Engine oil cooler adapter for spin-on filter

[mole42]

Okay, I'm finally getting around to fitting the engine oil cooler and realised that it's quite tight getting the pipework out from the oil filter housing. The exhaust, steering and chassis rail are all in the way. I have to modify the spin-on filter adapter for the flow and return hoses, but has anyone already fitted an oil cooler? Do you have any photographs?

Richard

[flying farmer]

I fitted one that takes off the supply and return for the cooler from the oil transfer housing, IIRC it was a Rimmers kit.

On the Stag engine in my TR I am using the spin on filter adaptor which has a built in thermostat, but with my bunch of bananas exhaust manifold on my Stag I have enough of a job threading the oil filter in and there was no chance of using the filter adaptor type
Neil

[Hughesy]

Yes I have! I have a sandwich take off with a thermostat. This fits between the spinoff adapter and the filter. I use a high spec (Temp & pressure) hydraulic flexible pipe. I run over the top of the steering rack and then through a gap adjacent to the radiator. The Heat exchanger is in the lower valance area. The flexible piping has additional anti-chaffing protection where the pipe is resting/rubbing over the steering rack and through the radiator area. Hope this helps. Craig



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[mole42]

Thanks Neil & Craig! The parts I have include a take-off sandwich plate for the filter, but I think the oil transfer housing take-off is going to be easier to route so I may persue that option.

Craig - where did your hose come from? The hose I bought is SAE100R6-8 430PSI and the outside diameter is much larger than yours. No chance it would fit that gap beside the water radiator!
Is your thermostat in the sandwich plate? Mine's a separate unit.

Richard

[Hughesy]

Richard, I Purchased mine from a company here called Pirtek. They specialise in hydraulics. Pipe size is 1/2" I.D..

https://www.pirtek.com.au/-/media/fe...nkedcolour.pdf

I believe the hose I purchased is on page 11 of the above listings. LPHT Hose.

The cooler I have is a "Hayden Swirl Cool #1040 Full Flow Engine Oil Cooler Kit" which includes the sandwich take off which has a bimetallic strip as the thermostat control. You will find this kit in their brochure (pg.7) attached or just do a Google search as I see you can buy them on Amazon for instance. Note I have upgraded the suppled piping in the kit. The thermostat opens at an oil temperature around 80C. I know when it opens as I see a few PSI drop on my oil pressure gauge.

https://www.haydenauto.com/media/547...dual-pages.pdf

https://www.amazon.com/Hayden-Automo.../dp/B000C3DD04

Craig

[Bakdraft007]

The thermostat opens at an oil temperature around 80C.

Craig

I am no expert, but isn't engine oil meant to run around 110 degrees in order to boil off any condensation within the engine?

[mole42]

I am no expert, but isn't engine oil meant to run around 110 degrees in order to boil off any condensation within the engine?

Most cars seem to run between 80° and 100° Oil temperature. Most engine oil these days will stand 120° but starts oxidising which isn’t good. An oil thermostat which starts to open at 80° will not be fully open until possibly 90° so it sounds about right.

[barkerwilliams]

My cooler tale.
I have an oil cooler on a TR6. After a couple of years the oil cooler hose pulled the connector away from the body of the cooler radiator leading a rapid loss of oil.
The cause was the weight of the hoses to the radiator being unsupported and presumably vibrating in use and fatigue got the better of the cooler radiator.
It had been installed correctly following the instructions.

It was very easy subsequently to use a couple of rubber lined P clips to support the hoses near the oil radiator to take the weight of the hoses and probably kill some vibration.

Just saying,

Alan

[Hughesy]

Allan, yes you do need to properly support the hoses and also maintain minimum bend radii.

With low temperatures in the UK unless you were regularly towing I wouldn't think you would need an engine oil cooler. I run my Stag in 40C heat regularly and know my oil temperature exceeds 120C on occasions. It is concerning sitting in traffic watching idle oil pressure peel off with heat! It is also why I run full synthetic 20w-60 oil as full synthetic oil maintain viscosity performance much longer than mineral oils. Mineral oils max out at around 120C whereas full synthetic will provide protection up to around 140C.

Craig

[mole42]

With low temperatures in the UK unless you were regularly towing I wouldn't think you would need an engine oil cooler.

Mine gets used for competition work where the engine gets worked quite hard...

[Hughesy]

Mine gets used for competition work where the engine gets worked quite hard...

That makes sense. What oil are you using?

Craig

[mole42]

I've been using Valvoline VR-1 for about five years, it seems to do the job. The engine was built by Tony Hart's team and seems to be still pretty good even though I'm not gentle with it.

Richard

[Hughesy]

Is that the mineral or synthetic version?

[mole42]

It's the mineral version. Here's the UK data sheet:

https://sharena21.springcm.com/Public/Document/18452/150460e1-d3db-e811-9c1b-ac162d889bd1/37000c55-e7f4-e811-9c1b-ac162d889bd1

[flying farmer]

Mine gets used for competition work where the engine gets worked quite hard...

That is why I fitted a cooler to my TR, and my 246bhp Stag. Track days do horrible things to oil pressure and seeing the light on at idle when it normally has 30psi is incentive to fit a cooler
Neil