!st gen pontiac vibe/toyota matrix dual core radiator install

[tmontague]

This job is by no means a drop in, it involved quite a but of problem solving and bending of metal frame parts. I wouldn't recommend it for a DDer that you want to keep as untouched as possible but for a rough and dirty track car, it works well.

The radiator is probably about 10-20% larger than the stock 1nz one just in frontal size alone. It is also a dual core and over twice as thick as the stock rad so all in all it is a considerable increase in cooling capacity. I was hitting 235F coolant temps at the track last year about 15 mins into a 30-40 minute session. There is no aftermarket 2nd gen Yaris performance radiator currently made. There is a 1st gen radiator that is a dual core but the same frontal area and even that one involves a few question marks in regards to installing it into a 2zr swapped Yaris.

MonkeyWrench Racing sells a performance rad , made by QRP for a 1st gen Vibe/Matrix and it covers the front area of the Yaris well. With the stock yaris factory rad there is a ton of space on the passenger side of the rad that is just blocked off with a plastic shroud. It is a waste of space if you want to increase the cooling capacity. The stocvk Vibe upper and lower hoses fit almost perfectly with minimal trimming and it even cleared my DC sports CAI tube which was the only unsure part.

The issue is that since the QRP rad is a cross flow and the tanks are on the side, the rad is a couple inches shorter in height than the yaris one. The way the yaris mounts its rad makes it virtually impossible for a cheap DIY radiator mounting tab fabrication. My only real option as to bend the crap out of the lower cross bar rad support to raise it up a bit. A jack and 2x2 does a decent enough job of this. I had to drill new hole in the upper and lower rad supports to fit the new rad mounting posts. To close the gap at the top support I ended up doubling up on rubber grommets that I had lying around from when I pulled the stock rad and tank from a 1st gen. This isn't the most secure option but the rad barely moves at all and is very secure.

The stock spring hose clamps will not fit over the Vibe hoses as they are a slightly larger diameter. They will fit over the hose but then they will not allow the hose to fit over the rolled part of the rad fitting. I just purchased some 1.5" screw clamps. I may replace them with t bolt clamps down the road but these are working great. As usual, I sprayed every hose mating with silicone spray - save your ass further down the road.

I mounted the mishimoto rad fan and spliced the factory fan wires to the new fan. I purchased a cheap generic overflow tank from amazon and fitted that up with a quick and dirty self made bracket mounted to holes I drilled and tapped into the shock tower. Everything clears very nicely now with plenty of room to spare. I had to flip my catch can mounting bracket upside down so the catch can would sit much lower and clear the upper radiator hose. I let the car idle for about 25 mins in 6*C ambient temps and the coolant peaked at 181*F and would not go above. I've been keeping ym eye on the coolant recovery tank and so far it has only dropped slightly after a short drive this morning. We will see how it goes later in this week.

Please excuse the lack of good pics, it decided to piss rain for 3 days straight and this was one of the few weekends I had to get this job done.