Since I'll be driving the 914 through a desert in July, I figure having an external oil cooler might be a good idea. I bought a cooler, thermostat, sandwich plate, and some fittings from Earl's quite a few years back. I don't have any lines, a way to mount the cooler, or a fan.

I wonder if I'll get the install done before the trip? If I do, it'll be close. I have a lot of other obligations which will keep me out of the garage for most days and evenings...

I intend to get the cooler mounted under the rear trunk floor, locate and fasten in the thermostat, add the sandwich plate, then hook it all together with rubber lines. Then I can remove the lines and measure them, so I can get better lines in the correct lengths.

The rubber lines (fuel rated, so hopefully OK with oil) may actually be used as a short-term solution, but I don't expect them to last very long.

I also have to figure out where to get the oil lines and a fan. Hopefully locally, so I don't have to pay for express shipping...

--DD

Which Earls adapter did you get? I'm working on re-connecting an oil cooler and I have a 502ERL sandwich adapter w/thermostat. Do you have install instructions? Mine came on an engine in the car when I bought it. Looking for torque spec for the "nut" like fastener.

They'l last only as long as it takes for the oil to get hot, the hose to develop an aneurism and pop, spraying oil all over the underside of the car, leaving you stranded on the side of the road.
Fuel hose isn't rated for the pressures an oil system may develop, and I'm sure it isn't rated for pressure at elevated temperatures.

All I know is cars that leak oil are usually the ones that end up with burst radiator hoses. Oil weakens rubber, sometimes very quickly.

I installed a cooler in my car recently. It still has the rubber hoses supplied. I would only add that I made a mistake on the thermostat connection for the fan. It needs to be on the outlet side of the cooler. It works fine but it runs almost all the time. The oil coming out of the sandwich adapter is the hottest oil in the engine. Best measured after it has had a chance to cool through the external cooler before measuring temperature. After the external oil cooler comes the normal oil cooler.

Ah, but these hoses were not supplied with the cooler!

I guess that means I really have to find a local source of oil-rated hose, then. Any suggestions?

--DD

SummitRacing.com ships REALLY fast with just ground. Most stuff gets to me overnight (again, just choosing ground shipping) since their warehouse is in Sparks NV.

If you order from them today, you should have it before the weekend.

True. I'm in LA, and I get most of the stuff next day, or maybe two day.

You can see when you order if it is coming from that warehouse. If it is, you are OK.

you wont get it done...bring it to Mark

The transportation up to Sonoma and back is a bit much to coordinate, so I'll keep at it myself.

Hey, I've already done a few things since I got it back:
- Fixed a short that kept popping fuse #9
- Re-installed the rain tray
- Re-aligned the left headlight "eyebrow" so the light could actually close
- Replaced the temporary fuel hose through the engine shelf with stainless tubing
- Adjusted the clutch

I dunno, I might just be able to get this done.

I've ordered an electric fan and an in-line thermoswitch for it from Summit. Supposed to ship tomorrow. I've stopped at a local hydraulic supply place and gotten some idea of what is involved with getting hoses put together. I picked up some material to make brackets out of, and I have a rough design for the fan bracket.

Now I have to get the hard parts (cooler, t-stat, sandwich plate) mounted, and run the temporary hoses just to get the sizes. Then I can take those in to the shop and get real hoses made, or at least get the correct type of hose.

.... Yeah, sounds kinda iffy to me as well ...

--DD

I installed a Bugpack Mesa 72 plate oil cooler w/ fan, Mocal Sp-1t sandwich adapter and socketless fittings to socketless hose in about 1.5 hours.

I have two t-stats. One in the Mocal and one Empi on the outlet of the oil cooler. This allows the oil to be cooled in three stages, depending on my driving habits and weather conditions. Stock cooler only until 180 degrees, then the Mocal opens up flow to the Mesa cooler. When the Mesa cooler can't reduce oil temps exiting it to below 180, the fan kicks on.

I ran power to the fan from a fused lead to the battery (Thanks to Toms fuse block mod ), w/o a relay. Works great! Fan will run for about a minute after the engine is shut down. When you fire it up after a brief (10 minute) stop, my temps are back to 180!

40 miles on the freeway, with 86 degree weather, my temps never got over 200.

