Do/Should I use an oil cooler.

[jaegzie]

On my 59, I have the 1275 in it. Ive been piecing this car together for a while. I addeded an oil cooler to the 1275 that is in the car; however, one of the lines leaks and I can not get it disconnected from the cooler. Would it really make a difference to just run a hard line, or should i work on the oil cooler more to get it going.

Note: I live in Wisconsin an this car will be driven primarily in 70-90 degree weather in the summer.

TIA

 

[Trevor Jessie]

I think it would be fine to run without an oil cooler.

 

[jaegzie]

Good, that is what I was hoping, I finally got a chance to get things cleaned up in the engine bay, now these are a couple of hoses I wont need to deal with. Thanks

 

[spritenut]

I have run oil coolers and no oil coolers.
I never noticed any pros or cons with or without.

 

[lesingepsycho]

To be honest, I added an oil cooler and I didn't "see" much of a difference either but I think the difference is in what you don't see... for example, the lifespan of the oil in your crankcase. The less "cooking" you do to the oil, the better it does its job. The better it does its job, the longer your bearings, etc. will last. The longer the bearings last, the longer the engine will last. And all without you ever noticing.

JACK

 

[hpmowog]

Unless you have an oil temperature gauge, there really isn't any way to tell for certain how well an oil cooler is working. I've never had an oil temperature gauge on one of my street Sprites, so I can't really give you any guidance on the need for an oil cooler on a street car, but I do have oil temp gauges on the racecars, and oil coolers are absolutely essential for race use.

 

[aeronca65t]

I've been racing the green car below for 7+ years. Never had an oil cooler.

Maybe you'd need one if you've got an 8500 rpm "hand grenade" motor that you rebuild every 10 hours.

Just change oil/filter regularly and keep below 6000 rpm and you'll be fine without one.

 

[tomshobby]

I have never run an oil cooler on a British car. However I did have one on a 1981 Pontiac Bonneville and it was still running strong when I let it go at 455,000 miles. I never flt it had anything to do with helping the car run cooler. I think the benefit was that it helped by keeping the oil entering the oil galley slightly cooler which helped the oil do its job.

That result is the reason I will be installing the oil cooler that came with my Midget.

 

[nomad]

I cover the oil cooler in my MGB in the winter time. A couple of years ago I did'nt get around to driving the B till one very hot day. The whole drive I could'nt figure out why the car was on the verge of boiling. Bought some coolant mix at a stop and rob and went to add it when I realized the oil cooler was covered. Uncovered, no more problem with heating.
I am now thinking of adding oil coolers to everything just to aid cooling.
Don't see anyone saying that would be worthwhile.
Any one think it is?
KA.

 

[Woblynne]

I do a fair bit of highway driving at a constant 65-70 ish and after fitting my oil cooler and stat, I noticed a higher oil pressure after a long run, without the cooler it would read about 40 lb/ft at speed and after the cooler was fitted approx 55 lb/ft. Also when dropping to tickover after a run it was approx 10 lb/ft higher than before.

I would recommend a stat if you are looking to use an oil cooler as oil that is too cool is not good for the engine

Thanks
Mark

 

[Pythias]

The biggest problem with the unnecessary oil coolers is that they don't come with drain plugs. Every time you change your oil, you immediately mix it with the old dirty stuff that's been left behind. For the
<span style="text-decoration: underline">perceived</span> benefit, not worth the effort. .. When I had my engine rebuilt, the guy who did it refused to allow me to hook mine back up. Change your oil at regular intervals and ya don't have to worry about oil breakdown. Let your radiator cool your engine.

 

[hpmowog]

I've been racing the green car below for 7+ years. Never had an oil cooler.

Maybe you'd need one if you've got an 8500 rpm "hand grenade" motor that you rebuild every 10 hours.

Just change oil/filter regularly and keep below 6000 rpm and you'll be fine without one.

Nial,

At 6000 rpm it's not even on the cam yet :shocked: