CSF All Aluminum Performance Radiator For our trucks FINALLY!!!

I would assume you don’t want the shroud right up against the radiator rubbing against it so just a little bit of gap between the actual mounting points filled with foam seal or rubber.

 

I thought the factory setup had the plastic shroud in contact with the aluminum / fins of the radiator, secured for no rubbing due to the bolts holing it there. Maybe you are right, and even the plastic rubbing the radiator is not good

 

I cannot remember but I think the factory radiator suffers from the same problem? It’s been awhile since I had mine in so I cannot say for sure but I am pretty sure it also has gaps.

 

From my view that I can see through the fender, looks like plastic shroud is tight fit to the aluminum part of the radiator, although it is at the edge not the fins. Someday soon I’ll be mocking up the CSF with Tacoma shroud and seeing what I can do to fit it tight and keep the plastic top plate above the radiator.

 

I recall when the first few of us did the CSF radiators, it was a FJ model because they didn’t offer a tacoma specific one yet. Someone found that the fj shroud was a better fitment then the oem tacoma was. There was a gap there so it was found that the rubber seal sealed it nicely.

 

I agree with you.

Original CSF was meant for a FJ/4Runner. It is taller, and single row. It needed a heavily modified taco shroud or use FJ/4Runner shroud to cover the lower portion of the fins due to the radiator being a larger height. When you did use the right parts, it all fit together with no gaps and no seals though. No controversy there.

Tacoma specific CSF was released, and it is a true dual row unit, thicker, but same height/width as Tacoma. The shroud was spaced back, I assume partly because of the thicker core, and partly because the tabs/bosses and mounting points were off. This caused a gap between shroud and radiator, and also cause the top plastic cover over the radiator to not line up with the push clip holes between the shroud and radiator top. That seemed like a miss on CSF's side, and I wonder why it wasn't corrected with subsequent production runs. I know people gave them feedback and there have been many pictures of the issues.

Then the AFE came out, but I don't recall seeing or hearing anything about the fitment of the shroud. It is a dual row radiator, so thicker than stock. Need info on how it fits.

Now we have the Mishimoto... and it is a dual row, thicker, and they seem to acknowledge the gap, and provide a foam seal?


I don't fundamentally have a problem with a foam seal. But I'm surprised why none of the manufacturers to my knowledge have not gotten it right, with true bolt in and proper shroud fit. Is there something fundamental that can't be modified to make it work correct from the get-go? Maybe I'm the only one that doesn't "get" why there has to be a gap and foam is best option. I intend to fit up a OEM taco shroud to the CSF Taco radiator and I'm prepared to cut/clearance/grind/weld to some extent. Will post when I get to that section of the project...

 

I posted my AFE installation last year...

 

I didnt recieve seals with my Mishimoto Radiator. Maybe they have included seals after my purchase?

 

Thanks for pointing me back to those pictures... Now we can confirm that none of the dual row radiators fit the shroud well as-is. Modifications of shroud and/or mounting points on radiator are needed.

But it also reaffirms my puzzling question, of why didn't the manufacturers make a rail, extension, shim, or whatever you want to call it, welded to the top/sides so that it truly would bolt in without a gap? Any gap is absolutely terrible for the fan effectively pulling air through the radiator. Very small leaks in the low pressure zone of the fan will have huge impact on the fan pulling air through the desired path... i.e. the radiator and the condenser.

 

I sent an email to Mishimoto's customer service asking about the gap. And also asking if a seal is shipped with their radiator. Let's see how long it takes them to reply back and what their response is..

 

Do you still need one to test with ?

 

I think I'm good right now, but I do appreciate the offer if you have one available!

 

Okay if you need it let me know

 

That is the seal that I was thinking of.

 

Here's the reply from Mishimoto..

Tom,

The gap is as per the OEM and since our radiators correspond to OEM fitment guides, we too have the gap.
And, include foam for isolation and seal around the fan shroud (along the left and right edges). This helps to direct air through the radiator for greater efficiency.
Here's the installation guide for reference, if need be:
https://cdn.mishimoto.com/media/productpdf/MMRAD-TAC-05_16_INSTALLATIONGUIDE.pdf
Thank you.

Please let us know if there is anything else we can help with.

Thanks,

Damien Kutny
Mishimoto Automotive
302.762.4501

 

Holy smokes... is that ever a load of crap. I looked over my stock setup from top/bottom and sides and it fits snug enough that there isn't a single gap I can see light through...

Wonder where they got the oem fitment guide from... it just doesn't make sense. At least they provide foam though unlike the others. Oh well.

 

well I got it installed today. Relatively simple. Unbolt the fan shroud at the top disconnect your hoses. I opted to take the fan clutch off as it makes it easier to get the radiator in and out without damaging it. Radiator fits like a glove everything lines up perfectly.





The foam strips that were supplied fit perfectly on both sides no gap.



The upper core support filler you will need to stretch it slightly to get it to line back up with the holes. I bought brand new Auveco clips just to be safe. The outer two holes had to tap down the inner structure just slightly for the clips to engage properly.



Success.

 

FWIW you just sold a Mishi radiator, hoses, and oil cooler. Quality post, excellent documentation. Thanks.

 

Don't forget that there's a dedicated Mishimoto Radiator thread..
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/mishimoto-radiator.754960/

 

Just an added note. The radiator unbolts very easily I didn’t even bother to pull the grill out because you can access the upper bolts with your 12 mm right through the grill opening and the lower bolts you can come through the lower bumper cover opening.