Oil Coolers

[MerlinTheHapyPig]

I just purchased an oil cooler, and am thinking of how to hook it all up.

I was going to simply buy a remote filter relocation kit, and run one of the lines into the oil cooler.

I'm wondering if I should use a thermostat.

I've noticed some oil cooler kits for sale on the forums, don't use thermostats and some do.

Just wondering if it would be dangerous not using a thermostat, for a car that is half street driven, half track driven.

[StockyMcStock]

always use a thermostat!

[nF]

You don't need a thermostat.

My r32 oil temp gets up to 180 degrees farenheit (autometer oil temp gauge) pretty quick. The cooler is right behind the front bar so gets lots of air. Only time it had any trouble is driving on the highway though crazy heavy rain at night. Oil temps didn't get above 150.

Just run a cover over it if you are worried.

[MerlinTheHapyPig]

thanks for the link

hm, I think I'll use a cover on it. I'm not having trouble with oil temps, daily driving doesn't put much stress on it, and i very rarely drive the car hard on the street for long periods. It's drifting + summer which is worrying me. So much just make up some sort of cover, and take it off when I drift or weather is hot

Second question, does the size of the lines on the oil cooler matter? Is too small going to restrict oil flow?

The cooler I have is a magna automatic transmission cooler (pov oil cooler of choice...) and from memory, lines have inside diameter of around 4-5mm (i'll check for sure tomorrow)

Does anyone know if this will cause a problem?

[WetGTR]

I have run my car without an oil cooler and I have run the same car with an oil cooler. It has always stayed at around 80 degrees and stays there. Good thing with the oil cooler (non-thermostate type) is that even after a hard drive it stayed at 80 degrees, without it it used to go up.

My cooler was made by HKS and if they thought it would of been better to include a thermostate - they would of included it.

I always thought once I had the cooler that temps would be very low but it does get to 80 degress quickly but it stays there.

Edited October 29, 2005 by WetGTR

[Roy]

Its all about temperature differentials. The heat input into oil from a running engine is a damn site greater then the heat loss from a little multi row cooler with ambinet air passing over / through it.

The added cost of an external thermo, the added threaded connection that are just more potential leak points. I have heard of some old kits having their thermos fail in the closed position meaning the coole rnever got to see any oil...havent seen it, ony heard and it seems to sound like a possibility.

Mot kits seem sto use Dash 10 lines, so a bit bigger then what you are looking at...coolers are so cheap these days, you can get a quality 19 row cooler for $200. Its the lines etc that cost all the money

Plus i always give my car a good 60-90 seconds of cold idle time before i start to drive it slowly off at low rpm. In this time there is no airflow through the oil cooler anyway, so its ony effect is as a heat sink as it comes up to temperature.

Anyway these are the reasons why i have convinced myself not to reach back inot my pockets for a thermostat

[Tommyk]

i dont have a thermostat either.

My oil temps seem to drop almost down to 70 degrees while driving on a coldish night, while cruising.

Last night while giving it a bit, it didnt go past 90 degrees.

While it does take a while to get up to operating temperature, I dont think i could justify getting a thermostat either. Particularly not with summer around the corner!

[MerlinTheHapyPig]

well, whole purpose is to do it on the cheap...

I'll be buying a remote filter relocation kit from

http://www.nissansilvia.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=97814

so $95 for that

The transmission cooler itself was $15

$110 for a remote filter relocation kit *and* oil cooler is pretty damn cheap...

I've gone out and measured the lines properly, inside diameter is actually 7mm. So are dash 10 lines 10mm inside diam? or what...

Here are some pics of the cooler. It's made by Denso, and plenty of people have used them on these cars as engine oil coolers before.

Actually. I have more confidence in this than I do in some of the cheap chinese/taiwan things you see floating around. But yeah, i'll see how it goes, I'll be regularly checking oil pressure and temps once it goes on.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y19/merli...r/oil_cool1.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y19/merli...r/oil_cool2.jpg

[SteveL]

The transmission cooler itself was $15

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Never use an auto transmission oil cooler (if that's what this is) as an engine oil cooler - they aren't designed to handle the same pressures or flow rates.

Always use a thermostat as that will ensure the oil is maintained in the correct operating temp range. It's no different to running a thermostat in your radiator system (road going car).

[MerlinTheHapyPig]

hm,

thanks for the advise. I'm going to take it down to a guy who owns a radiator place I know. and get some advise there. Maybe they can pressure test it to see if it will cope or something.

This is just a temporary solution, but at the moment, I can't afford something decent. And I don't want to get one of the cheap ones floating around.

