A 2003 abused G35 sedan

It's being fixed by the local shop that is letting me use their lift for my work so I thought to take pics. I believe it started as a bad thermostat and it just escalated since the owner neglected the car but don't hold me to that since I don't know the specifics except that it originally came in for a overheating issue and they changed the stat.

The coolant path on the upper plenum is cracked and the heads had to be rebuilt apart from new water pump and gaskets and seals

 

looks like it sunk in the ocean and was recently recovered?? Or is that what happens with the cooling mods? LOL

 

Pathfinder mod does not melt heads or cause hg's to blow.
It's been used on more builds than just about any mod. Probably the reason that Gtm and fp still sell them.

 

HAHA, thats gotta be one of the dumbest things I have read in a while. How could running coolant to a coolant passage thats already dead-ended in the block blow the heads.

just sit back and think about that for second. If that pathfinder coolant pipe/thermostat didnt work, there would be no difference from stock

 

wow... that tear down would have been Sooooooooo much easier if they had just dropped the engine

 

For real! Looks like someone put a few tots and a sandbox in there.

 

fill block with sand
crank over
TADA!

 

I personally cannot recommend the pathfinder cooling mod. It has been the source of many coolant leak headaches over the past 4 years for me. You are basically adding 4 more "leak points" to the cooling system that are sealed with worm clamps. Over time no matter how much I tighten them, the worm clamps come loose and I start leaking coolant.

I will most likely be removing the pathfinder cooling mod this winter. This has literally been the only chronic problem my car has had since being built and boosted.

 

use different clamps bro, wormies are a no go haha. If you must use them don't use the ones that have open slits, as that will allow it to tear the area it's around. Use something that is smooth and still can be tightened down. If you already knew that..eh here it is again.

JJ

 

Yea, only problem is the kit comes with the worm clamps. Thus they are already on there and have been for almost 4 years. To replace them with something else would require lots of disassembly which I'm frankly not really that excited to do right now.

BTW- they have not torn the rubber hoses at all, I've only had issues with worm clamps doing that when oil is involved.