Oil coolers - need some ideas!

MikeWhitney · **Joined:** Wed Aug 20, 2003 9:15 pm **Posts:** 4724

We were experiencing crazy high oil temps on the chump/lemons integra at CMP this weekend -- hitting 300F+ during a hard session (in 98 degree heat). For a long race, we've got to do an oil cooler.

Anyone have suggestions for junkyard what cars out there might be a good donor? The bigger the better up to a point.

Any suggestions (or thoughts on why the heck we're seeing so much oil temp) would be great!

JamesShort · **Posted:** Mon Jun 20, 2011 1:12 pm

I know that the GD chassis WRX have oil coolers and they have the same threading and gasket diameter of Hondas. And RSX-S and 8th generation Civic SIs have coolers too which will probably spin right on the d/b series.

TomFreeman · **Posted:** Mon Jun 20, 2011 1:41 pm

Volvo 740/760/940 turbos have pretty meaty oil coolers from the factory. They're a little old, but I'd think you could find one in a pick and pull.

jeremy gast · **Posted:** Mon Jun 20, 2011 2:04 pm

Tom do you hav any idea on what year? I prob have something here for Mike then.

TomFreeman · **Posted:** Mon Jun 20, 2011 2:15 pm

jeremy gast wrote:

Tom do you hav any idea on what year? I prob have something here for Mike then.

There should be a BIG range of years on those. I think the first 740 turbos came out in 85, and I think the 940 turbo was made until 92-93. That motor changed VERY little in that span of years.

DickRasmussen · **Posted:** Mon Jun 20, 2011 2:59 pm

On the unlikely chance that you don't know this already :lol:

keep in mind that oil coolers are extremely difficult to get really clean after an engine failure and can easily cause another engine failure. :cry:

Ryan Holton · **Posted:** Mon Jun 20, 2011 7:18 pm

2nd Gen RX-7's have a nice oil cooler and are generally cheap to pick up used.

Its kinda weird you guys are having such high temps. We were worried about ours but have never seen anything close to 300* AFAIK

Jason Tower · **Joined:** Wed Jun 11, 2008 3:31 pm **Posts:** 1173

Ryan Holton wrote:

2nd Gen RX-7's have a nice oil cooler and are generally cheap to pick up used.

Its kinda weird you guys are having such high temps. We were worried about ours but have never seen anything close to 300* AFAIK

does yours have a oil-water cooler? many cars do, usually at the oil filter housing. the d16 integra had one but the b18 does not.

Ryan Holton · **Posted:** Mon Jun 20, 2011 7:38 pm

Jason Tower wrote:

Ryan Holton wrote:

2nd Gen RX-7's have a nice oil cooler and are generally cheap to pick up used.

Its kinda weird you guys are having such high temps. We were worried about ours but have never seen anything close to 300* AFAIK

does yours have a oil-water cooler? many cars do, usually at the oil filter housing. the d16 integra had one but the b18 does not.

Yeah I think ours does but I always was told it more of an "oil heater" than cooler.

Jason Tower · **Joined:** Wed Jun 11, 2008 3:31 pm **Posts:** 1173

Ryan Holton wrote:

Jason Tower wrote:

Ryan Holton wrote:

2nd Gen RX-7's have a nice oil cooler and are generally cheap to pick up used.

Its kinda weird you guys are having such high temps. We were worried about ours but have never seen anything close to 300* AFAIK

does yours have a oil-water cooler? many cars do, usually at the oil filter housing. the d16 integra had one but the b18 does not.

Yeah I think ours does but I always was told it more of an "oil heater" than cooler.

it's both, coolant heats up faster than oil in cold weather, and is lower temp than oil in most other conditions. provided your cooling system has enough capacity to handle additional energy it's a cheap, reliable, and easy way to reduce oil temp.

Sean O'Connell · **Posted:** Mon Jun 20, 2011 9:24 pm

if you could make an auto trans cooler work i have two from e36's laying around that you can have for $00 if you want to try. they are not as thick as other coolers i have seen but it is roughly 1/3 the size of an e36 radiator.

JohnByers · **Posted:** Mon Jun 20, 2011 10:10 pm

I'm leaving Friday to head up that way for the Danville autoX after a short stop to see my parents, would be glad Mike to bring them by your place on Sat on my way thru the area

Dustin Fredrickson · **Posted:** Tue Jun 21, 2011 10:34 am

Sean O'Connell wrote:

if you could make an auto trans cooler work i have two from e36's laying around that you can have for $00 if you want to try. they are not as thick as other coolers i have seen but it is roughly 1/3 the size of an e36 radiator.

Sean, do you have any idea for what the ID of the pipes/fittings are for those? In the little I've been reading, the issue with using trans coolers is in the flow rate of generally smaller piping... especially since we're already seeing fairly high pressures and ALL oil is diverted through the cooler.

Single point of failure FTW!

Sean O'Connell · **Posted:** Tue Jun 21, 2011 6:04 pm

They look like they are 10 to 13mm diameter, ill try to find some callers and get an exact measurement as well as some pics

jeremy gast · **Posted:** Wed Jun 22, 2011 12:47 pm

sorry mike i keep for getting to look under the house. None of my Volvo's have the coolers. What about a truck?? let me go look for some of those

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Oil coolers - need some ideas!

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