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[stemon]

hi guys, anyone done this? im in the proccess, have got all pipe work, oil cooler from a saab turbo and mocal 80c stat controlled sandwich plate, the original cover on the oil cooler is being alloy welded 2 remove 2 holes. but im stuck on what to bung the 2 oil hoses on the block up with?

anyone that has done this i would like to chat to.

[Matchless]

Why do it at all? the existing oil - water heat exchanger helps to warm up the oil from a cold start so the oil gets to working temp and protects the engine sooner.

You cant 'bung up' the two oil pipes, you have to join them together. You should be able to get a braided hose with the correct fittings from a race shop.

[Andy H]

I think the oil from the oil pump goes through the filter and then up one pipe to the oil cooler then back down the other.

These two connections would be the natural place to connect an external oil cooler, there is no need for a sandwich plate.

I don't really understand what you hope to gain from an external air to oil cooler. The built in water to oil cooler also acts as a heater to warm the oil more quickly after a cold start and will give more accurate temperature control than an air cooled one can. It also works when there is no air flow through the front of the car and results in a more compact package than an air cooled unit  :-?

[stemon]

lol there is no gain really to the average jo, but this is a worth while mod when planning to supercharge/nos which i intend to try.

The sandwich plate is needed as it is termostat controlled so it will keep the oil at 80-82c hence not using the external cooler all the time. this allows the oil to stay at the perfect operating temp.

Also no more rubbish internal oil cooler to go wrong
most engines dont have an internal heat exchanger and have no issues warming up <

[feeutfo]

i am not qualified to say for definate why you should or shouldnt modify in this way. But i do find it strange when its assumed that a company that spends millions in research has got a design so badly wrong that they need to alter it so simply. Surely logic would make you ask why it has been done in such a way. Why did they go to the bother "and expense" more to the point? if it could have been done cheaper and easier, i would think they would have done so surely?

But if you must, i would guess either cutting a new plate from scratch with no oil holes, or block with suitable bolts , washers and sealent.

I would guess also that it would be a good idea to sight the new cooler behind the radiator and fans somewhere with max air flow and run the oil lines (goodridge braided or similar as said) to where the old oil pipes exit by the filter, and junk the old oil lines altogether.

I would also guess that its very difficult to find the correct size cooler to give the best cooling rate, too small or too big ? Where to start?

Giving your self a mare i would think.

[Kevin Wood]

Have you any reason to believe the existing oil cooler is not going to be adequate? No point just throwing money at mods like this without any evidence that they will do any good.

The most you need to do is to fit an oil temperature gauge. If you don't know how hot it's getting, you don't know if this will be worthwhile or just a waste of time and money.

Kevin

[Lizzie_Zoom]

i am not qualified to say for definate why you should or shouldnt modify in this way. But i do find it strange when its assumed that a company that spends millions in research has got a design so badly wrong that they need to alter it so simply. Surely logic would make you ask why it has been done in such a way. Why did they go to the bother "and expense" more to the point? if it could have been done cheaper and easier, i would think they would have done so surely?

But if you must, i would guess either cutting a new plate from scratch with no oil holes, or block with suitable bolts , washers and sealent.

I would guess also that it would be a good idea to sight the new cooler behind the radiator and fans somewhere with max air flow and run the oil lines (goodridge braided or similar as said) to where the old oil pipes exit by the filter, and junk the old oil lines altogether.

I would also guess that its very difficult to find the correct size cooler to give the best cooling rate, too small or too big ? Where to start?

Giving your self a mare i would think.

Straight to the point there I reckon Chris!!

A GM/Vx V6 engine is a well balanced air/gas flow, oil and water temperature unit, that if altered in any way will take many fine engineering calculations to ensure it does not malfunction

[Marks DTM Calib]

Thing is, cooling the oil is only part of the solution to tolerating power increases.

Yes, the oil does give good cooling of the pistons but, if you up the water cooling capability, you also help the oil/water heat exchanged as the first thing that gets cooled by the water returning from the rad is ths item.

I would say that adding an external cooler is not the way forward.

[stemon]

interesting reads. has anyone actualy ever done this mod then to have hands down evidence? ive now been speaking to two saab v6 owners and 1 catera owner and apparantly this mod works well if used with correct stat controlled mocal sandwich plate, even spoke to someone that didnt have a oil cooler at all due to bypassing with no issues.

It leads to no benifit though unless supercharging/ turbocharging it seems. Which i understand will need alot more coolant mods anyway.

Im going to give it ago as need an oil cooler. and allready have the external bits ready instead. that way i can report the pros and cons first hand. if my engine goes bang i will buy you all a beer 

[stemon]

Forgot to add. This car is being built for performance , it does get driven hard alot of the time too. so any gain is a bonus in cooling of the oil.

[lee4206]

Why not have both then?. It will save you the hassle of bypassing the old one with the extra cooling your after from the external one.Best of both worlds if you ask me.
Lee