Engine Oil Coolers

[StnePny]

Are you running an Engine Oil Cooler ? If you are what brand and what size are you running. Where do you have it located ?

Thanks,
Charles

 

[Broncobowsher]

I ran one for a little while. It was off a Merkur Xr4ti. Factory Ford oil to water cooler with ~90° adaptor. Plumbed into heater lines (interestingly since I wanted to keep flow even when the heater was off). Later took it off as I was not stressing the engine enough to justify the extra parts and hoses.

If you are looking at an oil to air cooler I highly recomend finding an adaptor that has a thermostat in it. I don't like my oil running too cold. A trip to the mountains can result in over cooled oil.

 

[ilovemaui]

I run one and like it. I only use synthetic oil and change it every 2000 to 3000 miles. Sometimes I change it just for something to do, so it never gets old.

 

[bknbronco]

Whats the point of a oil cooler? As long as the engine temp stays the same would the oil get hotter? And at what temp does oil no continue to lubercate?

 

[Viperwolf1]

I'm running the explorer oil cooler.

 

[Broncobowsher]

Whats the point of a oil cooler? As long as the engine temp stays the same would the oil get hotter? And at what temp does oil no continue to lubercate?

I had a loaner car once, chrysler 300 with the hemi when they first came out. The thing had an oil temp gauge. I cooked that oil on a flat road doing about 60 MPH with now load at all. Just kept the engine a hair under redline. After 10 miles or so the temp gauge was climbing past the 280 mark. Amazing what RPM alone will do to engine oil temps. Drive normal and it just about follows water temp.

 

[Apogee]

Whats the point of a oil cooler? As long as the engine temp stays the same would the oil get hotter? And at what temp does oil no continue to lubercate?

Oil can be responsible for over half of your engines cooling load, depending on the engine and use, so an oil cooler can be necessary and invaluable in certain applications in order to maintain reasonable operating temperatures and extend oil life.

Most oils though begin to break down almost immediately with use and exposure to heat, although certainly the quality and type of basestock and additives make a difference. At elevated temperatures, this process generally ocurrs exponentially faster. Oil will continue to lubricate so long as there is oil available, however it may not lubricate as well as it needs to which is what can cause rapid wear and/or failure.

Just because your coolant temperature may be 210 degrees F, that doesn't mean there aren't places within your cooling system that are substantially hotter, and the same goes for your oil. Even if your engine oil temp gauge never goes over 240, that certainly doesn't mean that the oil isn't getting hotter in places since the gauge is measuring the average oil temperature in the system at one point. I've been to a few track days where guys were getting oil temps in excess of 284F (140C) and their oil was done after a day of track use, about 150 miles. A few guys with oil coolers on otherwise similar cars were running about 40-50F cooler.

 

[Broncobowsher]

Oil doing half the engines cooling? That sounds like an air cooled VW rating. For water cooled gasoline engines I hear around 10% is more accurate, more at higher RPMs. The old analogy taught in schools is 30% of the energy out the crank, 30% out the exhaust, 30% out the radiator, 10% other

 

[KyleQ]

I got a cooler on the van 351w that uses the heater hoses for cooling - I'll think about installing it when I change the oil. On a fresh engine it is just insurance- espically on a trail rig that I beat on...

 

[73azbronco]

OK, I raced BMW's using oil coolers, yes they help a race engine, ford 302/351? Not so much as noted above, unless you race them. Lots of extra plumbing and such to get no return on investment on a daily driver or even rock crawler. As has been said, RPM is what heats oil, not idling over rocks. Now, I do run an oil temp guage just to make sure your not getting over 275ish degree's.

 

[Viperwolf1]

OK, I raced BMW's using oil coolers, yes they help a race engine, ford 302/351? Not so much as noted above, unless you race them. Lots of extra plumbing and such to get no return on investment on a daily driver or even rock crawler. As has been said, RPM is what heats oil, not idling over rocks. Now, I do run an oil temp guage just to make sure your not getting over 275ish degree's.

My typical highway cruise rpm is over 3,000. And it has seen over 5,000 rpm on some snow runs.

