C4in mesa

I recently sent a message to a guy on here who is selling a KC4 oil cooler. I did not know that the system uses the cars radiator. I have an automatic transmission so I have to mount another radiator up in front or behind the radiator between the fan and radiator. I am thinking it best to go up front but where ? Using zip ties is not what I want to do. Are there any pics out there of how someone has installed an oil cooler to a automatic L98 ? Another issue was raised that being get a system that has a thermostat rather than running wide open.

Joe C

no sure what you're asking, but the L98 oil cooler has two hoses - one ties into the block near the cooler itself, and the other connects to a metal tube that runs in front of the oil pan, and up the RH side of the engine, and connects, via a tee to the heater hose -

c4cruiser

The KC4 engine oil cooler is plumbed into the cooling system in two places. One hose is connected to a fitting on the driver's side of the block just in front of the filter and the cooler "ring" and uses a 90 degree hose to connect the cooler to the block. The other connection on the cooler uses a pre-bent tube that follows the driver's side oil pan going around the front of the pan where another hose connects to a "tee" fitting that is connected to one of the heater hoses.

The hard part of adding the factory oil cooler is finding the pre-bent pipe and the custom molded hoses.

There is no difference in how the factory cooler is plumbed if the car is a manual or automatic. It has nothing to do with the transmission.

Are you actually looking for a cooler for the transmission fluid? The KC4 cooler is only for engine oil. And some folks say this cooler is more of an engine oil "warmer" as the coolant will come up to operating temp much quicker than the engine oil.

When the LT1 was introduced in '92, the oil cooler was discontinued. Dave McLellan felt that the use of the Mobil-1 synthetic oil made the cooler useless as the full synthetic oil handles heat much better than conventional oil. Dropping the components of the old cooler saved money and saved weight.

Joe C

- the factory oil cooler circulates water thru the block mounted cooler. it does not circulate oil thru any radiator type device.

C4in mesa

I have no idea what the block mounted cooler is ? I thought looking at the diagram (same as the one posted) the lines were directed to cars radiator. Since manual transmissions don't use the radiator for cooling tranny fluid I assumed the engine oil was going to the radiator or some factory oil cooler like aftermarket companies sell. I'm stumped about what a block mounted cooler looks like ?

c4cruiser

No, the hoses simply circulate coolant around that cooler ring above the oil filter.

The 4+3 trans used in 84-88 cars did have lines that circulated the fluid (ATF) in the overdrive unit to the radiator. The connections at the radiator were the same ones that an auto trans car would use. The lines go to the passenger side tank on the radiator and connect just below the pressure cap. The later ZF transmissions don't use any additional cooling for the fluid.

It's certainly possible to add a separate engine oil cooler, but you would have to tap into some place where oil is under pressure and then add a return line back into an oil passage or to the oil pan. The radiator part would have to be mounted somewhere so that there would be air circulation through that unit.

An additional trans cooler can be added and it would be not much different than how a trans cooler would be added to a truck.

Again, if you change to a full synthetic oil, there is no real need for the KC4 cooler. Full synthetic oils can easily handle temperatures over 300 degrees.

C4in mesa

Does anyone have pics of an aftermarket oil cooler installed ? I am curious about where to mount the oil cooler and what has proven to be an effective way to install the system. I am leery of using rubber heat tolerant hoses and will definitely use flex line. The idea of using zip ties to attach the condensor is not what I would go with first. If anyone has a proven installtion I would love to see it.

Joe C

item 14 in the above diagram...

