On the 2nd oil cooler, heading to 3rd

[StreetSnake]

Any suggestions on this. I have an Earl's oil cooler. The 1st one developed a crack and was leaking oil. I exchanged it and installed the second. Less than 300 miles and it has developed the same issue. On the 1st and 2nd one I was running XP4 (15-50) oil. I just now switched to Royal Purple 5 or 10-30. I was thinking that the XP4 oil was so thick that when the oil was cool and the pressure behind it (60 psi), that it cracked it. Is my logic correct on this. Also, just now, I've installed a canton oil thermostat to bring the oil temp up.

[Calbullet]

where's the leak at?? from the core or at a fitting. if the leak is from a fitting, check your lines. they might be putting too much of a strain there.

[StreetSnake]

From the core, the fittings seem fine.

[Rick Parker]

Check the way it is mounted. It is best to keep the outer tabs in compression with a spacer, and isolate with a rubber mount if possible. If you are mounting it by the lower tabs only, vibration or twist may also be involved.

[StreetSnake]

Never thought about the potential twisting. It is mounted by the lower tabs only. Would a rubber spacer help with this?

[lineslinger]

Originally Posted by StreetSnake

Never thought about the potential twisting. It is mounted by the lower tabs only. Would a rubber spacer help with this?

The spacer/material Rick speaks or will help absorb/insulate some of the torque administered by any twisting action as well as deadening some of the vibration.

[Jerry Clayton]

mount it so you only use 3 points, then you won't get the twisting effect

[Jac Mac]

Biff the stupid thing & fit something like this- at least you can clean it if something goes astray bearing wise. Fits in lower hose between lower rad & water pump. We were like you, heading for cooler #3 when I decided enough was enough & fabricated this piece. You can leave the old cooler with a couple of dummy hoses if ' look's' are a concern.

[ERA Chas]

Jac,
Very slick and beautifully fabbed. Do you have a shot of it in the car?
Does 'biff' mean 'chuck-it'?

[Jac Mac]

Originally Posted by ERA Chas

Jac,
Very slick and beautifully fabbed. Do you have a shot of it in the car?
Does 'biff' mean 'chuck-it'?

Think I do somewhere Chas, but its in a TVR, not that a Cobra would present a problem-- you do need to have a lower radiator outlet on opposite side from water pump hose fitting to make it 'look' presentable if fitting across the car if space is a factor. I'll see if I can find fitted pic of it & post later.

' biff ', you got it!

[ERA Chas]

Originally Posted by Jac Mac

Think I do somewhere Chas, but its in a TVR, not that a Cobra would present a problem-- you do need to have a lower radiator outlet on opposite side from water pump hose fitting to make it 'look' presentable if fitting across the car if space is a factor. I'll see if I can find fitted pic of it & post later.

' biff ', you got it!

TVR's even better! And I do have that hose layout...
I like that your design actually heats cold oil with faster-warming coolant. Then keeps oil close to coolant temp. GM did that with the later model C-word.
Please do post if you find a shot.
Thanks,

[Jac Mac]

Added pics in post #8 above, installed pic is only one I have & taken from below. Note the finely machined piece of oregon used as a spacer on LHS----needs must!!!

[Rick Parker]

Look closely you can see the 1/2" aluminum rod, cut to fit and drilled & tapped 1/4" NC top & bottom. It keeps the entire assemblyfrom twisting or moving. Bottom bolts (out of sight) go through 3/16" black mounting tab through the ear of the cooler and into the rod. It is solid.

[CowtownCobra]

Just my opinion, but an oil cooler is really a cosmetic item to give the 'authentic' look, functionally they make very little difference to 99% of these cars. Go back to a regular oil filter setup and tie up the ends of the oil cooler lines out of sight behind something.

[ERA Chas]

Thanks Jac,
Am studying pic intently. Although I can see it, I must also look up 'oregon' in my NZ translation guide...
Also, I see the in and out lines to the unit but what is the large (-12?) line in the foreground?

[Jac Mac]

Chas, lines in/out of cooler are both -12. The 'large' line in pic is also -12 scavenge from pan to pump. Just camera position that has made it appear larger. NZ-oregon- is a timber/tree type out here, probably got a fancy botanical type name that I cannot remember at moment

To save you the stress I could draw up a set of plans if you want to fabricate your own-- need a lathe,mill,drill press etc.

[mpanten]

This may be a dumb question but why are you worried about an oil cooler installing a thermostat to bring the oil temp up?

[StreetSnake]

Intially when I built my cobra, I really liked the look of the oil cooler in the front. At the time I didn't want to just put a "dummy" on so I went ahead and ran all the lines. -10 at the time, then sheared a distributor gear and the engine builder recommended switching to -12. So I did all that and realized my engine was not getting up to temp like I wanted to see. Sooo, I put in a oil thermostat to bypass the oil cooler unless oil temp got greater than 215 degrees F. Seemed to do the trick. Looking back, it was a ton of time, money, and frustration to have the "look". If I'd do it again, it would be a dummy. So now I'll added some rubber spacer for vibration and rods to tie the top and bottom together and call it a day. Hopefully!!!

[mpanten]

what temp was it getting up to?

[StreetSnake]

70 degrees Cel. I wanted to see it between 90 - 110. Thats what I understand as a good range. I got a big chunk of cash in the motor (from my standards) and I want to make sure I take good care of it.