External Oil Cooler, In the rear fender???? Options

[jr91472]

So I am starting to think about winter projects and it is time to do something about my oil temps for summers here in Texas. I am looking to knock off about 20degs or so.

I am not interested in putting the cooler up front.

Has anyone ever heard or tried to put one in the pax rear fender well. I would think it would be a cooler setup than mounting over the tranny. I haven't completely scoped out how things would route, but I am thinking I would have to cut a hole in the engine tin (forward / right corner - perhaps near the pax J-tube hole) to get the hoses high enough to get above the long. Then cut through the inner fender somewhere just forward of the battery tray to get into the fender well.

This may have bad idea written all over it, so I thought I would through it out there.

Comments or other ideas?

thanks (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beer.gif)

[rickyhgarcia]

Check the June 2004 edition of Excellence Magazine. I am doing the same with my car...passenger side rear fender just ahead of the wheel.

[IronHillRestorations]

I put one in the passenger side rear fender. IIRC it was a 25 row Mocal. The most fun was getting the mounting holes for the brackets (home fab'd) in the correct location. Initially I had a thermostatically controlled fan mounted directly to the cooler, but it ran too much and I guess the motor fried. Either way it did a pretty good job of cooling the 3.0.

[jr91472]

For a non-track car, is an electric fan absolutely necessary?

Also, do you have to use a different oil filter if you use a sandwich adaptor?

[DanT]

Fan couldn't hurt for high ambient temps with stop and go traffic. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Depending on how low your car is you may be able to use the stock length filter. Or you can use a filter with the same diameter in a shorter length.

The length dimension will be the one you need to pay attention to. The correct sandwich adapter will utilize the exact same filter...

[Aaron Cox]

mocal sp1-T? iirc... is what i used. not sure,s o double check on the adapter PN

I notched my engine bar to clear stock length filters

[SirAndy]

For a non-track car, is an electric fan absolutely necessary?

how would you get airflow through it in that location without a fan?
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif) Andy

[jr91472]

For a non-track car, is an electric fan absolutely necessary?

how would you get airflow through it in that location without a fan?
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif) Andy

Well I have seen them mounted above the tranny without fans. It seems like the wheel well would have at least as much air flow and the air should be cooler (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)

could be wrong. I take it you are saying a fan is a must.

[Demick]

For a track car, this would not be a great place to mount the cooler. A track car really needs a front mounted cooler. For a street car, in the fender should be able to work as well as under the rear trunk. Under the rear trunk or in the rear fender, a fan is pretty much a must in order to be effective.

As far as the oil filter. If you just use a sandwich adapter w/o built-in thermostat, you should be able to use the stock filter - though the clutch cable might get in the way. If you use a sandwich adapter with built-in thermostat, the stock filter will hang below the engine bar - which is not recommended.

I have a sandwich adapter with thermostat, and I did quite a bit of research to find an appropriate filter. I settled on the Purolator L22821.

Demick

[rickyhgarcia]

What I intend to do when the cooler is installed, is to direct air to the cooler using the front brake cooling kit from AJUSA. This kit includes a scoop and a hose that is normally attached around the A-arm plus all the hardware necessary for the installation. Since the kit is for a different purpose, obviously some additional work may be required.

BAT in Florida, sells a complete Mocal system for the 914. The system includes all the hoses, a sandwich type termostat, hose fittings and an optional electrical fan. I did not buy the fan, cause I intended to use the AJUSA brake cooling kit.

German Technology, in Euless, will be doing this installation for me. You may want to call Dan Butts at 817-540-0712 and ask him what he is doing on my car about the oil cooler.

[Demick]

I know that Dominic has done an installation in the pass rear fender. A couple of pics are in this thread:

oil cooler thread

[jr91472]

I know that Dominic has done an installation in the pass rear fender. A couple of pics are in this thread:

oil cooler thread

doh...I did a searched but missed that one. thanks!!!!

[jr91472]

German Technology, in Euless, will be doing this installation for me. You may want to call Dan Butts at 817-540-0712 and ask him what he is doing on my car about the oil cooler.

Cool (IMG:style_emoticons/default/boldblue.gif)

Thanks Ricky, I will definetly give Dan a call as he is in my area.

[Brando]

As for the oil cooler in the trans/trunk area working... It wasn't until I mounted a large 12V fan on there that it became effective at cooling. Any oil cooler you put on your car without direct airflow, a fan would be highly reccommended. That is why the front cooler is a logical/effective choice: direct exposure to cooler outside air that vents away.

When you mentioned running it in the passenger rear wheel area I instantly thought like a boxster, with the openings in the sides of the wheel wells that vent into the wheel well. Something like that would be kind of effective, one on each side maybe with scoops?

[IronHillRestorations]

The effectiveness of the cooler depends on size and airflow. A larger cooler with less airflow could work as well as a smaller cooler with better airflow. The venerable 911 21 row brass cooler didn't need much airflow to work well.

How much lower do you need to get your oil temp and what's the hottest you've seen? This would help determine how much oil cooling you really need.

In the 3.0 car I never saw over 210 on a hot (95) day in TN on a long trip.

Dominic's set up looks pretty good, except for the oil line routing. I would'nt feel comfortable mounting an oil line that low. It's above the lowest point of the nut/bolt for the crossbar, but I'd route it higher.

edit - I just reviewed the thread mentioned, and that I sold John Takehara the kit on that white car! It's all Mocal stuff with some custom brackets I fab'd. The only concern I have with the engine lid mount is preheating the air to the engine.

[Dominic]

For a non-track car, is an electric fan absolutely necessary?

Also, do you have to use a different oil filter if you use a sandwich adaptor?

When I installed my oil cooler in the fender, I designed it to work with a fan. I did not see it working very efficiently without one. I could definately tell the difference with the fan on. I could watch the oil temp decrease and the oil press increase. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
It was a tight fit to get it to work in there, but it worked. I wish I had more pictures since I no longer own the car.

Good Luck!

Dominic

[3d914]

Since we're talkin oil coolers for sixes . . .

Has anyone thought of or tried the cooler in the front wheel well ahead of the wheel. I thought of routing the air from both grills (minus the horns) in the front bumper with 4-6" ducting to an enclosed frame for a small cooler that would fit. A fan would seem like a reasonable option depending on how well it performed without one.

Ideas?

[turboman808]

Mine has a oil cooler for the tranny on the drivers side. Would be kinda nice to have a similar oil cooler for the passenger side for the motor. Currently it has a oil cooler built into the trunk for the motor.