R34 Gtt Oil Cooler Installation

[V28VX37]

Hi all, here's a writeup on the recent oil cooler kit installation on my R34 GTT.

References

I would recommend the following threads and pages as a reference before an installation:

• http://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/79130-r33-oil-cooler-installation/page-6
• http://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/462034-oil-cooler-orientation-trans-engine-steering-etc/
• http://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/461812-oil-cooler-recommendations-for-r34-gtt/?p=7658099
• http://www.trak-life.com/diy-r33-skyline-oil-cooler-with-thermostat/
• http://er34.blogspot.com.au/2007/03/trustgreddy-oil-cooler-kit-installed.html
• http://www.gtr.co.uk/forum/56507-aftermarket-oil-cooler-location-poll.html

These might also help:

• Taking Off Gtt R34 Front Bumper With Pictures: http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/topic/248385-taking-off-gtt-r34-front-bumper/
• Installing Return Flow Fmic on R34 GTT: http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/topic/288799-installing-return-flow-fmic/
• R34 Gtt Front Mount Intercooler Installation: http://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/348655-r34-gtt-front-mount-intercooler-installation/

Choosing the oil cooler kit

Here's what I wanted from the kit:

• Full kit with a decent size core
• Good quality lines and fittings (JIC or similar)
• With thermostat as the car is both street and track
• Sandwich plate with spots for oil temp and pressure sensor too
• Prefer oil filter in original location if possible
• Prefer not having to bleed cooler separately when changing oil

I ended up buying a Driftworks oil cooler kit off another member: http://www.driftworks.com/thermostatic-oil-cooler-kit-for-all-engines.html

The kit comes with:

• Mocal 19 row oil cooler
• Mocal 92 degree thermostatic sandwich plate
• Braided oil cooler hoses
• Thermostatic sandwich plate fittings
• Oil filter adapter/fitting

The Mocal sandwich plate doesn't have sensor fittings so I will need to use separate fittings for those.

I am also planning on removing the original sensor sandwich plate I ran for my Defis, although some people do run two plates stacked: http://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/402155-using-two-oil-sandwich-plates/

Installing the core and hoses

The installation is relatively straightforward, just fiddly because there's not a whole lot of space to play with as the photos below illustrate.

Have a good look around the front of the car to find and measure potential installation locations before pulling out the front bar.

Generally the options are:

• Between radiator and intercooler seems the most common (if you don't have a FMIC you probably shouldn't worry about an oil cooler just yet...)
• Driver side guard
• Passenger side guard
• Some have even installed the cooler under the car, which may not be ideal for ground clearance, or airflow unless you add a shroud.

Also consider any other coolers you may want to put in later; I installed a power steering cooler at the same time (in the driver side guard).

Here are the general steps for installing between rad and IC:

1. Remove engine undertray
2. Remove guard liners
3. Remove front bar
4. Remove front bar support bar above the reo bar
5. Remove reo bar
6. Remove intercooler. I have a Trust turnflow and I ended up just loosening the clamps and moving it out a little sitting on a box because I was too slack to remove the airbox and piping..
7. Mock up oil cooler position! Use duct tape or whatever you need and double check the following:
   • Sufficient clearance in every direction, also once the IC is back in place
   • Can you connect up the oil cooler hoses? Braided hose doesn't like to do tight bends, luckily mine came with 90 degree fittings.
   • Can you run the cooler hoses neatly into the engine bay? These commonly run under the chassis rail and above the subframe near the tow point.
   • Do the cooler hoses reach their destination? Depending on your sandwich plate you may need some additional 45 or 90 degree
   • Where do the horns go? I had to move one to the other side of the bonnet latch.
   • Does the bonnet close fully? Again mine didn't at first so needed to move the horn again..
8. Depending on the size of the core, you can modify an auto trans cooler bracket or fabricate a new one. I cut the top part off the existing bracket and made small L brackets to securely connect the bottom part to the oil cooler core.
9. Make a C bracket for the top of the oil cooler core and secure it to the radiator support part of the chassis. You may want to add a second vertical bracket too, depending on how well the bottom of the core is mounted.
   • Before finalising the hose runs and tightening the hoses, put the following items back in place:
   • Intercooler, remember to re-tighen the clamps
   • Reo bar
   • Front bar support bar
10. Test fit the front bar. Does it crimp the hoses? Does anything scuff? I had to trim back the front bar vent/box near the fog light for more clearance between the front bar and the chassis rail for the oil cooler hose.
11. Remove front bar again
12. Make a support clip for the oil cooler hoses. I used two basic 25mm hose clips from Bunnings, padded P clips would be better.
13. Test fit the guard liner. I had a to trim back a fair bit of plastic around the cooler hoses to get it back into place.
14. Tighen and secure the oil cooler hoses. Think of the braided hose as sandpaper, and check for any areas where the hose may scuff the chassis or other parts. I cut off a length of clear hose and split it down the side, then secured it onto the cooler hose near the headlight and chassis rail to prevent scuffing.
15. Once you're happy with the oil cooler placement, hose runs and clearances put the front end back together and tighten everything back up:

