oil cooler

[DRH]

Has anyone considered installing an oil cooler in the general Bugeye/Datsun install?....and where would you put it?? I got a feeling I'm going to have trouble with overheating in the AZ summers.

 

[JodyFKerr]

What'll get you in the AZ summer isn't the going, but the stopping. An oil cooler will help, but an electronically controlled fan will do a lot more.

 

[nomad]

Has anyone considered installing an oil cooler in the general Bugeye/Datsun install?....and where would you put it?? I got a feeling I'm going to have trouble with overheating in the AZ summers.

Don, I have one but have never installed it. I would think it would help and would also be interested in others experience with one.


Kurt.

 

[bug_sixty]

I installed one when I was in CO.. climbing hills outside Denver in 3rd @4500-5 in the middle of the summer heat etc.. I installed it standing on end next to the left radiator support. Accordingly, punched a hole in the hood support frame similar in size to the heater/air supply on the opposite side. Then I formed some AU to direct the air flow to the cooler fins..I think it helps because the oil pressure was steady even under severe heat....Wouldn't use a cooler otherwise..not needed for normal driving... In fact it does more harm than good if the oil isn't brought up to temp ASAP to burn off moisture accumulation ie. sludge formation... Now that I'm WA, I seldom use it. It's covered 90% of the time.
electric fan is a slam dunk.. I even took the water pump cooling fins off(not needed) ..works great...Biggest feature is that added a temp. sensor that keeps the fan running if neccesary for five minutes after shutdown to allow the engine area a chance to cool abit... NEVER experienced vapor lock..

 

[bug_sixty]

Oh! On the subject of engine water cooling..I installed a two way replacement valve at the back of the head that replaces the valve for the heater core.(I wanted a heater too) The first openning goes to the heater core, the second connects to a hose that runs behind the radiator to the inlet of large heater core off a truck. Then the core outlet hose is spliced to the water pump intake hose.
Note: The factory racing teams back in the day concluded that #4 piston didn't get enough water circulation (950 block) which they solved by adding a hose from the heater opening as mentioned above into the temp gauge openning on the radiator core.
Now, a 1275 in a BE fitted with a deep vane water pump has larger intake dia. by at least 1/4" over that of BE's bottom radiator outlet..This combination is a perfect fit for our heater core addition. plumbing aside of course. This added cooling gives you that much more... and might save #4 headaches down the road. I've run this setup for years.. sorry no pic's right now as I'm currently in the middle of a rerestoration.

 

[nomad]

Don, I think the Datsun is easier to keep cool than british engines. Just from my observation. I still would want to upgrade a bit just because you are running a bigger engine. Quite a few on this forum have had there stock rad recored and a few are running Geo radiators. Pretty easy and cheap. Then there are some more expensive aluminum rads that work well and would probably do more good than a oil cooler.


Kurt.

 

[DWeeB]

I installed this oil cooler.

 

[DRH]

DweeB...That's really neat. Did you alter the hood to allow this? I see the two hood locator pin holes and the guides. Did you use this size cooler because it is the easiest to mount? Thanks......

 

[nomad]

Apparently rotary engines like to have there oil cooled!!! Do you need a radiator with antifreeze mix as well?! It is pretty!

Kurt.

 

[Hap Waldrop]

Oil temps tends to get higher based on contiuned high rpms, that why we run them in the race cars, all they do on track is high rpms. I always amazed looking at my oil temp gauge in the race car on the cool down lap where the rpm drop and we're just toolingback to get in the pits, it's no uncommon to see the oil tmep drop 30-40 degree when the rpms drop. I think for most street driven car, an oil cooler is not necessary, but if one is going to drive the car very spirited or do alot of highway travel, then a oil cooler is a good thing and no one will argue about the temp in Southern AZ, not a bd ide for a car being used in such a hot climate.

On the Mazda Rotary engine's oil cooler, yep a rotary engine get the oil pretty hot and desparately needs a oil cooler, and stock they normally have large oil cooler like the one shown, perfectly the norm for a Wankel engine.

 

[DWeeB]

DweeB...That's really neat. Did you alter the hood to allow this? I see the two hood locator pin holes and the guides. Did you use this size cooler because it is the easiest to mount? Thanks......

I did have to trim the internal hood box only that was all. I used this cooler because it was rated for the rotary engine and got lucky that it fit. Here it is with the rad in place.

 

[DRH]

Thanks DweeB...That's a heck of a deal....I gotta study this...Don

 

[Branson]

I picked up a 19 row oil cooler off of ebay that was the same dimensions as the one sold by Moss / VB but for a lot less. It came with a 7" dia electric fan too.