Thread: P10 auto radiator into a B14 -- Kinda/Sorta Does/Doesn't Fit

Hey,

So a while back I started this thread:

http://www.sr20-forum.com/general-sr20/19027-any-good-aftermarket-nx-radiators.html

To try and find any inexpensive aftermarket radiators that were better than the very thin B14 radiator and cheap. Within the thread and elsewhere it seemed that a P10 auto radiator would be a direct fit into the B14 or at least w/minor modification and it has a 1'' thick core which is a good improvement over the B14.

Well, Ferrari4a and I just got done installing this radiator in my car and we ran into a few issues. The major issue is that the radiator is just too tall. The P10 radiator is about an inch taller than the B14 radiator. To even get it to fit, we had to chop off some of the top support nozzles and completely remove the bottom radiator bushings. So that wasn't too bad, because we were still able to get the rubber top support bracket on the radiator to hold it in place.

Another issue since it's so tall is that the fans now do not fit into the radiator brackets at the bottom because they are not tall enough for the radiator. So both the A/C and engine fans are held in place only by the top screws and the bottom is free, so it moves around a bit. I think this is the major drawback and I'm not sure what to do here, maybe get some larger fans I guess or rig up some zip tie contraption.

Anyways, I'm glad it's in there and working. It took longer than expected since we ran into those unexpected issues. Hopefully this will help those thinking about doing the same thing and maybe someone can help solve some of the issues I'm having with it like the fans being too small. This should be a cheap upgrade for those looking for an inexpensive option over the stock B14 radiator.

::EDIT:: This is an update to the bellow conversation in the thread. The tranny nozzles do not need to be plugged up because it is designed that the tranny cooler line goes through the bottom end tank and back out the bottom end tank. So there's a pipe that runs from one side of the end tank to the other surrounded by coolant. So no worries about coolant leaking out of the tranny nozzles.

-G

p.s. Hose sizes on the one I bought(from Rockauto) was the same as the B14 (1 3/8'')

The Auto cooler line is normally just a line immersed in the coolant, the coolant heats and cools the trans fluid to its temperature. So it makes no difference other than the radiator cools better without the Auto trans hooked up.

BTW I was thinking of doing this and found out the P10 replacement cores are 1 inch higher.
Then read on here you could fit them no problem.
Thanks for the info !!!

this thread is definitely subb'd. i'm planning on making the same swap @ the end of the month.Gumba, are you using p10 fans or the ones off your b14?

I think he is using the B14 and they only hold by the top screw !!!
yes this says you need the P10 fans to do it right
So add the cost of the P10 fans to the used rad and I will think about the new 2 row rad with the wrong outlet size for about $100

Actually, it fit WITH problems. Although there may be ways to get around those issues. I'm not sure what problems will result from taking out the bottom mounting bushings on the radiator.



If that's true, wouldn't we have seen radiator fluid coming out of the tranny cooler nozzles on the radiator?!



I'm using the fans off my B14 and they don't fit correctly because they are too short. The bottom is loose because it can't reach the fan support bracket. I wasn't sure if P10 fans would work with the B14 A/C and plugs etc...I was thinking of maybe doing a slim fan setup in the future w/proper brackets/mounting for the taller G20 radiator.



The radiator I used was an aftermarket piece for the P10 G20 Auto and it was 1 row with a 1'' core. Bought it off RockAuto.

-G

Yes that's what I mean, thanks for the info, we now know for sure.

The pipe runs from one fitting to the other, its separate, not to the coolant.
They sell one rad for both Manual and Autos because they don't leak.
Look up some of the listings for the 200SX and you will see.

OK, but why would it cool better? There are cores not being used for anything, they remain empty. I can see the argument that since no tranny fluid is running through the cores, it's not heating up the surrounding cores, but the fact remains that a couple of the cores have no fluid at all running through them so it's less efficient than a manual radiator where all cores are being used.

Makes me wonder if the extra core thickness I gained was outweighed by the amount of cores I lost, although the radiator is a little taller as well, so the cores a little longer too..hehe idk..

There is no loss of cooling tubes, the cores are not used, its just a pipe in the header tank, the Auto Rad is HD compared to the Manual, so with no load from the Auto it cools better in a manual car.

Excuse my n00b question, but is the header tank the large area/tank on top of the radiator? I'm not sure what a header tank is. When I looked at the radiator, I didn't see any extra cores or something that looked like one running from the tranny nozzles. All the cores looked uniform. I don't understand the design...

After the tranny fluid comes into to the radiator tranny nozzles at the bottom, where does it go from there? Does it take the cores or some other route through the radiator? I saw 2 tranny nozzles on the bottom of the radiator. Maybe you can explain how it's supposed to work, I've never looked at a radiator on an auto and this is the first time installing a radiator.

Thanks!
-G