• Reo bar
• Front bar support bar
• Front bar
• Guard liners
• You may want to leave the undertray off until you've hooked up the cooler and tested everything

For adjusting cooler hose lengths, turning over the engine to fill the cooler and other great tips, check out the excellent Trak-Life oil cooler writeup here: http://www.trak-life.com/diy-r33-skyline-oil-cooler-with-thermostat/

I've left hooking up the oily end with my workshop, I'll add here once I have the car back.

Photos

Mocal sandwich plate and core:

R34 GTT auto trans cooler bracket:

R34 GTT auto trans cooler bracket cut to suit the Mocal core:

Oil cooler core mounted between radiator and intercooler:

Oil cooler hoses test run:

Oil cooler hose bracket:

Scuff guards made out of transparent plastic hose:

Oil cooler mounted:

Guard liner trimmed:

Oil cooler hoses in engine bay, these need to be secured properly once the sandwich plate is in place:

[Leroy Peterson]

good jerb.

on SR20's at least, oil filter feed and drain is same as this image you posted in another thread:

i believe its the same for RB.

[V28VX37]

Cross-posting the below update from here: http://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/461812-oil-cooler-recommendations-for-r34-gtt/?p=7719999

How did you get on with this?

Well, it's been an epic saga but I think it's all sorted finally. Check this thread: http://www.sau.com.a...ensor-location/

I most certainly would not recommend the Mocal sandwich plate or the Driftworks kit overall: http://www.driftwork...ll-engines.html

• The Mocal plate doesn't have ports for sensors and it takes heaps of mucking around to work around that. Also the internal thermostat-controlled bypass port is tiny, meaning that the majority of the oil always goes through the cooler, irrespective of temperature, which is not ideal for a street car especially in Vic.
• The Driftworks kit comes with prefabricated hoses. They're really heavy duty but with scrimped fittings, so you can't change them or shorten the hoses. The main issue is that whilst one end has a 90-degree fitting the other is straight, and is really tough to route past the alternator in the RB25DET. In my install we had to bend the hoses too tight and they started leaking from the fittings -> new hose time.

The Mocal core is ok.

Also do not buy an oil cooler kit second hand. I can't stress this enough. I saw this advice before buying, chose to ignore it, and have paid the price many times over in headaches and labour.

If I had my time again here's what I would get, all new parts:

1. The Greddy/Grex sandwich plate. It's a better design than the Mocal with two sensor ports, a larger thermostat bypass port, and 45-degree angled in+out for the lines.
2. Quality core: Setrab, Mocal or similar
3. Quality lines and fittings: Speedflow, cut to suitable lengths and professionally assembled. I'd also get the Nomex/Kevlar type to save having to pad braided lines to prevent scuffing.

I'd also install the cooler core underneath the right headlight if at all possible (mine's between the intercooler and radiator) for two reasons:

1. Less impact on water temps in hot weather when pushed hard
2. Ability add blocking plate over oil cooler without impacting other cores

On a more positive note, my setup works well, out at Calder Park in February (mid 20C's) I never had to back off because of oil temps, and only a couple of times because of water.

Hope this helps.