Got VMP's heat exchanger and a 3x reservoir installed this weekend and it's an awesome unit. IAT2 is way down compared to what it was previously. I drove around town yesterday hammering it in between stop lights and IAT2 didn't go above 118 or so sitting at stop lights.
Install wasn't bad, but took a little longer than I expected. I followed Goose and Hardage's excellent DIY thread and BJ was nice enough to take a couple phone calls from me on the weekend....thanks guys! All the install threads I've seen discuss the dual pass and there are a few differences for the triple pass install I wanted to share with the forum. Maybe this will save someone else a little bit of time later on.
Pic 1 - You can see the inlet and outlet ports on the triple pass are in completely different spots compared to the dual. The inlet is on the lower driver's side corner and the outlet is on the upper passenger's side corner.
Pics 2 & 3 - The hose for the outlet must be relocated over the frame rail since the outlet port differs from the stock and dual pass locations. To do this you'll need to unbolt a bracket that is holding the hose in place on the back of the radiator. You'll see my pic of the bracket....unfortunately I didn't get a pic of it while I was under the car. If you follow the hose it's right in the middle of the car, up on the back of the radiator. There's just enough room to get a wrench in there, a ratcheting wrench will be your friend here. Unbolt the bracket and slide it off the end of the hose. This will allow you to move the hose up over the frame rail.
Pic 4 - Just another pic of the inlet port. You'll see this greatly differs from the location on the dual pass. You just need a short piece of heater hose going from the outlet on the pump. Another note, the VMP unit does not come with any heater hose. Luckily I had plenty of 3/4" on hand, so order some in advance if you need it.
Pic 5 - Finally, the plastic grill insert on the passenger side of the bumper will not clear the outlet port and hose on the new heat exchanger. You will need to trim it down. I just used a dremel with a cutting wheel and took off the lip. You can see where I started the cut. You'll need to go all the way down to the end of that big tab on the right. That will give you enough clearance to get the bumper clipped back on.
I also had a hell of a time burping the air out of the system....the damn pump just didn't want to start and I squeezed on the hoses for nearly an hour. I ended up disconnecting the hose at the inlet port to the heat exchanger for a couple seconds and reconnecting. That got the air bubble out and the pump started right up. Don't waste your time squeezing the hoses if your pump takes longer than a few minutes to get going. Just disconnect at that outlet for a second and pop it back on. Be prepared for a spray of coolant, though. Pinch that hose off and reconnect fast once the air bubble comes out.
Install wasn't bad, but took a little longer than I expected. I followed Goose and Hardage's excellent DIY thread and BJ was nice enough to take a couple phone calls from me on the weekend....thanks guys! All the install threads I've seen discuss the dual pass and there are a few differences for the triple pass install I wanted to share with the forum. Maybe this will save someone else a little bit of time later on.
Pic 1 - You can see the inlet and outlet ports on the triple pass are in completely different spots compared to the dual. The inlet is on the lower driver's side corner and the outlet is on the upper passenger's side corner.
Pics 2 & 3 - The hose for the outlet must be relocated over the frame rail since the outlet port differs from the stock and dual pass locations. To do this you'll need to unbolt a bracket that is holding the hose in place on the back of the radiator. You'll see my pic of the bracket....unfortunately I didn't get a pic of it while I was under the car. If you follow the hose it's right in the middle of the car, up on the back of the radiator. There's just enough room to get a wrench in there, a ratcheting wrench will be your friend here. Unbolt the bracket and slide it off the end of the hose. This will allow you to move the hose up over the frame rail.
Pic 4 - Just another pic of the inlet port. You'll see this greatly differs from the location on the dual pass. You just need a short piece of heater hose going from the outlet on the pump. Another note, the VMP unit does not come with any heater hose. Luckily I had plenty of 3/4" on hand, so order some in advance if you need it.
Pic 5 - Finally, the plastic grill insert on the passenger side of the bumper will not clear the outlet port and hose on the new heat exchanger. You will need to trim it down. I just used a dremel with a cutting wheel and took off the lip. You can see where I started the cut. You'll need to go all the way down to the end of that big tab on the right. That will give you enough clearance to get the bumper clipped back on.
I also had a hell of a time burping the air out of the system....the damn pump just didn't want to start and I squeezed on the hoses for nearly an hour. I ended up disconnecting the hose at the inlet port to the heat exchanger for a couple seconds and reconnecting. That got the air bubble out and the pump started right up. Don't waste your time squeezing the hoses if your pump takes longer than a few minutes to get going. Just disconnect at that outlet for a second and pop it back on. Be prepared for a spray of coolant, though. Pinch that hose off and reconnect fast once the air bubble comes out.