 

[Timmy390]

My typical highway cruise rpm is over 3,000. And it has seen over 5,000 rpm on some snow runs.

RPM and the damages of all depend on what motor you have and how it was built. Some like RPM's (302) and some don't (390FE). All aobut building for what you plan to do and then staying inside those parameters.

Oil coolers are cool (had one on my old Baja VW back in the 80's) but as stated above, ROI is low unless you race. It's a good thing to run an oil temp guage just as another indicator of something going bad wrong inside. More than likely the damage is already done but maybe it will save that rod from getting fresh air if you know what I mean.

Remember, it's the hanging RPM's that get you. Kills both oil and valve train. Quick buzz now and then is ok.

Tim

 

[Viperwolf1]

ROI is low unless you race.

$10 at pick & pull doesn't take long to return.

 

[Ranchtruck]

Explorers had oil coolers because the engine was packed in so tight there wasn't much air flow around the oil pan. The trucks had them because they assumed the engine would be used for towing.

With a bronco you have a fair bit of airflow and not much towing. So not running a cooler is probably ok for 90% of the bronco's out there.

Deep snow is a good reason for an oil cooler. I have done bad things to engines in deep snow. It's extended high load, high rpm running, just like towing up a long hill.

 

[73azbronco]

Best defence, oil temp guage.

 

[KyleQ]

Best defence, oil temp guage.

Good idea, might be a nice idea to run a short run of pipe from the block to a T - run a pressure sensor on one and a temp on the other.

 

[Timmy390]

$10 at pick & pull doesn't take long to return.

You got me there. Those things must be common on cars/truck now. Back in the day they were aftermarket and rather big much the same as the old trans coolers. No way my yard would sell the complete setup for $10. Those guys are hard to deal with at times. They cut me some slack as I'm there off and on (they always remember the bronco) but for the most part, they hit hard.

Deep snow is a good reason for an oil cooler. I have done bad things to engines in deep snow. It's extended high load, high rpm running, just like towing up a long hill.

I'm in AR so don't know what deep snow is.....how does it cause oil temp problems? I don't see the forest for the trees....Air is cold, snow is cold thus oil is hot? You talking about plowing snow? I've drove in 10 inches of snow and the air temps around 23ish and my rig stayed so cold the heater wouldn't work. Wife was cold and let me know it every 10 minutes or so....LOL

Not being a jerk, trying to learn.......

Tim

 

[KyleQ]

I'm in AR so don't know what deep snow is.....how does it cause oil temp problems? I don't see the forest for the trees....Air is cold, snow is cold thus oil is hot? You talking about plowing snow? I've drove in 10 inches of snow and the air temps around 23ish and my rig stayed so cold the heater wouldn't work. Wife was cold and let me know it every 10 minutes or so....LOL

Not being a jerk, trying to learn.......

Tim

You have no idea man, I've overheated my Bronco MORE in the winter than I have in the summer. It doens't matter how cold it can get, holding the motor WOT to get up every hill sure takes its toll on your cooling system. I'm not talking about driving around, I'm talking about snow bashing.

 

[Ranchtruck]

I'm in AR so don't know what deep snow is.....how does it cause oil temp problems? I don't see the forest for the trees....Air is cold, snow is cold thus oil is hot? You talking about plowing snow?

Yeah, plowing it with the axles, bumper and frame. It will pack up in front of the grille and restrict airflow, it will pack around the engine so air can't get out and a lot of the time you have to have the engine screaming because if you loose momentum on a climb, you're stuck. I got trapped in a valley once with this really slippery wet mush snow with a dense pack layer on top. Each run I took from the bottom I'd break tracks 6' higher up, then have to back all the way down again. The climb I was inching my way up was a 1/3 mile long and it was below grade with erosion ditches on each side. I got the motor so hot it buried the gauge and was down to 1/2 power. I'd take a break and pack snow on the intake and let it melt down through till it got out of the red zone and go back to hammering at the hill. It was dark, it was snowing, and I was not staying overnight down there. Deep wet snow is some of the hardest stuff to run through.