jstone Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 Hi All, I am thinking of installing an Oil Cooler for the summer. Can I ask from the wealth of knowledge out there : a) Is it worth it ? A idiots guide as to how it is installed , where does it sit and what does it fix to ? Many Thanks Jeremy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Richard Crawley Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 (edited) Jeremy It rather depends; if you live in a hot climate, have a tuned engine or thrash the car around the track every other weekend then it’s worthwhile but if the engine is in standard tune & just a general driver then it’s probably not worth the bother. I believe the kit costs around £150 now & includes the radiator, thermostat & spin on oil filter conversion. It’s fairly simple to fit but you will need to fabricate some form of bracketry to support the stat & cooler pipework. I can send you some photos of my installation if you decide to go ahead & would like them. The cooler fits front of the radiator & the holes already there – provided for the American market I think. Once again, there are a number of threads on this in the archive so it may pay to have a read through the pro’s & con’s first as opinions vary. I have one with a stat fitted on my stage 2 engine. Edited March 20, 2007 by Richard Crawley Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jstone Posted March 20, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 JeremyIt rather depends; if you live in a hot climate, have a tuned engine or thrash the car around the track every other weekend then it’s worthwhile but if the engine is in standard tune & just a general driver then it’s probably not worth the bother. I believe the kit costs around £150 now & includes the radiator, thermostat & spin on oil filter conversion. It’s fairly simple to fit but you will need to fabricate some form of bracketry to support the stat & cooler pipework. I can send you some photos of my installation if you decide to go ahead & would like them. The cooler fits front of the radiator & the holes already there – provided for the American market I think. Once again, there are a number of threads on this in the archive so it may pay to have a read through the pro’s & con’s first as opinions vary. I have one with a stat fitted on my stage 2 engine. Hi Richard, Thanks for the info, photos would be great to see how it all goes together. I bought the spin on oil filter with the outlet / inlet in order to future proof for fitting a cooler, so it is more down to how hard it is to fit. Many Thanks Jeremy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
duncan Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 Jeremy, I presume you have the spin on adapter with the takeoff jnctions for the pipes to the cooler. I know this sounds obvious, but make sure you connect a hose joining the inlet to outlet pipes to have oil flow. I got the garage to put mine on when they were changing the oil (as I don't have anywhere to didpose of old oil!) & they forgot the connecting pipe. Fortunately I spotted it before any damage done. Duncan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
grmills Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 Yes an oil cooler is worth it, even for road use in the UK, as cars thus equipped are able to continue through traffic jams with a stone hole five inches from the top of the radiator (T shirt in the post). Bracketry for the thermostat and so on is probably a good idea but is not actually necessary in practice. I never bothered on my car and the pipes have supported the stat for ten(?) years without problem. It is an entry-level modification, almost anyone could do it but if you have a Kenlowe fitted in front it will need to be re-located as a "puller" behind the rad. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnC Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 I have a Kenlowe and oil cooler fitted in front of the rad. FWIW. John Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CONCRETE24 Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 Hi Jeremy, If you're still looking for opinions, I think fitting the oil cooler (with thermostat) kit is very worthwhile. When hot my oil pressure used to drop alarmingly on my admittedly worn engine, (enough that I was planning a rebuild), since fitting the cooler, it stays really constant and I certainly 'feel' that the engine runs smoother (rebuild money now gone on Pheonix manifold and straight through exhaust)! Generally gave my TR a new lease of life - definitely worthwhile for £150. For the record, I also have a Kenlowe in front of the radiator and there's plenty of room and airflow is not a problem. It is tilted forward slightly using the stainless brackets supplied by TRGB - can't remember how much they were - but not expensive so a worthwhile purchase. Good Luck ! Michael. P.S. Picture shows where the thermostat ended up - for reference! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jstone Posted March 20, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 cheers to all that have offered advice. TO all of you people that habe a kenlowe fitted in front of the rad and an oil cooler fitted as well, does any body have a few pics so I can work it all out. Many Thanks Jeremy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jean Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 Jeremy, in case you fit the oil cooler in front of the radiator it will have to sit very close to it , max 1 cm. If not the airflow to the radiator will be disturbed and the cooling effect brought to almost nil Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Richard Crawley Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 Heres a pic of mine; no Kenlow fitted though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnC Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 Jeremy, in case you fit the oil cooler in front of the radiator it will have to sit very close to it , max 1 cm. If not the airflow to the radiator will be disturbed and the cooling effect brought to almost nil Hi Jean, Not sure I understand. Mine is fitted so that there's enough gap in between for the Kenlowe. Last time I had overheating problems was when the Sydney Harbour Bridge gridlocked in about 1992, when I found the rad was blocked. Recored, and now stationary in 40 Deg C does make the fan cycle on & off, but otherwise I don't get the impression the rad suffers from lack of airflow. Cheers, John Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rpurchon Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 Hi All, I am thinking of installing an Oil Cooler for the summer. Can I ask from the wealth of knowledge out there : a) Is it worth it ? A idiots guide as to how it is installed , where does it sit and what does it fix to ? Many Thanks Jeremy i am thinking of fitting a oil cooler,ive got all the bits. i have put a new dash in my 6 and fitted a oil temp gauge wired up to sender in the sump. which reads correct. it takes apx 20 min normal driving to register on the scale ie 50c. driving from huddersfield to stoneleigh and back steady 70-80mph it read just under 90c .mad blast from york to leeds the other day 80 90 100 mph read just over 90c. i dont whether it will read 15c higher if the temp is 15c higher in the summer.but i would seriously consider a temp gauge first.& definatley a oil temp stat if you fit a oil cooler & only a small cooler. no need for one in my opinion so far. richard Quote Link to post Share on other sites