BTW my cooler is mounted under the rear trunk, above a heat exchanger.

Dunno dude, you may have to get your hands dirty again....just drive it to marks, bring beer and let him do it while you wait...

Dave--I'm reminded of a small instruction sheet insert included with my daughter's bicycle when unpacking it in pieces at 2am on Christmas night--it read "NOTE: Assembly of bicycle require great peace of mind."
I've been through three iterations on the oil cooler starting with the location above passenger side axle and ending up with a big front mount unit. I think the rear location is ok for street use, but doesn't cut it for DE events of 30 minutes, so I finally went front mount.
Another factor is the oil lines as you mentioned. I went from rubber 1/2 inch hose with barb fittings and hose clamps to hydraulic ones to finally Summit's stainless wrapped AN10. The correct blue Earl's rubber is probably fine for street use but some PCA groups won't allow it for DE's, requiring screwed-on or swaged-on fittings. When I tried the hydraulic lines I found the interior diameter of the fittings to be much smaller than the exterior size would seem to indicate, causing a series of restrictions in the system.
Summit's AN10 (even better is AN12, but probably overkill) keeps a uniform 1/2inch flow path through all fittings and the hose. The fittings assemble easliy after you get the knack of cutting the hose. I used a procedure of using the air cutoff disc tool to cut the stainless braid but not through the rubber inner liner to avoid spooging up the line with debris. Then cut the rubber liner with a razor knife and finally flush and blow clean anyway.
When you mock it up, be sure to allow plenty of linear room at each fitting before you get to the flex line--you'll be surprised how much space each of them take and will likely have to re-mount the cooler to get it to fit, so actually better to only temporarily mount the cooler first, make up the lines, then firmly mount the assembly.
Good luck with it--it's a very satisfying project, but definitely requires great peace of mind!

I imagine that the desert would be quite hot to traverse, but I do remember attending the Porsche Parade many years ago in the Ozarks. With temperatures over 100 degrees and the car loaded down with a weeks worth of luggage for two (as well as a case of wine on the passenger footwell!), the car still ran cool enough for our ride home to Chicago.

Do the cars really get that hot out west running down the highway?

Chris is 100% right about not using fuel line. I worked for an oil cooler company for 27 years and had to deal with hose claims where "mechanics" substituted fuel line for oil cooler hose. On transmission coolers it lasted a few days or a few weeks at best.

You need a minimum inside diameter of 1/2.

Try a big rig truck supply house. They carry what is called a fleet hose for general purpose on big trucks.

I suggest an internal wire braid hose. The SS outer cover only adds heat to the rubber underneath it.

You need a medium duty hydraulic hose rated for 250 F minimum. Fuel hose is cooled internally by the fuel and typically rated for no more than 70 psi and about 200F.
Also mounting an oil cooler under the vehicle is one of the least effective location.
You have the hot air from the engine, exhaust and road heat.
I mounted mine to the engine lid with the rain tray removed and never broke 210 F under heavy sustained load.
The amount of cooling you get is directly proportional to the differential temperature of the oil and air. Thus if you have 200 degree oil and 100 degree air you have twice the cooling of 200 degree oil and 150 air. The other factor to consider is the air volume through a cooler. A typical fan provides the equivalent of 15mph air speed. Next consider ho much to the cooler you are covering with a fan with a 4 inch dead spot in the center.
Highly recommend an oil temp and pressure gauge.
I next want to mount a cooler directly in front of the fan. It simplifies hose routing.
While it does add some heat to the cooling air to the heads the rise in temp is small and has little effect on the differential temp between the air and heads.
Bruce

My car's oil has gotten hot enough climbing through the Cascades in mid-summer (Portland Parade a few years ago) that we took a couple of breaks to let it cool. The car is probably in better tune now, but we're headed over the Sierras, which is rather higher as I recall. And it will likely be hotter through NV. Makes me want a cooler for peace of mind, if I can get it done.

I'm getting proper oil hose from a local company. I think the lines will be -10 AN; I have Earl's fittings for most or all of the junctions. I will need to make sure I give it enough bending radius when doing the layout, and I hadn't thought enough about how much of a straight run the fittings will need. Fortunately I have most of the fittings so I should be able to get it close.

