Will an oil cooler really lower engine temp.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2002
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From: Silver City NM
St. Jude Donor '05-'07
As for the LS-1 ENGINE ..."As with LT1/4s, no oil cooler is available and the factory fill will be synthetic oil."
So Chevy engineers are just as smart/dumb as the rest of us smart/dumb folks.
Dep
Thread Starter
Team Owner
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From: Columbia Missouri
Le Mans Master
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From: Lebanon Township New Jersey
First - I don't believe a street car needs an oil cooler.
Second - Oil temps have got to be higher than water temp. Water is the coolant, not oil. Water is exposed to air thru the radiator. Oil has no such opportunity to be cooled below the engine parts it comes in contact with.
Also, I have a C5. Oil temp can be read from the Driver Information Center (not a separate gauge). Whenever I check it, the oil temp is about 5 degrees above water temp.
Second - Oil temps have got to be higher than water temp. Water is the coolant, not oil. Water is exposed to air thru the radiator. Oil has no such opportunity to be cooled below the engine parts it comes in contact with.
Also, I have a C5. Oil temp can be read from the Driver Information Center (not a separate gauge). Whenever I check it, the oil temp is about 5 degrees above water temp.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 5,714
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From: Silver City NM
St. Jude Donor '05-'07
The poll is actually written incorrectly. It should say "Is an external oil cooler necessary for most Vettes"? We all already know/knew it DOES lower oil temps. Nothing like skewing the results. Hey DB...do you work for the LA Times???
Dep
Dep
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Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 851
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From: Palm City, FL
I have an oil temp gauge in my Camaro and it consistantly reads ~20* hotter than the coolant temp. The same goes for my Friend's Firebird and another friends rice burner.
I'm not saying that others aren't seeing the exact opposite, but I don't understand how it is possible for the oil to be cooler than the engine...
I'm not saying that others aren't seeing the exact opposite, but I don't understand how it is possible for the oil to be cooler than the engine...
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 127
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From: Miami FL
my daily driver a 2000 ford crown victoria police interceptor has a oil cooler, tranny cooler and power steering cooler. all ima say is that i've sat idling in miami 90 degree weather with the a/c on for 2-3 hours without any of the gages moving. these interceptors are made to basically run all day long 8 hour shifts wiht not much turning off?! so the oil cooler does help in these extreme situations, and also in racing aplications but for a street car, i'd say waste of money. better off getting a tranny cooler if you're running an auto.
Racer
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 417
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From: Swansea IL
They do work!
The pole asked if engine oil coolers worked. Didn't put any specific conditions on the question or answer.
Engine oil coolers definately work. They will drop the oil temp by 20 degrees if properly located in clean air.
The other condition that the question didn't ask was "What type of engine oil cooler?" Liquid-to-air or Liquid-to-liquid.
With a liquid-to-liquid, you won't see the oil temp drop below coolant temp cause the coolant is the medium where heat is being transfered to.
With a liquid-to-air, you can cool the oil considerably more than the coolant type if your speed is kept up. When you do that, you can actually see the coolant temp come down as well.
You really don't want you oil temp below 212 F cause you need to boil the moisture out of the oil.
Now, to the real question. Do you need on for the street? No.
Do you need one if you run in occasional competitions? It wouldn't hurt but not necessary. You might want to change your oil more often.
If you run on larger race tracks, I would definately install one and run synthetic oil to boot. It will virtually stop internal component wear.
My opinion.
Bob
Engine oil coolers definately work. They will drop the oil temp by 20 degrees if properly located in clean air.
The other condition that the question didn't ask was "What type of engine oil cooler?" Liquid-to-air or Liquid-to-liquid.
With a liquid-to-liquid, you won't see the oil temp drop below coolant temp cause the coolant is the medium where heat is being transfered to.
With a liquid-to-air, you can cool the oil considerably more than the coolant type if your speed is kept up. When you do that, you can actually see the coolant temp come down as well.
You really don't want you oil temp below 212 F cause you need to boil the moisture out of the oil.
Now, to the real question. Do you need on for the street? No.
Do you need one if you run in occasional competitions? It wouldn't hurt but not necessary. You might want to change your oil more often.
If you run on larger race tracks, I would definately install one and run synthetic oil to boot. It will virtually stop internal component wear.
My opinion.
Bob
Le Mans Master
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As to how the poll is stated. An oil cooler would drop OIL temp. Since I have a 195* stat, and it runs at 200*, I doubt if running it thru dry ice would lower the ENGINE temp.
Of course, my 81 has a "take a kid fishing" motor.
Of course, my 81 has a "take a kid fishing" motor.
Former Vendor
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 5,593
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From: Brighton
I don't understand why your subject is stated that way because oil coolers are for cooling the OIL, not the Engine. And why do you ask about "external" coolers only and not internal type.
I think the general consensus is that EOC's (internal or external) are not required for everyday driver cars and I will 2nd that conclusion. Engine oil doesn't start to burn until about 260f, and you will never get to that point with mild racing or hard driving. Synthetic oils will even go higher without doing damage to the mineral properties and that's really the only purpose of EOC's. The goal is to protect the oil from getting scortch or burned during very, very hard core racing.
My experience with EOC's is mainly with C5 & C6 racing. These cars are pushed to the limit, and oil temps can exceed 300f without an eoc. When we add the internal eoc to the radiator the oil temps drop 30 degrees or 270ish. This saves the synthetic oil in those cases and I would say the EOC was successful in doing what it was sapposed to do. Waste of money? Not at all.
Would everyone benefit from an EOC? No! Especially the ones that think it is for cooling down the motor. These are not ENGINE coolers, they are engine OIL coolers and that's all they will do.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 2,662
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From: Knoxville Tennessee
My 92 with mobile 1 syn oil ran much higher than engine temp until I installed a B & M Stacked plate cooler which I mounted behind the fans, not in front of the A/C condensor and the oil temp dropped 20 degrees, which is where I want to see it operate. I don't think all cars need them and I wouln't install one until I installed a temp guage to see where it is running. And engine oil does help cool the bottom end of an engine and synthetic oil does it better. An easy way to lower oil temp a little is install a larger oil pan. I ran a 7 qt. pan on my 79 and didn't need a cooler. Just my experience with my cars.
Bernie
Bernie
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From: Columbia Missouri
Please, no get the impression that this is to prove a point or personal opinion that oil coolers are the best option. This is merely an exploratory poll to get the opinions of people who do and don't use external oil coolers and what their results have been and why. Not a personal opinion so I won't be arguing with anyone over their answer.
Interesting though...it's 50/50 right now.
Interesting though...it's 50/50 right now.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2006
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Racer
Joined: Nov 1999
Posts: 331
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From: La porte Texas
I have a 1 ton dually/454/4.10 gear that I towed a 40' gooseneck with lounge and race car . 22k lbs. gvw .( truck scales coming from race in Memphis )It came from the general with both oil and trans cooler . It needed it . Nothing else ( including eleven vettes ) I have owned had it or needed it .