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oil cooler positioning
02GF74 - 2/3/06 at 03:26 PM

I've got an oil cooler plus high capacity oil pump for a crossflow that I intend to fit.

A convenient space to put the cooler would be in front of the driver's foot well, underneath the steering column.

It is not ideal for 2 reasons -
a) the area is not best for lots of air flow
b) would be close to driver's foot well so feet may get hot

I know it is not ideal so is it worth the hassle or not - what do folks reckon?
(I realise that it won't be most effective at cooling but the extra capacity will come in handy)

The cooler won't have a fan but it may be possible to make some ducting to it.

[Edited on 2/3/06 by 02GF74]

britishtrident - 2/3/06 at 04:40 PM

For a road car a cooler should never be fitted with out an oil theromstat.

The correct position for the cooler is in front of the rad -- anywhere else where that isn't in the cold airflow and if the engine starts to over heat the oil cooler becomes an oil heater.

cornishrob - 2/3/06 at 05:33 PM

shield it from the engine and have a duct directing air over it with no resitable exit for the air as it leaves the car again. may help with high speed aerodynamics too.

02GF74 - 3/3/06 at 12:03 PM

quote:
Originally posted by britishtrident
For a road car a cooler should never be fitted with out an oil theromstat.

The correct position for the cooler is in front of the rad -- anywhere else where that isn't in the cold airflow and if the engine starts to over heat the oil cooler becomes an oil heater.


I'll need to check but pretty sure 2 cars that I have owned (MGB and Astra GTE) had coolers but no thermostat; will look up in the manual.

BT is right in as far as you don;t want over cooling of oil, certainly would be a prob with a mega cooler.

I know about positioning of the cooler; my post really was trying to find out if someone else has placed theirs in the same place.

I have just got some 0.7 ali sheet - whooppee!! - so will be paneling the underside. The air will come from the front and then will pass through the cooler via a channel fromed byu the engine block, under panelr and side panel so there should be some air flow. some of the air will have passed through the radiator so will be warmer than ambient so there shouldn;t be any ovber cooling.


re: and if the engine starts to over heat the oil cooler becomes an oil heater.

I don't agree; the oil cooler is unlikely to act as a heater; that would require the air surrounding it to exceed the engine temp; that could only happen in a sealed engine bay.