How much difference is there between the pan and a tap placed in line with oil pressure sender such that Craven offers? Very simplified the oil is pumped from the pan to the oil filter and is them distributed to the various points of distribution such as the under piston sprayer and head where it drains back to the sump by gravity. I know that under pressure from pump the temp will rise some but it can't be that much since we all know that pumping increases friction therefore raising temps. Lynn, you like to all kind of experiments. There is one for you. Install 2 oil temp gauges, one getting a reading from the sump, the other from a combined pressure/temp tap. I'd be willing to ager the difference is less than the tolerance of a mid priced gauge.
Good info from Trackpedia & Royal Purple Here is what RP had to say about operating temps Trackpedia: What is the typical operating temperature for engine oil, and when do I need to consider running an oil cooler? Royal Purple: Typical oil operating temperatures in a naturally-aspirated, liquid-cooled vehicle is 220F. For competition vehicles with oil operating temperatures regularly above 220, or for turbo applications not so equipped from the factory, I would recommend running a oil cooler. For every 20 degrees of oil temperature you see beyond 220F, you reduce the life of the oil by half, regardless of brand or base oil type.
and I agree about the optimum temp but I for one was greatful for the info about breaking the 220 mark for temps along with some of the other info posted in the Q&A
I know it's been a while but i have wanted to get these photos into this thread for a long time. it's the oil cooler i made for my MINI. works great.
Looks great! Excellent job! How is the clearance with the belt installed, it's got to be close? Also, did you notice a significant difference in the oil temp after install given the same conditions?
I would be interested in knowing how it performed through a really cold winter without a in line oil thermostat to reroute the oil. Any concerns with the oil getting too cold and too thick, blocking oil flow to the engine? Or is this a warm weather race car only?
it's a warm weather car only, i don't even have street tires for it...lol it doesn't block air flow at all. i run around on the street with a big light bar in front of it and the car never gets hot. on the track i remove it to give more air flow to the W2A and lose a few pounds (and not break a light). the belt has LOTs of room. you can put your whole had between everything. i also hooked the lines to the frame rail to keep everything in place. if i did run this in the winter i would use a 0w30 to help flow on start up, but try leaving 5w30 out side and you can see it still flows around a lot. i would not be concerned with it too much unless you have many months at well below 0F, but just switch to 0w30 or get a block warmer as that is better anyways for places that are really cold. i don't have any actual temps pre and post, but i can feel a difference when i touch things in the engine bay, and you can see the oil looks better and smells better at the changes. i do a lot of oil changes and you can smell oil that is wasted and look at how dark it is. some day I'll have gauges, but like all of you i am still on a budget...lol also keep in mind this car doesn't have AIR anymore.
That's a big deal - much more room to work with without the condenser in place. Makes sense for a track-oriented car that's not doing double-duty as a commuter car. Doesn't make sense for my commute into the Mojave desert.
Do you have (or would you expect) any interference between the oil cooler lines and brake ducts? Nice install, too. Thanks for the pics.