I have no budget, just a credit card. :shakes head:

I have a feeling you'll probably need a bigger core this summer.

might be a stupid question.

But is there a dedicated "feed" line and "return" line?
Or it doesn't matter?

Doesn't matter at all.

awesome writeup. since you have the fittings on the top of the cooler, i assume you will leave that 1-1.5qt inside during an oil change. will this be a problem for 5k mile OCI?

I'll be changing mine at 5k intervals more than likely (depending on track time) and dropping the cooler every 3rd change. That should put it at over a year per flush.

There has also been talk about using compressed air to just push the oil through the system and out. Merely disconnect both fittings from the sandwich plate, throw one hose in a bucket (preferably with a lid and a hole in it) and blow in the other.

Chris,

Did you ever find a 200F thermostat?



Everyone,

No one else nervous about those hoses held in place with just two zip ties each?

I did. Race Parts Wholesale said they could get the 200 degree thermostatic plate with a 7-10 day lead time and an up charge. I forget what the exact difference in price was.

The zip tie is not required, the hose holds itself in place all by itself. At this point I would trust those aeroquip fittings more than I do the traditional one given that we've seen two of those blow up so far.

Aeroquip Socketless Racing Hose
Easy assembly with reusable SOCKETLESS fittings; textile braid reinforcement; available in either blue or black elastomer cover. Patented Aeroquip® elastomer smooth bore inner tube, -45 to +300 F temperature rating. Operating pressure for all sizes at 250 PSI. Applications include fuel, lube, coolant, and air.

Very tidy Job and a credit to you, if i was going to install an oil cooler i would be more than happy to start from scratch following your in depth instructions.Im more keen at the moment of doing a cooler for the Auto as i relly enjoy the fast shifting manually either with the paddles or by the shift lever. No heating problems here my oil has never got above 90 degree C but then a hot day here is only 30 degree C and I have not run it on a track.Any Ideas about a transmission cooler??

Thanks for the good words :tiphat:

I haven't actually looked into a tranny cooler as of yet, and haven't really heard of anyone having issues either. Don't really know too much about the 7AT though.

Excelllent job!!! Great detail write-up. I'm planning to do mine asap.

Thanks :tup: Take your time and it'll be easy.

SIDENOTE: Turns out Aeroquip says that zip-tying the hose on the fittings is NOT recommended. I'll be getting under my car sometime soon and inspecting the fittings for any seeping or loosening. The ties will be getting snipped.

So what's the solution then? Mike had nothing and his blew off causing him to crash his car.

The Aeroquip Socketless Hoses are designed to stay on by themselves.

The exact cause of his issue is unknown. I know a few people that have been using these for a long time on everything from cars to ATVs to rock crawlers and never had an issue.

So what is the verdict on this issue?
I would rather have some kind of backup plan for peace of mind if the hose were to come off somehow. I was thinking of using 1 small hose clamp at the end, but dont know why zip ties wouldnt be recommended. But in reading threads on the web elsewhere, its "designed" to be used w/o any clamps or ties.

In Aeroquip you must trust i guess...we'll see....

I found this topic on a Buick Grand National thread:
Post 21:
"Originally Posted by S10xGN View Post
Why would you think that? I can't see how it possibly could... After installing this hose on my oiling system, I didn't feel "comfortable" with it. Instead of hose clamps, I used a pair of tie-wraps on each fitting.
Reply: According to my local hydraulic shop, he has seen MANY push lock failures due to hose clamps. They are engineered to work with out them. I'll side with him, as that is what he does for a living, and would stand to make a few more $$ selling hose clamps."

Post 22:
Aeroquip specifically states not to use a clamp over the hose and fittings. I can distort the hose and fitting causing a failure. Ive used the parker stuff in transmission stuff. Its also nice. But I cannot find any parker stuff with the nylon braid thats NHRA legal.


Also, it was noted that since it is "clampless", the hose may pull off if there is not enough slack for movement. Thus this movement ends off pulling the hose off the socketless ends . To avoid this, Im leaving a little slack on the Mocal side and oil cooler side..



__________________

yeah I was too lazy to drop the core for oil changes intermittentantly so I just mounted the oil cooler upside down. Draw back was I had to take off the front dampner on the nismo, which I don't mind because I still dont' see a gain or loss.

Great job Vipor, thanks for the write up!

+1 rep :rock:

I was going to say something about zip ties deteriorating over time. They become brittle, crack, and fall apart. I've seen it many times on motorcycles.

Oh and Vipor, what a great detailed DIY. Nice to have a tech like your brother, too! Loks like the Dremel Mods were key. :tup:

+1 rep :tiphat:

I inspected the fittings the other day and I didn't see any sweating or movement. With a couple people having issues I was definitely concerned, but after this many miles and a HPDE weekend I think if something were to happen it already would have.

When I get my headers I'll give everything a better look once it's on a lift. I'll probably get rid of the zip ties too per the manufacturers recommendation.

Thanks for the good words guys, hope it helps you out :tiphat:

Sweet write up and parts costing ;-)

I do what I can :tiphat:

Awesome DIY. The comment later about mounting lines above the sway bar is a little inaccurate as when the suspension is unloaded the sway bar is actually in it's most superior or highest position. My plan at this point is to mount above the sway but will see with the initial fitting/sizing. Again, wouldn't attempt this without this DIY.

