548chevelle

I just removed the oil cooler heat exchanger. With the 160 thermostat the engine coolant runs 175-180. And the oil temp never went above 175. I'm talking dd and drags only. After removing the heat exchanger I saw the oil temp get up to 182 after a 30 minute test drive. Don't know how high its gonna get until I do a longer drive. But now I'm thinking about the diff heat exchanger. Do I really need it for dd-drags? Anybody have any info on how diff temp was affected by removing the heat exchanger? BTW the oil heat exchanger was worth 7 lbs and I'm now at 3021.

MyLS1Hauls

The base coupes don't have a diff or trans cooler, so you'd probably be fine. With that said, keep in mind that the diff and trans cooler are part of the same cooling loop. The trans fluid cools the diff fluid cooler, while on its way to the radiator.

Unreal

I removed the tranny cooler/lines, but didn't mess with diff cooler. While I seriously doubt it is needed on your application, seems like a pain to remove.

548chevelle

As MyLShauls said the diff dumps its heat into the trans fluid which then dumps its heat into the radiator. I'm going to get a plain diff cover (about $30) . then remove the 2 diff lines from the heat exchanger. I can either leave the heat exchanger as is. The tranny fluid runs to the radiator and then back to the exchanger and then to the tranny. But I'll probably disconnect the 2 lines at the tranny (somebody in another thread said they were 1/4" pipe plug size) and monitor the temp. If it looks OK I'll remove all the lines.

Josh B.

I just installed an Improved Racing oil thermostat (212F) and am seeing 180-182 oil temps after 30 minutes. Interesting that you are seeing almost the exact same oil temps.

bjmsam

The EGM-113 thermostat being installed on my '07 tomorrow should allow the oil temperature to rise at the same rate as a car with a permanently bypassed oil cooler until 212°F (100°C).

Unreal

Even with a thermostat or no cooler, it doesnt go up at the same rate as coolant. Oil takes longer. Mine takes a solid 20 minute still to pass ECT.

bjmsam

Very true. I preheat my oil to give it a head start.

Unreal

Even with no cooler, a blower, iron block, and 110F outside, it is hard to get temps over 200 without a lot of stop and go driving.

Josh B.

Do you have longtubes or stock manifolds? My car has LTs, so there is a little room to install the thermostat. The cat on a stock manifold car looks to be very close to the adapter area and installation looks like a pain with the stock manifolds/cat in place. One of the two O-rings unseated on my install, caused a big oil leak on initial startup. I recommend some assembly lube or grease to hold them in place, the instructions say the same. Those suckers pop out and it's hard to see.

Michael at Improved Racing mentioned that the thermostat allows for a 10 percent bypass, so the rate should be slightly slower than a permanently bypassed car. I can't get the temp to budge over 180 without driving 70 in 4th for a few minutes, highest I got it to was 196 after driving it like a rental.

bjmsam

...which is why the early-style cooler needs a thermostat!

Thanks for the tip! I have stock manifolds. The highest oil temp I saw with the oil cooler covered was ~225°F. Coolant temps were ~235°F, so the cover comes off and the thermostat goes on.

edmundu

After I removed my oil cooler, I consistently see 180-185 on cooler days. Above 80 it is right around 200. WOT blasts to 160mph, raise the temps by about 15-20 degrees.

I did some roll racing on a 70'ish sunny day, and the oil never exceeded 200. So running drags should not be an issue.

MyLS1Hauls

IMO, the best option for the engine oil system is to install an LS9 style oil cooler/heater. You get the best of both worlds...FAST warm ups, and consistent peak temps. A lot of newer production engines use this type of liquid to liquid cooler.

My LS7 with the earlier air to liquid cooler totally removed, still doesn't warm up nearly as fast as my buddy's ZR1 does, with the oil to coolant heater/cooler.