### Oil Cooler Thermostat?

[sspano01]

Hi

I am adding an oil cooler to my Cobra as part of a winter upgrade. This is more for the "look" rather than the actual operation of it.

That being said, I'll run the oil through it anyway.

Someone told me that I have to use a thermostat/bypass for it - otherwise the cold oil pressure would blow the hoses off the oil cooler and/or the oil cooler would not be able to flow with the cold oil?

This doesnt sound right. I imagine the bypass would help keep the oil up to temperature in cold weather/winter - but I dont drive the Cobra that much in the snow (well - ok - there was that one day!).

my plan was basically just to run one big loop from the engine-filter-cooler and back to the engine. I already have a remote oil filter with hoses and have had no issue.

I already looked on the forum and saw a few folks using bypass valves, but that seemed mostly for temperature issues?

I just want to make sure I don't have some kind of resitriction/pressure issue with the cooler if I do not use a bypass valve.

thanks

[Grubby]

I used the Canton t stat / bypass. The plumbing was a bit of a hassle, but it looks and works well. Oil temp is maintained at a reasonable level even in 30 degree temps.

I can supply pictures of my ERA install if needed.

Like you, I like the look of the oil cooler and know it is not needed.

John

[Barnsnake]

If you only race, or drive in Phoenix in the summer, you don't need a thermostat. For most every other circumstance the thermostat will prevent over-cooling of the oil. Cold oil doesn't flow well or provide optimal lubrication. It is also slow to drive off condensation. A combination of higher viscosity and cold oil is also very tough on the oil pump drive on the distributor.

An option is to plumb "dummy" lines on the cooler for now and you can add an oil thermostat and "live" plumbing later.

[elmariachi]

Don't know about cold oil blowing any hoses off, but the primary purpose of the thermostat is to prevent engine oil temps from running too low, which is not good for the engine.

For example if the t-stat opens at 200F then until the oil gets to 200F, its not circulated through the cooler (because it doesn't need to be cooled). Once the t-stat opens oil will flow through the cooler until it gets back down to 200F (or whatever the rated close temp is). You need to do some research on what you want you optimum oil temps to be for your engine and application before buying the parts.

[ERA 778]

Search this site for other threads about oil coolers and thermostats. When I did that it seemed that the only t'stat that could be trusted was the Canton unit, so that's what I used. Also, just like the other two comments above, you need it to keep the oil HOT enough except under racing conditions.

If I were doing it again, I might just dummy up the oil cooler plumbing and make it look like I was using it, but just run the oil through the remote filter and back to the engine. My oil runs very cool right now, even with the thermostat. I'll have to wait for summer to see if it works well enough to keep it in place in the heat of South Carolina.

[sspano01]

thanks for the ideas. i was figuring i would not get too much cooling with such a tiny oil cooler, so i was hoping the temperature would not drop too much.

i actually thought of the "dummy it up" idea - and then discounted it.
but now that two people brought up the idea! maybe that is what i will do
I really only wanted it for the "look".

and then I can keep some peace of mind i guess that my oil isnt running through five more feet of rubber/connections/etc

thanks again guys

[Rick Parker]

There is quite a bit of overall heat radiated by the hoses too.

[bobcowan]

Originally Posted by Barnsnake

If you only race, or drive in Phoenix in the summer, you don't need a thermostat. For most every other circumstance the thermostat will prevent over-cooling of the oil. Cold oil doesn't flow well or provide optimal lubrication. It is also slow to drive off condensation. A combination of higher viscosity and cold oil is also very tough on the oil pump drive on the distributor.

An option is to plumb "dummy" lines on the cooler for now and you can add an oil thermostat and "live" plumbing later.

This is excellent advice.

Originally Posted by elmariachi

Don't know about cold oil blowing any hoses off, but the primary purpose of the thermostat is to prevent engine oil temps from running too low, which is not good for the engine.

For example if the t-stat opens at 200F then until the oil gets to 200F, its not circulated through the cooler (because it doesn't need to be cooled). Once the t-stat opens oil will flow through the cooler until it gets back down to 200F (or whatever the rated close temp is). You need to do some research on what you want you optimum oil temps to be for your engine and application before buying the parts.

Cold oil can damage the cooler if you blip the throttle too high. That sudden surge can cause damage. But if you're careful about driving easy until the oil gets up to temp, it will be OK.

When fully closed, the thermostat will allow about 10% of the oil to flow through the cooler. That allows all of the oil in the system to warm up at the same rate. The down side of that is on a cold day you'll never get the oil up to operating temps.

When fully open the thermostat flows about 90% of the oil through the cooler. That helps prevent pressure loss.

There is a manual thermostat available that can be shut off completely. It's carved from billit alum, and is not cheap.