I know the front of the car is the best location for a cooler. I don't want it there. I don't want it on the engine lid, or in front of the cooling fan. I want it under the trunk, in an area out of the air flow and in an area heated up by the exhaust. I know it will be sub-optimal there, but I believe that a 25-plate cooler (about 12x9 dimensions) should provide adequate cooling for my purposes. I made that decision years and years ago, back when I ordered the cooler--which is why I picked one of that particular size.

I have oil temp and pressure gauges already.

--DD

Dave,
Just do it... quit kvetching about it. I have been prepping Betty's car for Parade, and in the past few weeks, I have:

Installed new carpet.
Installed new door boxes.
Changed the clutch.
Changed the shocks and springs (Did the fronts last night after work.)
Replaced all 4 tires.
Replaced the brake pads and flushed the brake system.
Replaced one Fuchs rim after it cracked at an AX.
Replaced the front wheel bearings.
Adjusted the valves.
Fixed the broken exhaust hanger.
Installed new seat belts.
Installed the wiring for the radar detector.
Chased down an intermittent cut out issue.

To go:

Change the oil cooler seals and the oil Saturday morning.


All this while working 50 to 60 hour weeks, and finishing my Black Belt.

Oh..and it will be good to finally see YOUR 914 in person.

You've seen it before, at the last DFW Parade!!

--DD

Urm. I need to get an oil temp gauge hooked up in my -6. This thread has got me worried about taking the SC motor to Red Rocks with just the oil cooler bolted on the side of the motor...

Hey Dave,

Steve, one thing to consider is that a lower HP motor pulling up a hill is working harder (and generating more heat).

Go, Dave! Go!

Good luck Dave. I don't want to see the CRX autocrossing at Parade.

Dave, any hydraulic supply house (like for tractors) will have super strong rubber hose that is rated for high pressure hydraulic lines running tractor accessories. Oil pressure is low compared to hydraulic pressure lines. Also the hose is industrial, so wear resistent. I had these lines on my 2.0 liter's external oil system (radiator and fan tied to the engine cover) before I went with a front mounted setup.

They will also make up all the fittings you need, many times less expensive than using Earl's. All you need to do it tell them the lengths and the type of fittings and when you arrive they will be done.

It might make sense to go to one of the supply houses as some of the fittings might be heaver than you want so check them out first.

There is one place on 10th Street in San Jose: http://www.rbisj.com/

I went over to the Royal Brass (that's their website!) in Santa Clara instead. They have all the stuff, I just need to tell them lengths and such. But they're not open on Saturdays, so I won't have the lines until Monday.

Still trying to figure out where I want to put the thermostat. I have the oil line routing pretty much figured out, at least for the short term. I am losing my passenger's side heating for the near term, but I'm OK with that.

--DD

Thanks Mark - have the 911 oil temp/pressure gauge, just got to get it hooked up. Then look for a 105+ day to take the -6 over the hills and run up Mt. Diablo or something. Then I can just worry about 5,000+ ft of altitude, which of course will require a trip up to Lake Tahoe to test. Safety First!

Thanks for the minor thread-jaak Dave! I'm taking notes about getting oil lines from hydaulic shops. If I hit the trifecta, maybe I'll find one that'll also repair my stupid Sears floor jack.

Good idea to take all the parts with you that way you can match the hose ends to the fittings on the stuff you want to plumb. Plug and play is nice.

And making up hose fittings with Earls and SS tubing is time consuming and problematic, not to mention expensive.

Got the cooler and t-stat mounted tonight. I've worked out what the hose routing should be. It's actually a fairly straight shot, so not a whole lot of hose is needed.

I had a "brilliant" idea that turned out not quite as well as I had thought. I drilled the holes for mounting the cooler to the body from inside the trunk. I used the cooler and home-made bracket as a template, flipped over to sit on the trunk floor. It turns out that this doesn't quite work out if the bracket is not quite square. So I have two extra holes in the trunk floor now. Oh well, it could be worse.

Going to pick up the hoses and some more fittings tomorrow.

No pics, sorry!

--DD

Crap! I need different lines than I bought. I might be able to make do with some extra 90-degree fittings. Feh. Back to Royal Brass tomorrow.

--DD

Sounds like pretty much every oil cooler installation I've done. Somehow they're all slightly different. Eventually I end up with enough spares to have what I need on hand.

