R33: Oil Cooler Installation

[Shuyin]

Quick question guys. I'm fitting the Grex Oil cooler kit to my GTR and its going to foul on the stock BOVs. Can anyone tell me how to get around it? Without replacing the BOVs?

[Hadouken]

You will have to mount it somewhere else. Passenger guard

[V28VX37]

Hi guys I've just finished installing a Driftworks oil cooler kit with Mocal core and thermostatic sandwich plate in my R34.

It looks like I might have an issue, I just did a long drive on the freeway and can't get the oil temp up, it's sitting between 55 and 60. Water is sitting at 80, Defi gauges.

I can think of a couple of causes:

1. Maybe the thermo pellet in the sandwich plate is not working and the cooler circuit is stuck open? Trying the core by hand it's hot but not unbearable.

2. I previously had the Defi temp sensor in a separate sandwich plate with oil flowing through it. For this install the workshop removed the factory pressure sensor and teed off that point - is it possible that the temp reading is inaccurate when it's measured at a 'dead end'?

Any ideas welcome, thanks guys!

[Dose Pipe Sutututu]

Hi guys I've just finished installing a Driftworks oil cooler kit with Mocal core and thermostatic sandwich plate in my R34.

It looks like I might have an issue, I just did a long drive on the freeway and can't get the oil temp up, it's sitting between 55 and 60. Water is sitting at 80, Defi gauges.

I can think of a couple of causes:

1. Maybe the thermo pellet in the sandwich plate is not working and the cooler circuit is stuck open? Trying the core by hand it's hot but not unbearable.

2. I previously had the Defi temp sensor in a separate sandwich plate with oil flowing through it. For this install the workshop removed the factory pressure sensor and teed off that point - is it possible that the temp reading is inaccurate when it's measured at a 'dead end'?

Any ideas welcome, thanks guys!

try cover up the core with cardboard so there's no airflow.. see if it stablises around water temperature (provided you still run the OEM heat exchanger)

[V28VX37]

try cover up the core with cardboard so there's no airflow.. see if it stablises around water temperature (provided you still run the OEM heat exchanger)

Cheers Johnny I'll try that.

Driving a couple of k's from cold start you can feel the oil cooler feed hose getting warm whilst return stays cool. I wonder is this means that the thermostat is not working?

[Dose Pipe Sutututu]

possible and it sounds your oil cooler is chilling it

however there should be some flow when cold to constantly flow oil through the core (however much less than at operating temp)

[V28VX37]

possible and it sounds your oil cooler is chilling it

however there should be some flow when cold to constantly flow oil through the core (however much less than at operating temp)

Yep that's what I thought.

I'm still not a 100% sure about the new temp sensor location, it's sitting about 5cm out from the block at the end of a T fitting so it might be reading low too.

[dan.1337]

Hi guys I've just finished installing a Driftworks oil cooler kit with Mocal core and thermostatic sandwich plate in my R34.

It looks like I might have an issue, I just did a long drive on the freeway and can't get the oil temp up, it's sitting between 55 and 60. Water is sitting at 80, Defi gauges.

I can think of a couple of causes:

1. Maybe the thermo pellet in the sandwich plate is not working and the cooler circuit is stuck open? Trying the core by hand it's hot but not unbearable.

2. I previously had the Defi temp sensor in a separate sandwich plate with oil flowing through it. For this install the workshop removed the factory pressure sensor and teed off that point - is it possible that the temp reading is inaccurate when it's measured at a 'dead end'?

Any ideas welcome, thanks guys!

I had a similar issue when I first installed my oil cooler.

What I eventually found was that my temperature sensor was on the wrong side of the sandwich plate. I initially had it on the side after the cooler, when it should have been on the hot engine side.

Reason it should be on the hot side is that you can see how much your oil has cooked after coming out of the engine.

[V28VX37]

possible and it sounds your oil cooler is chilling it

however there should be some flow when cold to constantly flow oil through the core (however much less than at operating temp)

I had a similar issue when I first installed my oil cooler.

What I eventually found was that my temperature sensor was on the wrong side of the sandwich plate. I initially had it on the side after the cooler, when it should have been on the hot engine side.

Reason it should be on the hot side is that you can see how much your oil has cooked after coming out of the engine.

Thanks guys.

Here's how the sensor is sitting, I'm pretty sure that's the OEM oil pressure sensor location:

The other end of the T-piece is currently blank waiting for the Defi pressure sensor.

I'm thinking of swapping the two so that the temp sensor is closer to the block but I'm not sure if it's still going to give me as accurate a reading as when it was sitting in its own sandwich plate...?

...

EDIT: Did a long distance drive back to Melbourne today, the Defis were reading a consistent 60C for oil and 80C for water. Ambient temp 25C.

So the oil was a little warmer than on the way down when the ambient temp was just under 20C.

Edited January 18, 2016 by V28VX37

[V28VX37]

I spoke with a Mocal supplier earlier today and they asked a really good question - is it possible that the factory R34 oil pressure sensor is after the filter, not before?

Because if that's the case my Defi is currently reading the temperature of the oil coming back from the cooler, not the oil going out.

Can anybody confirm or deny? See below for a photo of the factory oil/water cooler, with the pressure sensor on the left:

[wht510]

On 18/01/2016 at 8:40 PM, V28VX37 said:

Here's how the sensor is sitting, I'm pretty sure that's the OEM oil pressure sensor location:

The other end of the T-piece is currently blank waiting for the Defi pressure sensor.

Firstly, a long piece of brass like this is going to pull heat when air is flowing past it, so you aren't going to get a true reading of your oil temperature.  What you have here would only be measuring heat conduction of the oil housing and the associated stagnant oil.  Mounting your pressure sensor on something like this is OK, but mounting the temperature is going to give false readings.  Be wary of vibration on long brass fittings like this.  They can crack and then you have oil everywhere and a seized engine.  This could explain your low readings.

Secondly, you aren't going to get oil reaching the sensor that is a true representation of engine oil temperature.  You want the temperature sensor to be mounted as close to the oil running past it as possible. 

Regarding your other post:

IMHO you should be measuring the temperature of the oil before the oil cooler.  You want to know the oil temperature of the oil as it comes out of the engine after doing all the work.  If it's hot, it's hot regardless if you have the cooler working or not. 

[V28VX37]

Firstly, a long piece of brass like this is going to pull heat when air is flowing past it, so you aren't going to get a true reading of your oil temperature.  What you have here would only be measuring heat conduction of the oil housing and the associated stagnant oil.  Mounting your pressure sensor on something like this is OK, but mounting the temperature is going to give false readings.  Be wary of vibration on long brass fittings like this.  They can crack and then you have oil everywhere and a seized engine.  This could explain your low readings.
Secondly, you aren't going to get oil reaching the sensor that is a true representation of engine oil temperature.  You want the temperature sensor to be mounted as close to the oil running past it as possible. 
Regarding your other post:
IMHO you should be measuring the temperature of the oil before the oil cooler.  You want to know the oil temperature of the oil as it comes out of the engine after doing all the work.  If it's hot, it's hot regardless if you have the cooler working or not. 

Thanks mate, I got it all sorted and documented in this other thread: http://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/462362-oil-cooler-too-eager-faulty-thermostat-or-incorrect-temp-sensor-location/