Aftermarket oil cooler setup?

[Blue70SS]

Originally Posted by SSSoon

Well, looking up at the fitting that connects to the engine, I saw a little bit of coolant (before I even drained it). Did some searching and found that there is a TSB for this:

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=106513

Some cars had their fittings cross-threaded at the factory.

(gulp)

My car is up on jacks, no coolant in it, no way to get it mobile until I get that fitting out and replace it with the brass plug. God I hope that thing isn't cross-threaded. There is no way for me to even get it to a Chev dealer at this point. I guess I am going to have to eat the cost if I have to get it re-tapped.

In case you need tap info.... (been messing with some catch can thread issues). Several states away from home till Thursday. Earliest I could check the size is Thurs afternoon. BTW, good find on the TSB.

http://www.billavista.com/atv/PDF_In...%20Catalog.pdf

[J-Rod6410]

Originally Posted by SSSoon

Well, looking up at the fitting that connects to the engine, I saw a little bit of coolant (before I even drained it). Did some searching and found that there is a TSB for this:

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=106513

Some cars had their fittings cross-threaded at the factory.

(gulp)

My car is up on jacks, no coolant in it, no way to get it mobile until I get that fitting out and replace it with the brass plug. God I hope that thing isn't cross-threaded. There is no way for me to even get it to a Chev dealer at this point. I guess I am going to have to eat the cost if I have to get it re-tapped.

My car leaked coolant from Day 1 back in 09 and dealer never could fix it. Took it 3 times and always still leaked, but threads looked ok and I dont think there was a tap available at the time. I just bought another block plug and coated it with "The Right Stuff" brand automotive silicone and never had an issue with the coolant pipe leaking. Once I removed the oil cooler a few months ago I installed the GM threaded block plug and also put the silicone on it and its sealed. Just make sure you clean the threads and suck out the coolant from the block to where its lower than the opening. The silicone will be ready in 15-20 minutes for coolant

[SSSoon]

Originally Posted by J-Rod6410

My car leaked coolant from Day 1 back in 09 and dealer never could fix it. Took it 3 times and always still leaked, but threads looked ok and I dont think there was a tap available at the time. I just bought another block plug and coated it with "The Right Stuff" brand automotive silicone and never had an issue with the coolant pipe leaking. Once I removed the oil cooler a few months ago I installed the GM threaded block plug and also put the silicone on it and its sealed. Just make sure you clean the threads and suck out the coolant from the block to where its lower than the opening. The silicone will be ready in 15-20 minutes for coolant

My fear is that the threads are crossed and that I won't be able to get the plug in. There is a guy on the "coolant leak" thread who had to have his block replace when multiple attempts to tap it out failed(!!) I can't take that chance. I put her back together again, figured out a clever way to cap the hose coming out of that fitting temporarily, and am taking it in to my friendly neighborhood Chev dealer for this to be done under warranty tomorrow AM. Service manager is a great guy there and I explained the whole thing, he is very supportive.

[J-Rod6410]

Originally Posted by SSSoon

My fear is that the threads are crossed and that I won't be able to get the plug in. There is a guy on the "coolant leak" thread who had to have his block replace when multiple attempts to tap it out failed(!!) I can't take that chance. I put her back together again, figured out a clever way to cap the hose coming out of that fitting temporarily, and am taking it in to my friendly neighborhood Chev dealer for this to be done under warranty tomorrow AM. Service manager is a great guy there and I explained the whole thing, he is very supportive.

Well if you have the option to get it covered under warranty then by all means that would be your best option.

I didn't have that option anymore as they threw me under the bus when they heard the cam sound lol!

Good luck to ya and hope it works out!

Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 a 1/4 mile at a time

[SSSoon]

Well, it all ended well. The threads in the engine block were not cross-threaded, but teflon was screwed up. So, that's the end of that drama.

Got the cooler installed and it all looks good. I bought some 1/16th angle aluminum from Lowe's to attach the mounting clamps to - that's the shiny metal piece bolted to the crossbar up front in one of the pics. Then there were some leftover bolt holes from where the OEM oil cooler unbolted that fit perfectly for attaching other mounting clamps to.

