Thread: engine oil cooler

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Again remember I've been out of the automotive engine rebuilding since the late 60"s. Working on a car with my son. This car has an engine oil cooler. It this a good, bad or just a waste for a street car? Never had any experience with them.

Originally posted by Deluga
Again remember I've been out of the automotive engine rebuilding since the late 60"s. Working on a car with my son. This car has an engine oil cooler. It this a good, bad or just a waste for a street car? Never had any experience with them.

waste for a st. car.

Hi Deluga;

I will differ with LT1S10.

I say, if ever a vehicle needed an engine oil cooler, or an automatic transmission cooler, or for that matter, even an engine cooling system, it is a street car.

A race car can do without all the above. Why? Cause it only accelerates for a few seconds. Whereas a street car sits at long lights, drives through slow traffic, climbs hills, etc.

I installed an engine oil cooler last year. It makes a big difference on my oil pressure. I am running my engine oil through a cooler in my rad. If you are going to install an oil cooler of any kind, the most effective ones are liquid to liquid coolers.

By the way, you might want to consider using an oil filter which has the anti drain valve.

Yea, its a cooler where the oil is cooled via radiator with an in line oil filter. I'm not sure if it has an anti drain valve.

The anti drain valve is within the new type of oil filters. Instead of a Fram PH13 for sbc, you now would use a PH5.

I believe this filter to be rather key when using a remote filter or external cooler due to the fact that a lot of oil could bleed back into the pan thereby causing an even longer dry start-up. This is why these filters were invented, to circumvent dry start-ups. Also to stop any debris to flow back into the pan once it has found it's way into the filter.

It's important if you have under piston oil squirters that cool the pistons.

Originally posted by TyphoonZR
Hi Deluga;

I will differ with LT1S10.

I say, if ever a vehicle needed an engine oil cooler, or an automatic transmission cooler, or for that matter, even an engine cooling system, it is a street car.

A race car can do without all the above. Why? Cause it only accelerates for a few seconds. Whereas a street car sits at long lights, drives through slow traffic, climbs hills, etc.

I installed an engine oil cooler last year. It makes a big difference on my oil pressure. I am running my engine oil through a cooler in my rad. If you are going to install an oil cooler of any kind, the most effective ones are liquid to liquid coolers.

By the way, you might want to consider using an oil filter which has the anti drain valve.

A race car can do without an engine oil cooler or a tranny cooler.Are you kidding me?Try running lap after lap at 7,500 or more r.p.m.'s. in 90+ degree temp. anywhere in the midwest.

i'm sticking to my story, for the st. you don't need it.

Originally posted by erik erikson
Are you kidding me?Try running lap after lap at 7,500 or more r.p.m.'s. in 90+ degree temp. anywhere in the midwest.

I guess I should have bothered writing down each and every situation in which one would have to have coolers. Obviously, if one is to run lap after lap etc, one would not only want coolers, but one would also want electric fans and electric water pumps to assist in cooling down the engine between runs. Don't you think Erik? But then, I suppose even that should have a quailifier for some, because some race engines get thorn down between races, damn it's tough to be thorough. Correct me if I'm wrong, but dragsters do not have engine oil coolers, or even engine coolant and rads, yes?

Be that as it may, I merely said that a few second burn down the track without an oil cooler is not as critical as one driven down the streets through all sorts of traffic and whether, which might have an effect on longivity, don't you think?

I think what the question really is begging for, Erik, is an answer as to whether to bother having coolers on a street driven engine. What say ye?

And here too we could go on about a sbc 350 engine producing only 165 h.p. verse one producing 500 h.p.

Originally posted by TyphoonZR
I guess I should have bothered writing down each and every situation in which one would have to have coolers. Obviously, if one is to run lap after lap etc, one would not only want coolers, but one would also want electric fans and electric water pumps to assist in cooling down the engine between runs. Don't you think Erik? But then, I suppose even that should have a quailifier for some, because some race engines get thorn down between races, damn it's tough to be thorough. Correct me if I'm wrong, but dragsters do not have engine oil coolers, or even engine coolant and rads, yes?

Be that as it may, I merely said that a few second burn down the track without an oil cooler is not as critical as one driven down the streets through all sorts of traffic and whether, which might have an effect on longivity, don't you think?

I think what the question really is begging for, Erik, is an answer as to whether to bother having coolers on a street driven engine. What say ye?

And here too we could go on about a sbc 350 engine producing only 165 h.p. verse one producing 500 h.p.

It really depends on what class of drag racing your in.A lot of dragsters on (gas) use not only a rad. and a fan.A lot of dragsters that run a power glide use a frame mounted or remote mounted tranny cooler.Some dragsters on (alcohol) may only use coolant in the block it's self.Some (door slamer) cars will use an oil cooler with a fan because they may sit in staging for awhile before they run.

I agree with lt1s10!

Settled, I agree with lt1s10 as well. Forget oil coolers, I have no idea why some vehicle manufacturers even bother. Stupid engineers. Haha.

Guys, almost every issue in the world has pre-qualifiers. If an engine has adequate cooling, then why bother? There have got to be millions of cars out there that do not need oil coolers. But this is a hot rod site.

So how does one know? GM (just to mention one) has factory engine oil coolers in both some of their cars as well as in some trucks. And this in vehicles which might only have 200 hp.

In a lot of cases, engine oil gets cooled via coming into contact with metal which is being cooled by the coolant system, as in water jackets. Some oil gets cooled simply because it has a remote external oil filter and lines running to and from this location assist the cooling process. Others need a cooler either in the rad or an external one.

Some cooling can also take place via an aluminum oil pan and or cast in ribs aiding with the cooling. I have even seen aluminum fins which can be attached to the oil filters to support with cooling.

I think one of the best cooling solutions has got to be the aluminum block as well as the rad.

But to blanket sweep all street vehicles in a category which supposedly do not need oil coolers.....Hello!

Let’s just say this, that if you can shave a few degrees off of the temperature of tranny oil, engine oil, etc., we have an once of prevention. Damn, we all know how thin oil gets when the engine is up to running temp in cool weather, never mind hot weather, add to that, in a hot rod engine. That is why 50 weight oil is preferred, because it gets too thin.

I could add that there are those configurations of vehicles which might have an inherent problem with cooling , simply because of lack of a big open grill. These cars can use all the help available.

Does it matter to me whether you install a cooler or not??? Let me think about that. If I lose sleep on this matter, I will tell you tomorrow.

'Settled, I agree with lt1s10 as well."
Now we all agree. Ant it nice.

yep, you're the man! Hey, it's just me. Now tell me this s-10, didn't your ride come with a factory engine oil cooler, heheheh!

Originally posted by TyphoonZR
yep, you're the man! Hey, it's just me. Now tell me this s-10, didn't your ride come with a factory engine oil cooler, heheheh!

No, why don't you tell me which American cars came from the factory with external oil coolers on them. while you're at it check out my web site and if you see any oil coolers on any of those cars. I dont think not have coolers on any of them caused me any problems.