marvmul Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 Hi Jean,Not sure I understand. Mine is fitted so that there's enough gap in between for the Kenlowe. Last time I had overheating problems was when the Sydney Harbour Bridge gridlocked in about 1992, when I found the rad was blocked. Recored, and now stationary in 40 Deg C does make the fan cycle on & off, but otherwise I don't get the impression the rad suffers from lack of airflow. Cheers, John Perhaps the gap should be very narrow or otherwise very wide? I think it's very well possible that a gap of say 1" is very bad for the airflow? Something else : a leaflet that came with an oil cooler (Moccol?) stated that the threaded hose fittings on the coolers should be smeared with a little all purpose grease beore fitting the hoses, and also that, when tightening the nuts on the hoses, the fittings on the cooler should be supported with a spanner to avoid damage Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Andy K Posted March 22, 2007 Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 I have a Kenlowe and oil cooler fitted in front of the rad. FWIW.John Me too. I used the TRGB brackets which tilt the cooler forwards. Page is: http://www.trgb.co.uk/specials.htm They do give you some extra room Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GUY BENNETT Posted March 23, 2007 Report Share Posted March 23, 2007 Richard Just for the record, I know from your posts that you put a lot of effort into your rebuild. The under bonnet picture looks superb!!! Well done Regards Guy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TIMS Posted March 23, 2007 Report Share Posted March 23, 2007 Richard I concur with Guy's comment about your engine bay, certainly something to aspire to. Can you remember where you got the bright finish (stainless?) Acme screws from holding on the front wings? That is something I have not been able to find and am having to contemplate hand painting the Moss bronze coloured ones. Regards Tim Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Richard Crawley Posted March 23, 2007 Report Share Posted March 23, 2007 Guy/Tim; thanks for your kind comments guys. With regard to the Acme screws, there are 2 types; the originals had a depressed or dimpled type head & are now almost impossible to find, the other type has a conventional flat bolt type head & are much easier to find. My originals came from an auto jumble years ago & I bought the guys entire stock but unfortunately I was about half a dozen short. Despite a few years of keeping my eyes peeled, I failed to find any more & had to use some of the other type, fitting these to the rear wings in locations were they are not easily seen. I’ve not seen any in SS & mine are just Zink plate; I painted all my outer wings off the car & chose to leave the fixings natural as I don’t think they look out of place even though the originals were body colour, I just protected them with a brush coat of clear lacquer. With regard to the Moss bronze ones; depends how fussy you are but painting them is never going to look the same. If you really want silver colour, I would take them down to your local plating company & get them replated. It should only cost the price of a couple of beers, I had a 2 bucket loads of stuff including all the various brackets etc replated & it only cost me 35 quid. You need to ask for Zink plate & passivate - clear finish; the bronze colour is straw finish. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Les Pettitt Posted March 23, 2007 Report Share Posted March 23, 2007 Hi Guys Stainlee steel screws for the wings are available from Grove Components. They had them at Malvern last year and were selling them as a pack per wing. Can't remeber the cost. I will definitely get them when I have finished my engine bay work. Regards Les Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TIMS Posted March 23, 2007 Report Share Posted March 23, 2007 Les Andy at Grove was, as ever, most helpfull, but no stainless, he has yet to find a source. What he is sending me are bright zinc but with a promise that when he can trace stainless he will let me know. Richard The more I look at that engine bay the better it seems. Congratulations. And thanks for the tip, the bright zinc will get a coat of clear lacquer. Regards Tim Quote Link to post Share on other sites
IanR Posted March 23, 2007 Report Share Posted March 23, 2007 Les Andy at Grove was, as ever, most helpfull, but no stainless, he has yet to find a source. What he is sending me are bright zinc but with a promise that when he can trace stainless he will let me know. Richard The more I look at that engine bay the better it seems. Congratulations. And thanks for the tip, the bright zinc will get a coat of clear lacquer. Regards Tim Hi, Namrick supply both chrome and ss nuts and bolts but dont use SS bolts on high stress components. With regard to oil coolers I agree with richards comments above .. get yourself an oil temperature gauge first as, though you will do no damage in overcooling the oil (as far as I am aware), you will then be dealing with a more viscous fluid than you should be if it is less than about 90C. For road use I see little point. Worn engines however do benefit from the more viscous oil that a cooler offers, hence you see a lot of people saying how good a cooler is . The reality here is that even in a worn engine when you first start up the pressure is good but as the oil gets even moderately warm the pressure drops, keep it cooool and it produces the response that an oil cooler is wonderful and in that regard I offer no argument,... just that not quite the point If you do track days, rallies, sprints or any other motor sport then that is a different matter. Kind regards Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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