engine gurus........

im thinkin if a earls oil cooler would work as well as a jdm sti oil cooler. earls is way cheaper than jdm.




insight please!!!

 

post it up (picture or a place for the info)

they do have a replica type on ebay that should work just as good (provided the core that cools the oil is ok) and subydude.com has a good one for a reasonable price

oil coolers are great since they prolong the life of your oil. remember though make sure the oil lines are clear of moving parts and road debres...etc.

also remember that since you'll have an oil cooler ou want to make sur that the line are as SHORT as possible and to add just a little bit more oil in your engine to compensate for the difference when it's going through the cooler.

it doesn't work if there is no moving air going to it so you'll have to find a good place that it can get air to it constantly when you're moving. it doesn't cool when you're sitting at a stop light...etc. but it does help disapate some of the heat that the engine collects. you'll also want a very good oil pressure gauge and possible a oil temp gauge for your oil.

most oil cooler systems come with a sandwich adapter or oil filter relocator. make sure that everything is tight fit before finallizing eveything.

Just some things to think about. This also has to do with transmission oil coolers. some JDM tranny's (RA) came with oil cooler lines for the transmission that route into to the radiator like an automatic car does.


Jon

 

http://subydude.com/osc/product_info...e5c1c2effb010a



this one is on ebay right now... not the one I'm talking about but similar: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...spagename=WDVW would think twice about this one though or research/ask questions before buying.

Subydudes one is good and Nate (Keirnna) had one when he we still here)

Jon

 

^^^thanks jon...


more insight will be much appreciated! got small kine projects in mind. ill keep y'all posted.





brandon

 

mod I'd like to do, but I'm a bit particular. I'd want my cooler in the front grille or in a location where air is abundant. I also don't want lines running over the engine if possible. I've seen a kit on NASIOC that looks good. Just waiting on good reviews.

San

 

If done right, an oil cooler is an excellent investment and not something that can be done inexpensively. Not only will it make your oil last longer (if you're using good synthetic, this is probably only marginally true), but more importantly it will make your engine last longer. I have a setup on the Mustang that seems to be working out pretty well (now that I've done a couple limited Super Lap days and have some actual performance data). I'm using a Mocal sandwich adaptor with a built-in 180deg T-stat, 8AN braided lines and fittings (can't remember if the stuff is all Aeroquip or Earl's), and a Mocal stacked plate cooler (much more efficient than a similar sized fin-and-tube cooler). I got the Mocal stuff through http://www.batinc.net/main.htm and the braided lines and fittings from Summit.


Note that I modified the lower bumper opening a bit to allow slightly more air to get to the cooler.

The link that Jon posted for the one on Ebay from B-Line Motorsport (whoever they are) actually looks like a pretty good kit. I'd want to know who the parts came from (who makes the billet sandwich adaptor, who makes the cooler itself, who makes the braided lines and fittings) before I spent $400, though. I also completely disagree with their statement that a thermostat isn't needed - you want the oil to warm up to normal operating temperature (NOT, as we say in the nuclear Navy) as quickly as possible, as that's when the engine is "happy". Having an extra cooler in there that is dissipating heat while the oil is trying to heat up to NOT is definitely counter-productive. All the oil T-stats I've seen are always slightly open (about 10%) so that some flow goes through to cooler to heat all the oil up evenly - otherwise, when the T-stat popped open at 180deg you'd throw a slug of "cold" oil into the engine, which would be bad.

I think the Subydude kit looks sub-par. The cooler is a poor, relatively inefficient design, again I don't think it has a thermostat , it looks like it's designed for rubber hoses, etc. If the car is ever going to be on track, go with braided lines, which are obviously much more resistant to damage that might cause you to (unknowingly) leave a "present" on the track for the guy following you.

Proper location of the cooler is always going to be difficult. The one thing the Subydude kit has going for it is that it appears to use a longer, thinner cooler, so it's more "visible" to the grille opening. The B-Line kit leaves about 1/2 the cooler blocked by the bumper, so airflow certainly won't be optimal. I think the lower bumper opening is a better option, but then again I've never really looked closely at a WRX or STi front bumper so maybe there's something in the way.

Last but not least, as Jon said, you want to add more oil to the system to account for the extra volume. If you look at http://www.batinc.net/coolers.htm you'll see they give the fluid capacity of each size cooler. Somewhere (probably the manufacturer's website, but I don't remember) I found a way to calculate the volume of a given length of 8AN line. On the Mustang the oil cooler capacity and volume of the braided lines added up to almost exactly 1qt extra.

Pat Olsen
'97 Legacy 2.5GT sedan

 

^^^^thanks cuz.........




brandon

 

I have the coolTek cooler that is sold on Suby Dude. If I have time I'll post a review tomorrow. The thing is a POS. No matter what I try it leaks oil like a siv. I am going to basically give it to GPatmac as soon as I can pull it off of the STi. I'm going all out for my next oil cooler. SS lines for sure.

 

I sent a "message to the seller" for that B-Line cooler kit on Ebay. The cooler itself is made by Setrab, which is a really good company - as good as, if not better than Mocal. Setrab stuff is used quite a bit in the motorsports world. They actually offer 2 kits, 1 for TMIC cars, and 1 for FMIC cars. The one for FMIC cars uses a smaller cooler - 7.5 x 8.25", while the one for TMIC cars uses a 7.5 x 13" cooler (that's the one that's listed on Ebay). I've emailed him back with a couple more questions, I'll let you know what else I find out.

Pat

 

what I do recommend is spend the money on a good quality oil cooler and do some research on them. they do make different designs for different reasons. also you don't want the cooler to be to big or to small since it will hinder performance an not do what it's supposed to do cool and preserve the oil.


Jon

 

Corky Bell talks about how if not needed an oil cooler can actually keep you oil from heating to is best protecting tempurature. That's why a lot of people run thermostats in conjunction with their oil coolers. Jon knows how bad mine is and how bad it leaks. I just wish I had before and after data. I need an oil temp guage. I should have logged with my DD before and after, but then I would have needed to make the oil cooler the only upgrade.

 

Got some more info from the B-Line guys. The sandwich adaptor does not have an auxiliary port to install an oil temp sending unit. Not a huge deal, some do, some don't. The Kevlar-braided lines are said to be 65% lighter than comparable steel-braided lines, and protect just as well. They are -8AN lines. It really does sound like a pretty nice setup.

Pat

 

again..........



THANK YOU!!!





brandon

 

What do you guys think of this kit? http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=784554

 

Nothing against Corky, but his book was written long time ago. Lots have changed since then. Oils are better, cooler cores are better and much much more. Corky's findings should more be like a guidelines rather than rules.