Oil Coolers and Oil changes
 

I just recently installed a Z1 oil cooler, and filled the oil cooler up prior to starting the motor. My oil cooler takes 1 qt of oil to fill. With that being said, when doing an oil change the oil cooler should technically be drained along with the oil pan. Is anybody doing this?

Most people don't drain it with the pan due to the labor involved with. The leftover oil will eventually dilute into your newer oil and through several oil changes, be filtered out again. With modern full synthetics anyways, they last longer than the typical 3k mile change cycle. Shouldn't give you any extra wear/tear.

My only question is if you happened to get your oil changed at Shop A. with oil 1, and then later on happened to go to Shop B. and because they don't carry oil 1, you get oil 2. Will the mixing of 2 different brands cause a problem...?

i always keep oil for at least one extra oil change and a filter and all the odds and ends, incase i run into that. But i have been using ester oil the whole time, and well its at the dealership with no problem.

I would say stock up on the one you use and if you change your oil company then dump your cooler and refill with the new companies oil due to different additives.

Like if i go to a different gas station i try and run it bone dry, for ex shell to a chevron or w.e... and then fill, unless im in a absolute pinch and know there wont be something for x amount of miles and i wont make it without filling up at joe shmoe's gas station.

I'm actually curious now if those oil extracting devices work properly when you have an Oil Cooler installed...

http://www.skymall.com/images/produc...102716746x.jpg

I feel like 1qt is quite a bit of oil to dilute over the course of a few oil changes. And technically every oil change youd still be left with 1 qt of dirty oil plus maybe more if the older oil didnt work its way out.

no, they probably wont unless your thermostatic plate has reach opening temperature.

they will get the oil pan, and if you let the car come up to 220* then it might work but the order would be like

1 warm car up (just let it sit and idle)
2 crack open a beer or juice if your not legal
3 shut car down after your plate opens and starts circulating 180*-190* i would wait untill at least 220* so you have warmth when you want to fill everything new.
4 let it sit for a couple min
5 pull oil
*have to lift it to change filter anyways?*
6 fill new oil
7 start it up
8 let the oil fill the cooler
9 shut down and top off.

Then dump your oil cooler every time....more labor intensive though.

Z34 Bumper removal is one of the easiest things ive ever done on a Z. I plan on dumping the oil cooler for each change but i was just curious if others were doing it.

I wasn't trying to shoot you down, sorry about that. Im sure a few do and most don't...

If the fittings on the oil cooler are at the bottom, the oil is probably draining back into the oil pan.

No offense taken, just saying :p

Would be more of a pain than just taking off the front facia.

You would then have to unbolt the oil cooler and take those aluminum fittings off. I am sure that they were never designed to go on and off lots of times...

not really necessary. Like others stated, most of the oil (85% or so) gets changed everytime w/o dumping the oil cooler. Maybe if you are worried about it, you could empty the oil cooler like every 3rd oil chnage or something but I'm not planning on worrying aobut it.

Just as a reference, the GTR comes stock with an oil cooler, nowhere in it's scheduled maintenance is it ever mentioned to have to drain the oil cooler and that car has one of the strictest maintenance schedules of any motor vehicle on the road.

Im looking at getting either the Z1 or the Stillen kit. You ended up with the Z1, what made you go with them and how was the install? Fitment? Quality?

Thanks and enjoy your "cool(er)" car :tup:

Edit: I just looked at the install manual on Z1's site for their kit and it appears that you do not have to move the oem PS cooler... is this correct? If so I think that would seal the deal in favor of Z1.

No, you don't have to relocate.

They both use the same Setrab Oil coolers, the only thing that made me go with Z1's is it is a few dollars cheaper. Everything bolts on, you have to drill one hole, thats it. Its a very easy install all around.

No, I don't remove the oil cooler or take off the lines for oil changes. I just drain the oil normally. Too much of a hassle, and then you have to worry about potential oil leaks every time you reinstall the cooler lines...the residual old oil will be fine.

I wouldnt consider it a "residual" amount. Its one full quart. Maybe thats just me?

If you haven't read....
http://www.the370z.com/diy-section-d...es-inside.html

http://www.the370z.com/engine-drivet...face-down.html

If that just sucks the oil out, with out draining the pan. Crap, dirt, gunk, metal shavings, will not be removed from the bottom of the pan! Not good!

And a good portion of that will be in the lines, which will trickle back into the main system by gravity if your cooler fittings are facing up. My way works for me. Do what makes you feel comfortable or what you think is right.

Z1's instruction's have the fittings facing up. That is how mine are currently.

My fittings are facing up...as for gravity plaing a role, I dont agree. Yes the pan sits lower than the cooler, but oil would have to magically be pulled upwards out of the oil cooler in order to drain into the pan or stay in the lines. The way the lines are routed, a section of line is higher than both the sandwich adapter and oil cooler (up out of oil cooler, around passenger side frame rail, into sandwich adapter, I dont think very much oil will still be in the lines once the Z is turned off. Itll drain into the pan or into the oil cooler.

I dont mean to be argumenitive, just simply saying, i feel like the cooler should be drained, due to the fact that there IS at least 1 qt of oil in it. Thatd be like doing an oil change without an oil cooler, draining 4.25 qts and leaving the rest in the pan. Then adding new oil to the remaining old oil.
Just giving everyone something to think about :)

We've all thought about it, and many of us aren't concerned with it. do whatever makes you happy.

