sandwich oil cooler adapter and oil cooler questions Options

[type47]

After track sessions this past weekend, oil temps as indicated by a dipstick thermometer (Mainely Custom item) indicated temps of about 252 F after 20 minute sessions (ambient temps in the 60's). The engine is a Euro D-Jet with 20-50 Brad Penn. The engine that was in the car when I bought it (not the same engine as in the car now) has a sandwich oil cooler adapter and the oil cooler is still mounted on the car and I think I will hook it up again. Two questions; first is the indentification of the outlet and inlet on the adapter; which is which or how do I figure out which one the oil should exit from and which should the oil return. Second, on a radiator style oil cooler, do you hook it up so that oil goes in the "top" and filters/goes down the coils and exits out the bottom connection or goes in the bottom and pressure feeds up the cooler and exits out the top to return? TIA

[pcar916]

From the oil filter's perspective oil will flow from the outside to the middle and then into the engine. Now I'm just thinking I'm pretty slack for not knowing if the oil flows through the filter before or after it goes through the cooler. There are no marks that show direction?

If I were designing the adapter oil would be filtered before it's cooled. That'll protect my cooler as well.

What I don't know is whether the ball would close off/open up the sandwich adapter and return all oil to the engine if...
1. the oil cooler or filter were clogged (huge pressure increase) or
2. the oil filter or cooler were punctured (huge pressure drop)

I suspect #1 to be the case but #2 could equally catastrophic. One ball couldn't do both

The engine wouldn't "care". That entire assembly is a "black box" as far as the it's concerned.

I don't know why the ball would fall out, but if the retainer won't keep it in there I'd replace it. Whether #1 or #2 is true, it won't do either!

So much for thinking out-loud, I have reading to do! It appears I've installed a device into my car that I don't fully understand. That's just embarrassing.

The oil cooler on the other hand functions the same in either direction. But that one looks like an automatic transmission cooler. The oil won't stay in there very long. Most high viscosity oil coolers use more complicated passageways to keep the oil in it longer so it can transfer more heat to the atmosphere. Might be just fine though. You're right though, it's upside down in this pic.

Good luck!