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Next Question.........Oil Coolers [Yes or No]

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kyreb1862

kyreb1862

Jedi Knight
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Is an oil cooler a good idea and or a good investment? How much hassle would it be to install? Thoughts please. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/driving.gif
 
John - it would go underneath the radiator duct panel on your '77 - not on top like early cars...you'd have to have extra long hoses made....don't think you need it in Kentucky though....sometimes oil that's too cool is just as bad as oil that's too hot.
 
Thats what I needed to know. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/driving.gif
 
The main reason I was asking was that I was planning to do some long distance touring next year and thought a cooler might come in handy on a long summer road trip. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/driving.gif
 
My mechanic took his out. It keeps a good deal of oil in suspension during changes, too, which is something I never really thought of. I left mine in after my rebuild though. No real reason frankly. Seems like it should be there I guess.
 
It is not necessary in cool climates. In hot climates it can help keep heat under control. If in doubt, it won't hurt to install one and if you install a thermostat in the oil lines then you get the best of both worlds. I have such a setup in my GT and it works great.
 
I've never had problems with the oil in my non-oil-cooler car. And it's hades hot here in the summer. I only put about 2-3000 miles on my MGB a year, so I change the oil once per year. It usually looks very similar to what I put it in, with very little darkening.
 
If the factory put a cooler in, then I think it should be there for authenticity and it does help in hot weather. But, on a second note, how many cars were produced in this country and elseware without engine oil coolers for the past 50 years or more and how many have you heard of that failed because the oil was to hot? I've never heard of any. Were not speaking of race cars now, that's a whole different ball game. I do know of an engine that failed because the oil was too cold though! Minus 10 degrees F. It was a large diesel and it broke the oil pump shaft, because the engine was started with a fast throttle setting, causing the engine to seize before it was caught. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/devilgrin.gif Very expensive repair! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cryin.gif PJ
 
I had read a cryptic comment on the web last year about how with new oil technology the coolers may be either redundant or possibly problematic if the oil is too cool. I posted a question about it, but there seems to be no good knowledge on this. I guess the only way to check is to put in a temp guage and monitor.

Is there a t-stat in the std B system?
 
Just because a car didn't come with an oil cooler, or performs well without one, doesn't mean it won't benefit from having a cooler installed. They are not a necessity, but they can help cool the engine in hot climates.

If I lived in a cold climate I would definitely install a thermostat in the oil lines to help the oil warm up faster. Even here in So Cal I have one for our short cold season.
 
I'm a firm believer in a thermostat when installing a cooler. Oil that is running too cool won't boil off any condensation.
Jeff
 
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