Two radiators in '90 300ZX N/A?!

[TellarHK]

Corvidae and I are tearing into our Z right now, and after removing what appears to be an aftermarket radiator and fan system... we discovered that there appears to be a _second_ radiator system right in front of where the aftermarket one was. I'll get some pictures here in a couple minutes, but this is really making us wonder what the heck is going on here. The radiator we see now, doesn't appear at first glance to be hooked up to anything, whereas the one we removed from the car already does.





Can anyone tell me what's going on here? Is the part still in the car not a radiator? Sure looks like one.

[DanDrath]

If your ac works dont touch that! Its the ac condensor and the fan is the ac condensor fan I am not ecactly sure why its there but i know its a backup if the car gets to hot and i think it turns on if the condensor gets hotter? not positive. Someone else can explain why its their but dont touch those unless you want to rip out your ac system

[TellarHK]

If your ac works dont touch that! Its the ac condensor and the fan is the ac condensor fan I am not ecactly sure why its there but i know its a backup if the car gets to hot and i think it turns on if the condensor gets hotter? not positive. Someone else can explain why its their but dont touch those unless you want to rip out your ac system

Okay, that's what we were starting to think. Hell of a place to put it, you'd think that would screw up radiator performance.

This car is turning out to be a really, really filthy patient. Corvidae's been getting under the car while I'm working research and nurse support "Scalpel, 17mm socket, suture..." and he's swearing more about the fact everything's locked in place with grime than most else.

[Ba11erz]

DanDrath summed it up.

The engineers that developed the architecture for the 300zx are sheer genius!!! They knew exactly what the greasemonkey was going to do as soon as the car was purchased. Duh, increase the WHP. That said, they left one more safety net to prevent the engine from going BOOM! (drum roll please) A dual-purpose condensor fan. As mentioned earlier, it serves two functions--A/C coolant and to cool the car down when stuck in traffic. Turbos get really hot when no air is moving across them or when the check valve hasn't opened to send oil to the cooler and back to the pan. Don't quote me on this but I believe the ECU default for the fan triggers it to turn on around 203 degrees automatically or when you decide to run your A/C.

If you're concerned with space & weight and are using your Z for drag only then you may consider removing it.
But if your Z is a true daily-driver like mine, then it's the only insurance policy for your car before your engine goes BOOOOM!

This is an excellent debatable topic and hopefully we generate some good discussion to hear both sides.
I've personally seen some vehicles w/ and w/o it.
But I honestly believe it's a personal choice and not a calculated engineering risk analysis, because all arrows will point to keep it due to the Nissan genius designers.

Are there any Z experts who can chime in?

[DanDrath]

THanks for that info ^ i love learning about these cars. I would never take that out haha my car stays perfectly cool and im happy that i dont overheat anymore