Drove around a while tonight in cool (45 degree) weather, and the oil temp stayed around 210 once the coolant was in the 190-200 degree range. I am pretty sure that ambient oil temp I used to have was more like 230-240 but obviously I am not comparing apples to apples because I don't know for sure. The real test will be on the track, where my instructor mentioned my oil temps being >300 briefly after 20 minutes in November on VIR. So, will see what happens next time I am on the track.

I also installed a SLP chin spoiler to push more air into the engine bay. I have Hex Vents up top so it has somewhere to escape, too. I figured this would improve the cooling of whatever configuration I ended up with by forcing more air in there.

FYI, BIG props to Michael at Improved Racing where I got the stuff. Super knowledgeable and helpful, and great guy. Would definitely recommend them as a supplier for these parts.

If I had to do it over again, I would only order 2 high temp mounting clamps instead of 4, and I would order 3 low-temp mounting clamps instead of 2 (one clamp behind the bumper to keep one hose behind the bumper, two on the aluminum angle bracket in the pic do not need to be high temp). I would probably also have ordered only 12 feet of hose instead of 15, but depending on where you place the cooler maybe 12 would be tight. I would also not have ordered a 25-row high cooler because the top 1.5 inches or so are blocked by the bumper. Go with a slightly less tall cooler, and it will be a little cheaper. But other than that, it all worked out.

Oh, and save yourself some stress: CHECK FOR LEAKS at the fitting on the engine BEFORE you start ripping anything out

[Blue70SS]

Originally Posted by SSSoon

Well, it all ended well. The threads in the engine block were not cross-threaded, but teflon was screwed up. So, that's the end of that drama.

Got the cooler installed and it all looks good. I bought some 1/16th angle aluminum from Lowe's to attach the mounting clamps to - that's the shiny metal piece bolted to the crossbar up front in one of the pics. Then there were some leftover bolt holes from where the OEM oil cooler unbolted that fit perfectly for attaching other mounting clamps to.

Drove around a while tonight in cool (45 degree) weather, and the oil temp stayed around 210 once the coolant was in the 190-200 degree range. I am pretty sure that ambient oil temp I used to have was more like 230-240 but obviously I am not comparing apples to apples because I don't know for sure. The real test will be on the track, where my instructor mentioned my oil temps being >300 briefly after 20 minutes in November on VIR. So, will see what happens next time I am on the track.

I also installed a SLP chin spoiler to push more air into the engine bay. I have Hex Vents up top so it has somewhere to escape, too. I figured this would improve the cooling of whatever configuration I ended up with by forcing more air in there.

FYI, BIG props to Michael at Improved Racing where I got the stuff. Super knowledgeable and helpful, and great guy. Would definitely recommend them as a supplier for these parts.

If I had to do it over again, I would only order 2 high temp mounting clamps instead of 4, and I would order 3 low-temp mounting clamps instead of 2 (one clamp behind the bumper to keep one hose behind the bumper, two on the aluminum angle bracket in the pic do not need to be high temp). I would probably also have ordered only 12 feet of hose instead of 15, but depending on where you place the cooler maybe 12 would be tight. I would also not have ordered a 25-row high cooler because the top 1.5 inches or so are blocked by the bumper. Go with a slightly less tall cooler, and it will be a little cheaper. But other than that, it all worked out.

Oh, and save yourself some stress: CHECK FOR LEAKS at the fitting on the engine BEFORE you start ripping anything out

Glad it worked out.... don't forget your temp won't change on your OEM Oil Temp Gauge, since it's a "derived #".

[SSSoon]

Originally Posted by Blue70SS

Glad it worked out.... don't forget your temp won't change on your OEM Oil Temp Gauge, since it's a "derived #".

You know, I re-read that G8 thread where the guy did all his careful measurement work. Kinda irks me to think that I am going to be driving around some day on the track and the oil temp gauge will hit 300 and I won't know what the real temp is. But you know, it's gonna be well below 300.

The other thing that occurred to me is that this is going to make the stock coolant system work better. It used to be that the stock rad was responsible for dispersing the heat from the engine via coolant and the heat from the oil (via coolant too). By cutting out the oil cooler / coolant loop, the stock rad now has less heat to disperse. It should be able to keep the engine cooler, I am thinking. I know a few of the ZL1 guys have had temperature problems where the engine gets so hot it pulls timing. There are replacement radiators that can help solve this. DeWitt's Radiator sells one that is twice as thick as the OEM rad, and comes with an integrated transmission cooler. Apparently the rad extends further into the engine bay, so it would be compatible with setups like mine that clip a supercharger intercooler in front of the OEM rad.

