Oil Cooler Thermostats, Troutman or Mocal? Options

[race914]

Looking at two oil cooler thermostats and would like the "non club's" experiences, good or bad with Mocal v.s. Troutman.

Don't want to bias your input with what I currently have, or what I've heard, but would like some objective input from you guys who have used them....

Mocal


Troutman



Wondering about quality, reliability, options and/or ease of mounting, failures, etc.

Don't want to make a change without the benefit of everyone's experience!

Thanks in advance for your opinions...

[StratPlayer]

I've been running a mocal for almost 4 yrs now without one problem at all.

[brant]

Greg,

sorry.. not trying to hijack your thread.
but we run NO thermostat on the race car.
for weight and less obstruction.

brant

[Joe Bob]

A thermostat is a good idea in ALL cases in my opinion. A big slug of cold oil can cause a leak in fittings, lines or an external cooler.......that being said.....I use MOCALs......I used a Troutman once. It was fine, I got it used on the car that I bought and it went on "Manfred" my 914/6 vintage racer that I never raced but sold.....

As to sources.....BAT Inc is the best around but out on the east coast.

If you need a -10AN Dave at GPR has one I returned as I ordered a -12AN and they shipped the wrong one. 800-321-5432 ext 502.

[Trekkor]

I like my Mocal.

-12's.


KT

[Gary]

I need to do this too. It's getting cool in the PNW.

I read a thread on PP a while back that suggested factory or Troutman, which uses the factory internals, b/c the factory still allows some flow even when cold, decreasing the stress on the cooler when first opening.

I like the looks of the Mocal for ease of splicing into my existing lines.

[GeorgeRud]

I've also had great results with the Mocal (-12) on my -6. I would mount it back by the engine though to minimize the length that you have to pump the oil before the thermostat opens up.

[J P Stein]

Troutman, but they are not as cheep as Mocal.....nor are Fluidyne coolers as cheep as Mocal. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)
A fall rerun.

[Aaron Cox]

i use a mocal...

all of em allow a little bit of oil to circulate when cold....

[Brad Roberts]

I vote for none. You live in CA. Not Alaska. Start the car 10min before pre-grid and be done with it.

Warm up is for cars that need to come off of cold start quickly for emissions (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)


B

[IronHillRestorations]

For a CA car, I'm with Brad on this. If you feel you must have one, the Mocal will do fine, and much easier to fit than the Troutman. The Mocal does bypass some oil to the cooler circuit BTW.

[Heeltoe914]

I Would never again run a car without a thermostat to a front cooler, I tried it and lost points in to racing events when the cooler popped. And at another event which was a night race came into the pits with the motor running great, nice and cool, take the mandatory five min. pit stop, jump into the car and gave it gas and pop goes the cooler, (no thermostat) did a quick bypass but what a PITA that was.
Willow springs and Buttonwillow can get very cold Calif, or not. If you have a motor that can push 60-80 psi + with a cool running motor, Under 210 like my 3.2 why would you worry about 1.5pds. I like to do things the way the factory intended it to be done. IMHO
High RPM = high pressure. Think about it, a thermostat is cheap long term insurance.
Mocal is a good unit but the Throutman is a step or two above. I like the idea that you can adjust the opening and closing temp with Porsche thermostats.
If you are running a four Maybe you can get away without. A 6 well, what is you adverage psi??

[JPB]

I say without because less is more and because I can. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Gary]

For a CA car, I'm with Brad on this. If you feel you must have one, the Mocal will do fine, and much easier to fit than the Troutman. The Mocal does bypass some oil to the cooler circuit BTW.

How cold or how high a PSI before a thermostat on a street machine? I'm running a 28 line brass Carrera cooler up front. At startup now with temps in the mid 40's in the a.m. I'm running 80-90 psi before the car warms up.

[DanT]

Greg,
what about a 911 SC or Carrera inline thermostat?
They work well and you should be able to pick one up fairly inexpensively.
Is this for your car or Tricia's?