Well I did my oil cooler installation today...this DIY by Vipor was invaluable. A few comments about what I did different and the results: I used a Setrab series 6, 25 row and had no issues with contact at the top and consequently did not have to modify the cooler at all. I went with Aeroquip stainless steel AQP hose instead of the Socketless. I did find that trying to go straight off the Mocal oil sandwich plate and thereby routing the hoses above the sway bar was not possible so I went with 90 deg Aeroquip fittings. The stainless AQP hose does cause contact with the removable underbody protector panel but this is quite mild and does not interfere with it's placement. Overall a relatively easy DIY make significantly easier because of the work by Vipor.

Very glad I could help you out and also that you got it done with pretty much no issues. :tup:

You might want to look into some sort of wrap for the stainless lines however. After a lot of driving (and rubbing) I think you'll find that they'll start wearing away at your splash guard/underbody cover.

Yeah, used 3/4 heater hose split with clamps throughout and worked well. I will say that fitting the adapters to the AQP hose is a bitch....eat your wheaties first!

By adaptors I mean fittings

:bowrofl::bowrofl::bowrofl:

My and my brother just took turns working the hose on the fitting. Makes your hand cramp.

Great write up.
I am preparing to do the cooler install but with a 34 row core. Bumper is off; just waiting for parts.

Oil Temps after install
 

Vipor
You mentioned your oil temps being very low and outside temps being low.
Are you not concened about over cooling. Oil viscosity is dependant upon temperature. I would think that the oil being too cool you are not getting proper lubrication as it is too thick. The same for over temp on oil the oil becomes to thin and starts breaking down quicker. For me the optimum oil temps would be between 220 and 240 this is where the oil has its best shear factor for best lubrication properties.


Tell straight up if I am on the right path with this
Bill

Ideal oil temperature has been debated here many many times. I have never entered my 'opinion' ; however, having operated oil-cooled engines for the longest time, let me share my guideline that I use (see below)

"As suggested by Bruce Anderson, Porsche guru and author of Porsche 911 Performance Handbook, the optimal temperature range for the Porsche 911 oil-cooled engine is 180ºF to 220ºF. Also, according to Anderson, oil temperatures greater than 230ºF are potentially damaging. Yet, the old loop-style coolers started their thermostatically controlled cooling at 182ºF and later the electric fan coolers started at
244ºF! Again, some “experts” have stated that as material design improvements were made, like synthetic oils, engine parts, and gaskets, engine oil temperature became slightly less critical. However, most “experts” agree that cooler oil is better for engine longevity as long as the engine is operating at an efficient temperature of 200ºF."

I am not attempting to compare the Z to the Porsche; I am merely attempting to state what I have using as a guideline for my 'oil temperature range.'

My car sits at the 180° mark while cruising on the highway, even on 80°+ days. Put me in some traffic and I'll creep up to the 210° mark. I find those temps completely acceptable, regardless of what people are saying ideal temps are. When I'm on the track and pushing it the temps will be more in the range you guys are talking about.

Update 04/26/10
I pulled the front bumper off this weekend to work on my headlights and had a chance to inspect the front half (cooler side) of my install.

There were no signs of rubbing or wear, and the hose was still on completely. It did look like there was any tension pulling on anything, and there were no signs of sweating or seeping. All and all I'm still very pleased. :tup:

I'll be changing my oil in the next few days and I'll give the sandwich plate and fittings there a good look.

I'm having the same results as Vipor. Used his technique in terms of routing and so far so good.

So I changed my oil a couple weeks ago and I really took a good look at things.

NOT ONE ISSUE.

I had inspected the cooler side when I did my headlights, and now that I got under my car I could inspect the plate and those fittings.

Still no leaks, wear, seeping, or sweating. :tup:

Switched to RedLine too :D

When you do your oil change, how do you remove all the oil out of the oil cooler itself?

I've done 2 changes since the install and I've just left the oil cooler alone. The next change at 25K will involve a flush using an air compressor.

Thank you.

:tiphat: Glad to help

I'm about to do another change (getting close to 35k)
I can tell with the hot summers I get when I'm getting higher mileage on my oil. I just hit the 5k mark or so on this change (with no track time or anything) and I'm noticing some slightly higher numbers. I still almost never touch the 200deg mark regardless, I just prefer when it stays closer to 180deg since that's my 100% threshold on my adapter.

BTW, to give you perspective, I've gotten in my car a few times and the water temp has been really close to nominal. Just a steady heat as of late, I'm sure AZ is used to it lol.

EDIT: Forgot to mention.. Still ZERO issues with my setup. Flooding rains, track time, hotttt summers; no leaks, burning, sweating, anything. Hell, the other day I had no choice but to straddle some debris in a construction area and I ran over a chunk of concrete. I have yet to get my car lifted up, but from what I could see my ladder brace may actually be broken. No conflict with the oil cooler setup. Honestly, this is the first time I've ever been truly glad to have the plastic cover under my motor.

I bought an oil kit for my Z from Z1, which comes with a Setrab cooler. I was thinking about mounting the cooler upside down, with the hose connections on the bottom. That way when I do an oil change I would just have to disconnect the hose fittings to drain the cooler. Does it matter what orientation the cooler is in? Whether connections are on top or bottom?

This has been debated a few times. I would like to discuss this with you whenever you have a few minutes if you would call me here at the shop.

There are a few drawbacks you need to be aware of FIRST before attempting to install the oil cooler core upside down.

Food for thought....the R35 GT-R has a factory installed oil cooler from Nissan. At no point in time does the VERY strict maintanence schedule call for removal and draining of the oil cooler core. The cores on the R35 are positioned with the fittings on TOP.

Thanks Dustin, I now have an alibi.