Equipment that came stock with a car which passed ADR requirements etc. was probably built to higher standards of quality than some of the cheap crap you see on the market. So It's just a question of whether it can handle higher oil pressure. Though, I know a couple people who have been using these exact ones in other cars without any problems.

As I said, i'll try and get an expert opinion and perhaps pressure test it before I go ahead.

[pnblight]

i personally think you have missed the whole purpose of the thermostat

90% of all engine wear happens in the first 2 minutes until the engine oil reaches operating temp. So running the oil cooler in this period of first start up is a big no no as you don't want to slow the oil heating process and extending the wear period on the motor every cold start up.

As for temp control of the oil the thermostat will have next to NO IMPACT why you ask? well there is a oil to water heat exchanger on nearly RB engine and the engine temp is much more influence by water temp ie water thermostat and raditor is what control the running temp of the engine and those oil. So the oil thermostat is purely for cold start ups

pete

[SteveL]

90% of all engine wear happens in the first 2 minutes until the engine oil reaches operating temp. So running the oil cooler in this period of first start up is a big no no as you don't want to slow the oil heating process and extending the wear period on the motor every cold start up.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's analagous to the reasons for running a thermostat in the radiator system....

As for temp control of the oil the thermostat will have next to NO IMPACT why you ask? well there is a oil to water heat exchanger on nearly RB engine and the engine temp is much more influence by water temp ie water thermostat and raditor is what control the running temp of the engine and those oil. So the oil thermostat is purely for cold start ups

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Only RB26 runs an oil cooler standard (oil/water type). Thermostat is not just for cold start-ups - although that's clearly a good reason - as it's important to have some form of oil cooler to control oil temps when high temps might be expected, particularly on high output/modified engines.

[SteveL]

thanks for the advise.  I'm going to take it down to a guy who owns a radiator place I know.  and get some advise there.  Maybe they can pressure test it to see if it will cope or something.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Obviously it's your choice, but pressure is not the only consideration. Most (if not all) the auto trans coolers I've seen have quite small fittings compared with dedicated engine oil coolers. It is important that the oil cooler does not act as a restrictor in the oil supply...

[yogi000]

how much difference is a oil cooler going to make when the car is stationary and has no air flowing thru it?

[MerlinTheHapyPig]

so, oil pressure should be a good indicator of flow yeah?

If so, I think i'll just try it out, and if I'm getting lower than normal oil pressures, I'll just abandon it and for out for a decent cooler.

I'm sure an oil filter also provides a fair restriction on the system.

Cooler I've chosen has been chosen specifically because it is one of the larger ones you generally find on stock cars.

----

Edit, Just to add,

I used to have a cordia turbo, which came stock with an engine oil cooler, which was smaller than the one I'm using, and had smaller lines. So by that basis, I don't think the size of the lines should pose a restriction, but i'm curious on people opinions here..

Edited October 30, 2005 by MerlinTheHapyPig

[Nozila]

i have a oil coolers + remote relocating kits combo sitting in my shed but am still confused as to whether a thermostat is required or not thus havent installed it.

[Bl4cK32]

you can see on some of the cheap kits >$300 the fittings are rather small compared to the brand name ones which use earls fittings. I dont like the idea of putting any extra restrictions in the oil lines than there has to be.

Oil filters do put some restrictions on the system but there are websites out there that have tested all the brand name ones - incl. K&N and Purolator (which i use) and these give the least restrictions to flow, as well as the better design for filtration.

I dont normally boot my car around for extended periods, but the other day i did (wasnt a hot day either) and within 5 - 10 mins oil temps shot up to ~95 deg. Water temps stayed around the usual 85.

I wont be fitting a cooler without a thermostat, as i believe the info about cold starts, as well as daily driving i want my oil to stay around 85 as well. There is an operating range for oil, and the quicker i can get my oil there, and keep it there all the better i say.

[Cubes]

Aussy delivered R31 GTS runs an oil cooler.

As rare as hens teeth though.

Edited October 30, 2005 by Cubes

[MerlinTheHapyPig]

yes, and also Aussie delivered r32 GTRs used oil coolers. 3 in fact....

wonder what size the lines are

[Roy]

Always use a thermostat as that will ensure the oil is maintained in the correct operating temp range.    It's no different to running a thermostat in your radiator system (road going car).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ah, it worries me that you say 'never' ...your posts are always on the money...and im not running a thermostat

My thinking was its a heat exchanger, so really requires air to pass thru it if its goign to have a hope in hell of doing anything. The fact that i sit in my car park for 2-3 mins, starting the car, opening and closing garage doors, strappign myself back into my silly seat and harness, then for thre first 3-4 mins driving down my street im in heavy traffic, i cant fathim that the oil cooler is doing anything????