Oil cooler pipes!

[djmcfish]

Ive been wanting to fit an oil cooler for a while. They look fairly simple, like a radiator for oil and Ive found smallish ones quite cheap. Im stumped as to how they fit though because where does the oil come out of the engine and back in like the water?!? Or have I just got the complety wrong princible of how they work?

Any ideas or has anyone who will be at the RR on sat done one?

Cheers,

 

[Barryd]

The way they usually fit on is in between the engine and oil filter, with two lines comming off. Like a mounting plate that screws into the oil filter position, and the oil filter screws ontop of that.

Does that make sence!?

 

[Rob.S]

So are they easy to fit if your changing the oil & filter anyway?

 

[djmcfish]

Perfect sense,

So they are just like a radiator,

Cheers

 

[Nick Read]

If you consider changing the oil filter on a 16v as an easy job, then yes, fitting an oil cooler will only be a bit harder than that. The main problem will be finding somewhere to mount it. Apparently if you mount it to the subframe or chassis etc, it will hum through the car and gets really annoying.

So you have to mount it in the bumper instead. Tony S is doing an oil cooler soon.

 

[N.D.Hill]

You may already have an oil to water intercooler on your 16v (fitted between the filter and engine block) not all of the 16v engines have one fitted if not you will need what is called an oil cooler sandwich plate. This bolts between your oil filter and engine block and has two unions on it for the oil pipes,you can bolt the cooler to your subframe but i would suggest that you rubber mount it fit it in front of your water rad as low as you can the you only need the right length pipework and connect it up. Dont forget to put a bit of extra oil in your engine as well .

 

[Nick Read]

Glad youre back on again Nick, Ive been thinking of the oil cooler idea for a while now and was wondering if putting a big oil cooler in front of the rad would make a significant difference to the efficiency of the rad and temp of the coolant?

The other thing is I like the idea of having a built-in oilstat in the sandwich plate so it opens the cooler circuit once it hits 100. But will there be any problem with this? I can imagine youd have the cooler circuit full of oil separate from the normal oil circuit through the engine. While the stat is closed, the oil sitting in the cooler is getting very cold, while the oil in the engine is at 100. As soon as the oilstat opens the engine suddenly gets a shot of cold thick oil. Is that gonna be a problem?