I had a 911 Carrera thermostat on my 914-6 with the 2.7RS motor and it worked great.

Of course now I use a mocal sandwich/thermo for the 4 and it works very nicely as well.

Hows the weather on the central coast? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[race914]

Thanks to everyone for your input!

Really appreciate the experience everyone here is willing to share.

So far here is the input:

Mocal: 5

Troutman: 2

Factory: 2

None: 4

Now I have some good ideas, points & counter-points that have to all be considered! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/idea.gif)


Thanks again...

[Brad Roberts]

Let me be clear:

I knew he had a 4cyl.

I knew he had an upright fan shroud with 911 fan.

I know he doesnt run enduro's (not many do in their 914 4cyl cars)

I know that he is very methodical in his approach to track events and would properly warm a cold car up prior to rolling to grid.


I have NO idea why some of my cars have not popped the lines. The last car that I watched pop a line in turn 3 at Willow Springs had a factory 993 setup in place. The t-stat stuck.


B

[brant]

I Would never again run a car without a thermostat to a front cooler, I tried it and lost points in to racing events when the cooler popped. And at another event which was a night race came into the pits with the motor running great, nice and cool, take the mandatory five min. pit stop, jump into the car and gave it gas and pop goes the cooler, (no thermostat) did a quick bypass but what a PITA that was.
Willow springs and Buttonwillow can get very cold Calif, or not. If you have a motor that can push 60-80 psi + with a cool running motor, Under 210 like my 3.2 why would you worry about 1.5pds. I like to do things the way the factory intended it to be done. IMHO
High RPM = high pressure. Think about it, a thermostat is cheap long term insurance.
Mocal is a good unit but the Throutman is a step or two above. I like the idea that you can adjust the opening and closing temp with Porsche thermostats.
If you are running a four Maybe you can get away without. A 6 well, what is you adverage psi??

that definitely doesn't sound fun.
I used to run 100psi in my race 4 and at one race it was so cold in the a.m. I did have to scrape the ice off of the windows.

at that race I did blow my safety valve both on saturday and sunday mornings while trying to warm the car in the pits.

I agree it was a pain.. I had to shut the car off and wipe up spilled motor oil, while i reset the safety valve...

however I have now run without thermostats for about 12 years.
that was the single only time I've ever had a problem and the temp was below 32F that weekend.

I run dual fluidyne's in the -6 race car with over 100PSI cold and NO thermostat.
only been running this car for 2 years, but so far not a single problem.
I admit, I use manual thermostats (plastic cooler block off plates) that I have to install to block off one cooler depending upon the ambient. I have a full plate, a half plate... and I switch them depending if its 110F ambient in July or 90 ambient in October.

BUT...
no problems.
never pop a cooler.

I would HIGHLY recommend that you warm the car up to operating before going on the track. Surprised you had a night time episode. Maybe run a better cooler?

[Brad Roberts]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) That will never work!! tell the truth.. you only spin the engine to 4k RPM (IMG:style_emoticons/default/alfred.gif)

We run -20 suction side lines and with -12 returns on single HUGE Fluidynes @ 8400RPM plus.. NO T-stat. Wouldnt even think about it.



B

[Heeltoe914]

From Brant: I run dual fluidyne's in the -6 race car with over 100PSI cold and NO thermostat.
only been running this car for 2 years, but so far not a single problem.
I admit, I use manual thermostats (plastic cooler block off plates) that I have to install to block off one cooler depending upon the ambient. I have a full plate, a half plate... and I switch them depending if its 110F ambient in July or 90 ambient in October.

Heeltoe914
I really like your car, it looks as if you have done a fine job with it. How are you doing in racing?
Anyway as you say the plates work as a manual thermostat. Are you saying No thermostat even on a street car or is this a pure track car? FOR ME the thermostat was one less thing to worry about. If you are a club racer and you are your own one man crew, session come around fast, you seem to never have enought hands. I am sure if you wont to warm the car for 10 min Things will be fine. For me I wont to race and focus on driving. Just my 02 cents have a great weekend all.