On my personal Z's, I pull the oil cooler off every 3rd or 4th oil change to flush it out and refill it (or I do when I am prepping my Z for a track event...but since time has been limited here lately, track events have not been as frequent).

We recommend that the fittings to face upward simply because of concerns we all shared about oil starvation caused by the oil running out of the core.
Oil will drain out of the core whenever you turn the engine off and oil pressure is relieved. This will in turn cause a few things to occur:

1. The core will be drained each and every time
2. Excessive oil will fill up the oil pan
3. The oil pump will now be forced to prime the oil cooler and lines each and every time you start the car.
4. Air pockets will be likely (or possible) to form in the core.
5. It will be difficult, if not impossible, to achieve an accurate oil level reading.
6. When your engine is forced to prime the oil cooler and lines, it is then taking away vital oil pressure from critical engine components.

With all of this said, we believed that the additional hassell of having to periodically remove the core and flush it was far less costly and risky as opposed to flipping the core upside down (to facilitate easier oil changes).

The fittings are made of aluminum. I HIGHLY recommend using vaseline or some kind of lubricant whenever you are re-assembling AN fittings. Keep in mind, you are forcing aluminum against aluminum. In time, without some sort of lubricant, it will wear out the fittings and could create a leak later on down the road. A lubricant will prolong the life of the fittings, and make life easier.

ValidusVentus...you are correct. Our kit does NOT require you to move or alter the OEM PWS cooler. Even our upgraded Transmission cooler (soon to be released) still functions with the OEM PWS cooler and does not require it to be moved or modified. At the same time, all of our kits are mostly BOLT ON and require little to no drilling. Our upper oil cooler bracket does require drilling of the center core support brace, but it is optional (although highly recommended).

Each Setrab Core volumes...for those of you who are wondering...are as follows:

6 Series 19 Row 0.40 QTs
6 Series 25 Row 0.55 QTs
6 Series 34 Row 0.75 Qts

For the Z1 kit specifically, you are looking at roughly 0.34 QTs for the -10 AN Lines.

Great points Dustin. Repped.

I finally install Z1's SS clutch line. Great firm feeling now. Love it.

I still think sideways mounted is the best of both worlds, I mentioned it here. If you routed the lines upward just higher than the core (unlike gozfast's pics in that thread) it would be no different than top-mounting the fittings, with the added benefit of being able to drain and fill the cooler in place, via three way adaptors at both fittings.

hmm Dustin,

My fittings are fitted at the bottom and I get a lower reading on the dipstick when it hasn't run than when checking it right after shutting down.

I assume that has to do with the Thermostatic Sandwich Plate being closed or open during hot and cold periods? Not sure.

That's interesting Mike. My experience has been the opposite. I spoke with the Mocal guys who said they guarantee the oil will backflow through the sandwich plate if the cooler fittings are down. There are no check valves and the sandwich plate is always at least partially open. Installing the oil pressure gauge was my end-all solution to know if I was too low on oil.

The whole 'priming every time' issue doesn't worry me a bit. First, the prime takes a fraction of a second. Second, any air is forced out since the system runs between 15 and 100psi. Third, the oil coats the engine and provides immediate lubrication unless you've let the car sit for a very extended period of time.

Curious too what you guys with coolers are running for oil filters? Some may be better than others at preventing drainback.

From when I talked to Mocal about this ages ago, they said the paths to the oil cooler are actually permanently open. Nothing ever closes over those paths. The thermostatic valve controls the flow passageway that bypasses the cooler, closing it off as temps rise. So yes, it will definitely drain back if gravity allows (bottom fittings).

Oil coolers plumb in before the filter (pump->sandwich plate->cooler->sandwich plate->oil filter->engine). The cooler will still drain back even if the filter has a checkvalve.

Ah, that's right!

had the nismo oil cooler installed. big *** 34 row setrab, anyway i was investigating the annoying *** whine noise all the coolers seem to make and decided to simply check the oil to make sure it wasnt leaking after about a week. well i pulled out the dipstick and cleaned it off, dipped, and it was over the "full" mark by almost a quarter inch. now........ i know overfilling the oil is bad, but with that giant oil cooler IS IT ACTUALLY OVERFILLED or is the dipstick measurement now null and void due to the cooler? i dont know how to get the proper amount in the car with the cooler on it. oh, and the car was still hot when i took the measurement..... dont know if that matters. also, what happens if you overfill the oil? its been running like this as a daily driver for over a week before i noticed.

Is your cooler mounted upright or facing down? Being facing down it can alter the measurements from what I read on other threads here. But there's a thread here on how to get it correct with facing down methods. It's best to check when cold or cooler. I believe it can be off by 5% when hotter. But don't take my word on this.

Mine is up and have had no issues getting the proper measurement. When I first installed mine I filled the cooler up then installed the lines. Then I continued to fill the engine. Which I knew the lines would account for a little bit more oil. So I let the car run a mintute, turned it off and topped off the rest. But I check it often that first two days. I always chech it before I drive anywhere everyday I drive it.

Over filling can ruin the seals but sure your fine for it would take some time before this happens.

/\ that's why your oil measured to high on the dipstick.

If u mean the fittings are on the bottom of the core, then yes it's facing "down"