Klyde

The KC4 uses coolant water instead of a radiator. Ties into a heater hose and the engine block near the oil filter. It is a circular device mounted just above the filter that has engine coolant flowing through it. With the introduction of the LT1 they had synthetic oils that could take the heat so they discontinued them but they worked quite well for many years and not just on vettes. Talk to the member and make sure all the parts are there and just get that one.

xrav22

Mabey try one. I like it because my oil gets warm enough to get rid of moisture(216)
and hangs around 215, 240 on very hot days in traffic.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/1984-1985-1986-1987-1988-1991-Corvette-C4-Engine-Oil-Cooler-Option-KC4-/370934650105?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item565d6d94f9&vxp=mtr
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1984-1985-1986-1987-1988-1991-Corvette-C4-Oil-Cooler-Option-KC4-/390623022412?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item5af2f24d4c&vxp=mtr

vetteoz

Except in 84

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c4-t...n-my-84-a.html

vetteoz

Stock installation showing the hoses and hard line under the oil pan mentioned above
( with an aftermarket ext oil cooler adapter mounted between it and the filter )

vetteoz

Typically done using a adapter on the oil filter pad

http://www.summitracing.com/int/part...make/chevrolet

Some versions have a inbuilt thermo stat that prevents flow to the cooler until oil has warmed up

Joe C

no argument here, but the original post clearly stated a L98, not a L83...

C4in mesa

xrav22 says he has the KC4 oil cooler and likes it. Does anyone else have this oil cooler and what is your opinion ? Does anyone have a oil cooler that uses a radiator mounted up front ?

HAD2HAV2

I want to chime in here and don't mean to disturb C4in mensa's post. I own an 88 L-98 and my oil cooler line had a hole warn into the pipe by the suspension moving up and down (hole located toward the top hose connection). I’ve been using heater hoses without it. I want to delete this option so I can remove all the coolant hose I had to run and now I use synthetic oil. Do I need to remover the “cooler part” at the oil filter or do I need to take this cooler off and then plug the block hole?

vetteoz

From my experience once engine is warmed up to operating temp , the cooler will maintain oil temps closer to coolant temp
vs 15 -20 degrees higher running without it
Others have claimed in colder climates it gets the oil temp up faster

You can leave it in place , plug the hole in the block and the hardline connection to the heater return line on pass side shown below
( or run a new return line hose from heater core outlet to the water pump ) and remove your cooler hoses

To remove the cooler completely you need to replace the 2 special bolts used with it that hold the SBC alum block adapter on with reg hex head bolts

HAD2HAV2

Thanks vetteoz. I'll plug at the rear engine outlet to the oil cooler and run a straight hose from the heater to the water pump. No Tee needed anymore.

C4in mensa. Believe me you don't need to mock-up an oil coolant coolant line. The coolant hose Tee connection is in a very difficult location to reach.

383vett

GM calls the unit an oil cooler. Probably a heat exchanger would be a better name. As mentioned before, coolant and oil are separated by plates which allows for the oil to warm up quicker and to stay around the temperature of the coolant when warm. I use one on my bracket car, not to cool the oil, but rather to heat up the oil quicker while the car is in the staging lanes.

C4in mesa

My goal is to ultimately lower overall temps under the hood. I had a long discussion with my friend who had a 1991 manual transmission w/KC4 oil cooler. He suggested that if I explore putting a transmission cooler system up front. The concern first and foremost is space. I do not want to create an issue by affecting the overall airflow to my radiator. Our conclusion is that if the work load on the radiator is reduced by having the transmissin fluid cooled by its own external radiator that will reduce some workload off the radiator. He sggested I call the shop that rebuilt my transmission and ask them for suggestions regarding this issue. The KC4 is another option for the engine oil to get some reduction in temps. If the KC4 could get me 15-20 degree lower oil temps that would be outstanding. vetteoz says it has made that difference and I am impressed. Right now my oil temps run 235-240 degrees driving 2000 rpm's and if I am running 3000 or more rpm's for even a couple minutes the oil temps rise to 250-260. They drop right away once the engine rpm's come back to 1800-2000. I called Castrol about oil temps and they told me not to run oil temps 300 degrees or more for longer than 30 minutes. That is extreme driving ! I think making a change to synthetic motor oil is also in order. Synthetic oil can handle higher temps as well as extend oil changes to 4500 miles. Right now my cost is $18 for Castrol 20W-50 5 quart jug plus $12 for the K&N 2002 oil filter (it is bigger). Mobil 1 is around $45 for a 5 qt jug or close to it. So about the same and I wouldn't have to change the oil as often. I don't mean to bounce all over but the discussion has several issues I feel should be mentioned since they all affect my decision.