But I do think there are some other solutions to improving the efficiency of the OEM rad. For me, Hex Vents help get more air out of the engine bay, and have a documented beneficial effect on IATs. A chin splitter gets more air into the radiator area at speed, so that will help. And the Vette guys I know always take off the rubber strip at the very back of the hood on track days, which lets air flow out the back of the engine bay and into an area of low pressure at the base of the windshield, which should actually suck more air out. I also opened up my mail slot with the ACS kit, to feed more air into the engine bay. Gotta say, that's a lot of small pieces to get the engine cooler but I am willing to bet that they all add up.

JusticePete recommends wrapping headers, and I am still kicking myself for not getting coated headers last fall. Ah well. I guess I could still wrap if I got up the energy to do it.

I think I might just declare the war on heat won for now, and maybe add a temp gauge at some point.

My next big concern is oil starvation. Happily, the extra few quarts in the oil cooler should help with that. But I have been mulling over an Accusump, too;

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showpo...&postcount=489

I am guessing I would just unplug the return line from the oil cooler at the point where it connects to the adapter, and mate it up to a line going up to the Accusump. Then, would have the Accusump return into the oil cooler adapter that would just feed straight into the engine. Hmm...

[NinoSS]

Originally Posted by SSSoon

You know, I re-read that G8 thread where the guy did all his careful measurement work. Kinda irks me to think that I am going to be driving around some day on the track and the oil temp gauge will hit 300 and I won't know what the real temp is. But you know, it's gonna be well below 300.

The other thing that occurred to me is that this is going to make the stock coolant system work better. It used to be that the stock rad was responsible for dispersing the heat from the engine via coolant and the heat from the oil (via coolant too). By cutting out the oil cooler / coolant loop, the stock rad now has less heat to disperse. It should be able to keep the engine cooler, I am thinking. I know a few of the ZL1 guys have had temperature problems where the engine gets so hot it pulls timing. There are replacement radiators that can help solve this. DeWitt's Radiator sells one that is twice as thick as the OEM rad, and comes with an integrated transmission cooler. Apparently the rad extends further into the engine bay, so it would be compatible with setups like mine that clip a supercharger intercooler in front of the OEM rad.

But I do think there are some other solutions to improving the efficiency of the OEM rad. For me, Hex Vents help get more air out of the engine bay, and have a documented beneficial effect on IATs. A chin splitter gets more air into the radiator area at speed, so that will help. And the Vette guys I know always take off the rubber strip at the very back of the hood on track days, which lets air flow out the back of the engine bay and into an area of low pressure at the base of the windshield, which should actually suck more air out. I also opened up my mail slot with the ACS kit, to feed more air into the engine bay. Gotta say, that's a lot of small pieces to get the engine cooler but I am willing to bet that they all add up.

JusticePete recommends wrapping headers, and I am still kicking myself for not getting coated headers last fall. Ah well. I guess I could still wrap if I got up the energy to do it.

I think I might just declare the war on heat won for now, and maybe add a temp gauge at some point.

My next big concern is oil starvation. Happily, the extra few quarts in the oil cooler should help with that. But I have been mulling over an Accusump, too;

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showpo...&postcount=489

I am guessing I would just unplug the return line from the oil cooler at the point where it connects to the adapter, and mate it up to a line going up to the Accusump. Then, would have the Accusump return into the oil cooler adapter that would just feed straight into the engine. Hmm...

Nice write up!!!

[Blue70SS]

Originally Posted by SSSoon

You know, I re-read that G8 thread where the guy did all his careful measurement work. Kinda irks me to think that I am going to be driving around some day on the track and the oil temp gauge will hit 300 and I won't know what the real temp is. But you know, it's gonna be well below 300.

