Fitting an oil cooler

[neilp9876]

How hard is it to fit an oil cooler? Probably the Setrab ones sold by Whifbitz.

 

I guess it goes on the passenger side in a similar position to the SMIC, to fit it does the bumper have to come off or do i need to fabricate fittings for it?

 

Would it be worth fitting the gearbox cooler at the same time? If so where does that go and whats involved?

 

Edit : Its a 93 JSpec TT BPU which is overheating when used on the track.

[mwilkinson]

Oil coolers are quite easy to fit. I would remove the front bumper or remove the front wheels and arch liners as you can then match the cooler to the bumper openings. I think you will find most oil coolers go on the drivers side and you will nee to order additional hose for the other side.

 

For track I would install an uprated engine oil cooler and PAS cooler. Not sure you would need an additional cooler for the auto box. If manual definately not.

 

With regards to the mounts these will probably have to be custom depending on where you are going to fit them.

 

On a side note have you replace upgraded your rad? If it's the factory original I would

Look to swap this for a new one.

Edited May 13, 2011 by mwilkinson (see edit history)

[garethr]

The Think Automotive (Mocal) catalogue has this to say about oil cooler placement

 

Installing an oil cooler

In the case of the air to oil cooler, the oil cooler will only achieve results where a volume of air is passing through the fins. The amount of heat dissipated by radiation is negligible. In practice the most convenient position for the oil cooler is in front of the water radiator where a flow of air is guaranteed. Even in cases where the water cooling is marginal, placing the cooler in this position will have hardly any effect on water temperature. The sheer volume of air passing through the cooler ensures that the air is only heated a few degrees; not enough to affect the water radiator performance, and as the oil cooler is a more efficient device for extracting heat from the engine, the overall effect is helpful. However, where water cooling is marginal it is essential that the oil cooler be placed against the water radiator face, otherwise warmer air leaving the oil cooler will become turbulent on meeting air at ambient temperatures and will not pass through the water radiator. If the placing of cooler and water radiator in close proximity is not possible then a duct of thin aluminium should be made to exclude the ambient air. If space is not available in front of the water radiator due to an electrical fan for instance, the cooler may be mounted behind the radiator and will still work well for the reasons already given.

 

 

As far as the transmission cooler is concerned, I found this in a Toyota technical training document (http://www.autoshop101.com/forms/AT06.pdf):

 

As a rule of thumb, transmission fluid should last 100,000 miles if the operating temperature remains no higher than 175°F (80°C). For every 20 degrees of temperature increase, the projected service life of the fluid is cut in half. For example, if operating temperature is allowed to remain at 195°F (90°C), the service life of the fluid would be 50,000 miles.

 

 

and this on a Honda forum:

 

I even went so far as to ask Road and Track that very question and they posted a response in their Jan (2006) edition (technical correspondence) that I have included below.

 

Q:

What is the optimal temperature for automatic transmission fluid? I have seen recommendations that range from "the cooler the better" to "it should be in the range of 160-180 degrees Fahrenheit (71-82 C)". I have installed an additional ATF cooler on my 2004 Honda Odyssey to allow me the capability to tow reasonable loads. To prevent over cooling and ensure fast warm-ups, I then added a remote oil thermostat that will bypass the additional cooler if the fluid temp is below 180 (82 C).

I still run the ATF through the factory cooler in the radiator first. So, was this the way to go or should I skip the thermostat and allow the transmission fluid to be as cool as possible?

 

A:

We found it difficult to find an authority who would state an absolute figure regarding the ideal ATF temperature, but considering many hard-working automatic transmissions see fluid temps up to the 240-degree (115 C) range, 180 degrees F (82 C) is a marked improvement. Mineral oils degrade with high heat; 250 F (121 C) is death for most and 235 F (112) is hard on them, so that should give an idea of what to avoid as an upper limit.

On the other hand, some temperature is needed to provide the proper flow characteristics. We'd say 160 F (71 C) sounds a bit cool, 180 F (82 C) sounds nearly ideal and 215 F (102 C) while towing in the summer would not make us worry.

Given your winter conditions in Toronto, a rapid warm-up is desirable, and thus the thermostat provides a genuine benefit, and removing the thermostat would not materially lower the ATF's temperature when it counted - summertime towing - as the water-to-oil cooler in the radiator will determine the system's lowest operating temperature and the oil-to-air cooler will determine the upper limit.

In fact, the way you've configured your system appears ideal, and is identical to endurance engine oil cooling systems in road racers and heavy equipment. We would make no changes.

 

 

 

.

[neilp9876]

Thats a bigger reply than I expected. thanks:thumbs:

 

I was thinking about putting it on the passenger side since I figured if the SMIC is ok on the drivers side then the oil cooler would be ok on the oppsite side.

 

I mentioned the auto transmission cooler as I could replace the water radiator in the future but probably not, I may get a second for the power steering instead.

 

Do the sandwich plates normally include fixing for oil temp and pressure as well a the take off for the cooler in one, or do I need to do something clever to fit the sensors?