoped it would work. It didn't and now I'll have a bulkier setup which forces me to redesign the intake to my turbo and build something new. I'll have to mock that up and see what I can do once the new parts arrive.

 

Have you checked out what go-autoworks has to offer? I plan on going with the -6an return model for my build since my turbo has water lines.

If you want to save a few bucks on the shroud and feel like fabbing, here's a thread I saw a while back on how to turn a baking pan into a fan shroud for cheap: https://honda-tech.com/forums/forced-induction-16/any-custom-built-fan-shroud-pix-3064353/

 

Oh dang that baking pan idea is awesome lol. Shoot I'm going to walmart tonight and see if I can find the right size and try that. If I can make one I'll send back the one I just ordered.

I did take a look at go-autoworks, he has a few nifty things on his site. I actually run his stainless turbo manifold.

 

cookie sheet shroud is a classic for sure.

I would however make sure to put some rubber grommet type seal on the metal. You really don't want metal to metal contact. Aluminum is too soft for that.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GSP-CIVIC-B1...563793&vxp=mtr

been eye balling this one, i need to do some measurements before ordering becuase i think i might have clearance issues with the slave cylinder. anyone have any opinions on a aftermarket/lower temp thermostat?

 

That thing is a beast. I can't imagine needing that if you have a powerful fan and proper shroud?

 

I had this mishimoto setup here paid $400+,
http://www.ebay.com/itm/MISHIMOTO-94...0a2509&vxp=mtr

Then got rid of it and now im using this ebay version on my new setup and i see no diffrence at all! besides a little rivited plate that has mishimoto on it. This works perfect on my supercharged ITR motor and i paid $170.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/INTEGRA-DC2-...034888&vxp=mtr

Im sure there chinese replicas but i was on big budget cause i had front end damage and destroyed my mishimoto radiator and i needed a new radiator and was concidering a used oem one but just jumped the gun and got the ebay one and to my surprise its no diffrent than the mishimoto one i had all beet up on the floor.

 

You know Mishimoto would have given you a free replacement radiator right? They offer life time warranty on their radiators for anything including if you crash your car and destroy it. Check their website.

I actually switched to a Mishimoto in my Cobra this past summer and I see zero difference over other radiators I've run in terms of cooling. It's definitely a quality piece though that looks very well built.

In general on past vehicles I've built I've found cheaper no name brand radiators work just as good. However go to cheap and you deal with quality issues and POS radiators that spring leaks etc.

 

why did you just use your warranty from mishimoto? i have the same one but im not using it anymore also, snce i switch to a half size.

 

I ordered a Go-Autoworks fan shroud. I'll let you know how it works out. The fan was mounted using zip ties through the radiator and while it cooled fine, I was never comfortable with the way it was mounted.

 

I was just mocking up spal on the factory radiator and my spal measures 14" and fills up the entire radiator and just barely fits on there. It actually leaves such little off on the corners a shroud may be more of an issue for me than it's worth because of the super tight clearances I have to deal with.

I'll re mock it up with my new radiator arrives but right now it's looking like no shroud.

As for the cookie baking pan shrouds they are 13x13" I noticed. My fan would over hang it slightly as the radiator is more like 14x14. I searched all over last night for a 13x13 pan just to mock things up but it's an odd size nobody seems to have. Would have to be an internet order.

 

Never use zip ties on the radiator. All it takes is one bump stop impact and its dragging asphalt.

Ace hardware sells threaded rod. Get the thinnest one and bolt through the radiator if you have zip ties currently. It is easy and will only take a few minutes but will be secure. Just don't over tighten anything.