The other thing that occurred to me is that this is going to make the stock coolant system work better. It used to be that the stock rad was responsible for dispersing the heat from the engine via coolant and the heat from the oil (via coolant too). By cutting out the oil cooler / coolant loop, the stock rad now has less heat to disperse. It should be able to keep the engine cooler, I am thinking. I know a few of the ZL1 guys have had temperature problems where the engine gets so hot it pulls timing. There are replacement radiators that can help solve this. DeWitt's Radiator sells one that is twice as thick as the OEM rad, and comes with an integrated transmission cooler. Apparently the rad extends further into the engine bay, so it would be compatible with setups like mine that clip a supercharger intercooler in front of the OEM rad.

But I do think there are some other solutions to improving the efficiency of the OEM rad. For me, Hex Vents help get more air out of the engine bay, and have a documented beneficial effect on IATs. A chin splitter gets more air into the radiator area at speed, so that will help. And the Vette guys I know always take off the rubber strip at the very back of the hood on track days, which lets air flow out the back of the engine bay and into an area of low pressure at the base of the windshield, which should actually suck more air out. I also opened up my mail slot with the ACS kit, to feed more air into the engine bay. Gotta say, that's a lot of small pieces to get the engine cooler but I am willing to bet that they all add up.

JusticePete recommends wrapping headers, and I am still kicking myself for not getting coated headers last fall. Ah well. I guess I could still wrap if I got up the energy to do it.

I think I might just declare the war on heat won for now, and maybe add a temp gauge at some point.

My next big concern is oil starvation. Happily, the extra few quarts in the oil cooler should help with that. But I have been mulling over an Accusump, too;

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showpo...&postcount=489

I am guessing I would just unplug the return line from the oil cooler at the point where it connects to the adapter, and mate it up to a line going up to the Accusump. Then, would have the Accusump return into the oil cooler adapter that would just feed straight into the engine. Hmm...

"And the Vette guys I know always take off the rubber strip at the very back of the hood on track days, which lets air flow out the back of the engine bay and into an area of low pressure at the base of the windshield, which should actually suck more air out."......... totally agree - took mine off a year ago and no problems (just don't stick a water hose in there washing it, plus got the chin splitter. Didn't know about the ACS mailslot kit.... but might go with the LPE raised hood that has the 2 extra slots later anyway if I go stroked and change the RDS 1/2" supercharger thermal spacer to a 1" (hence needing more hood hieght). Also might change out to the Lingenfelter oil adapter kit, since it has a port to add a temp sensor and hook it to one of the 3 analog inputs still available on my Aeroforce dual gauges. Thanks for the feedback.

[SSSoon]

Originally Posted by Blue70SS

Also might change out to the Lingenfelter oil adapter kit, since it has a port to add a temp sensor and hook it to one of the 3 analog inputs still available on my Aeroforce dual gauges.

The oil adapter kit I bought has a port to add a temp sensor too. I just haven't got the enthusiasm to do anything about it right now. Installing race seats and roll bars has been way more work than I figured...

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showth...34#post6448634

[CHMSC]

So have a question. Where do we need to hook up the oil cooler lines? I was told they run into the radiator as well? I haven't look at it yet to figure it out just thought I would ask and get some direction before hand.

[SSSoon]

Originally Posted by CHMSC

So have a question. Where do we need to hook up the oil cooler lines? I was told they run into the radiator as well? I haven't look at it yet to figure it out just thought I would ask and get some direction before hand.

Read the thread from the beginning. Has complete details. OEM lines run from engine block to radiator coolant hose. You disconnect from coolant hose, replace that hose, disconnect from engine block, install aftermarket adapter, install lines install aftermarket remote oil cooler.

[CHMSC]

Originally Posted by SSSoon

Read the thread from the beginning. Has complete details. OEM lines run from engine block to radiator coolant hose. You disconnect from coolant hose, replace that hose, disconnect from engine block, install aftermarket adapter, install lines install aftermarket remote oil cooler.

Ah Thanx haven't read this thread in a while guess I forgot it was there.

[BC 2010]

I have install oil cooler in front of radiator with #10 lines.Factory temp gauge was
reading 290+running at Fontana speed way.Install after market oil temp gauge.and compare to factory at same time, I can you tell just driving local the factory gauge
is reading 25+degrees hotter than after market oil temp gauge.I will see at Spring
Mountain Track in couple weeks what the oil temp will be running hard.Ask dealer to
replace O.T.G. because its not accurate,still waiting for answer.