[s-cars] Oil Cooler Pics posted...

[Theodore Chen]

--- Paul Friedenberg <paulunm at msn.com> wrote:
> Darin, Thanks for posting, you are a great asset to us website retards.
>
> Guys,
>
> The oil cooler is a unit that was supposed to be used with a liquid to air
> intercooler system for a mustang (can't remember the brand, procharger
> maybe?) it was meant for water, but works better for oil. It is similar to a
> motorcycle radiator. I had rubber lines fabricated to bolt up to the motor,
> and they are hose clamped at the cooler. I am having some oil seepage, but I
> think that's an easy fix. The cooler itself is mounted to the frame rail
> with some hand made aluminum brackets. My oil stayed fairly cool before, I
> once saw 130 on a 95 ish day, up a steep grade at sustained 100mph+. Now the
> oil never goes above the first tic mark, even at high speeds in 90-100
> degree weather.

paul,

i'm not quite sure what you're saying, but this thing looks like an oil
cooler to me.  they probably took it and used it for water.  i definitely
wouldn't want to take a heat exchanger designed for water and use it in
an oiling system without doing some checking first.

the viscosities of oil and water are different.  i don't know if you
can take a heat exchanger meant for water and use it for oil.  it
depends on the particular heat exchanger.  another issue is whether
the heat exchanger is designed to withstand the higher pressures seen
in an oiling system.  the cooling system doesn't see much more than
16-24 psi.  the oiling system, on the other hand, sees 30 psi (2 bar)
at idle when warm and 90 psi (6 bar) above idle.  i'm sure the pressure
spikes higher than that when you start the engine.  radiators aren't
built to withstand those kinds of pressures.  even if it holds together
the first few times, that's no guarantee that it won't blow up the 100th
time you start the engine.

i'd also be concerned about the rubber lines and hose clamps.  oil is
the lifeblood of your engine, and rubber hoses have been known to blow
up with pressure spikes.  i'd much rather use braided stainless steel
hose with screw-in fittings, such as AN fittings or NPT fittings.

and if you blow it up at speed, you could wind up oiling your tires
and stuffing the car into a wall.

so what temperatures are you seeing for the oil?  oil should be around
220-240 degrees F.  if you're not going above the first tick mark,
which is 60 degrees C or 140 degrees F, the oil isn't hot enough.
i would install a thermostat if that's the case.

-teddy


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