"NOTE: Assembly of (insert whatever 914 related thing you're working on) require great peace of mind."

Actually, those 90 degree fittings really did save my sanity when I was doing mine...and they're cheap & dependable!

I got a bunch more stuff at noon. Tonight, it's back under the car again! We'll see if I can get everything routed the way I want...

I may not get any time to work on it tomorrow, due to Other Obligations. (Da Boss says...)

--DD

same torque as the stock oil filter, what ever that is, but thats the torque to hold on the sandwhich adaptor

one thing on my car, i deleted the oil thermostat and simply run with an oil cooler adaptor plate, no thermostat. (the oil cooler fan has a thermostat) no problem with warm up times, sure the oil goes thru the cooler when it is cold (just like the factory one does) but with no fan blowing until it is hot, (just like the factory set up). warm up is plenty fast also the sandwhich adaptor with thermostat limits the length of the oil filter to a fairly small one, a remote filter can be mounted and a big HP1 style filter can be installed. you can make the system full flow by pluging the bypass in the factory oil filter holder. Thus ALL your oil is filtered (be sure to select a high pressure filter). this works for me very nicely.

Ugh. This thermostat is gonna kill me yet! Stupid thing slipped out of my grasp and hit me on the head. I haven't figured out where exactly to locate it, either.

That stinkin' -10 hose does not like to bend--the bend radius is large, and it is quite stiff. I think I need to buy some more -8 fittings to make up -8 supply hoses instead of the -10, and of course I'll have to get some -8 to -10 adaptors for the -10 fittings on the cooler.

Sigh!

The fan is mounted, but the electrical setup is not quite done yet.

--DD

I have a Hot Start relay installed on my car. I used the normally closed contact as the source for the fan power. I used an inline fuse.

So, the definitive answer to the question I posed is:

Yes.


Here's a view from the back of the car. You can see the cooler at the top, and the lines from the engine in the background.

Click to view attachment



This shows the thermostat and lines to the cooler.

Click to view attachment



The sandwich plate and lines from the plate heading to the cooler.

Click to view attachment



I'm not completely satisfied with it (not enough Adel clamps, too many zip ties), and it seeps a little where the hot line to the cooler connects to the thermostat. But it's done. The fan is hooked up to a switch in the center console. It should (hopefully!) be effective at keeping the oil temps under control.

Just in time, too!

--DD

I am impressed...

Are the fan and thermostat mounted together (bolted)?
If so, I would suggest maybe creating a hardline to replace at least that red line...it looks like once hot it may fold/kink on you.

That also may stop the weaping.

rich

They are mounted together, but not well. (More zip ties!!) The red line should probably be replaced at some point, but it's doing OK for now.

The cooler works, temps are lower than I have seen in the past under similar circumstances. Hotter than I would prefer, but not too bad. As was mentioned previously in this thread, this type of setup is not going to be very suitable for track driving. The only time temps really got worrisome was at higher speeds. I backed off and they came back down again.

--DD

Dave, If you, or anyone else comming out to parade get in a bind my house is available for working on cars. I am 7 miles from the autocross venue and have a large garage and 5 914s + random parts so hopefully will be able to address any issues that might come up. Its most likely going to be nasty hot and I would not recomend attmepting any work out in the sun. PM me if you would like my number.

Also, probably common sense but i seem to forget it now and then, SUNBLOCK! I have been getting burnt just going for 10 min drives with the top off.

One last thing of note for anyone obsessive like me, Craigs Service Station 904 South 1300 East, expensive but their 92 octane is ethanol free. Its the only place around that i have found that still has it.

My dad had a problem with the starter on one of his motorhomes.
He got creative with HVAC duct work and created a scoop that grabbed air from underneath the vehicle....you might want to consider that.

If nothing else, it will protect it from rocks and possibly shield it from the HE heat that is rising up right there.

rich

It never even got to 250, which is an improvement over years past. It spent more time above 220 than I would like, but it's OK for now. Quite a number of things would help--a scoop, re-doing the fan setup so it blows upward (which will requite moving the cooler), solidly mounting things, and so on.

But it's functional.

--DD

Are you all checked in Dave? Kick some 'Tech Quiz' tail for Zone 7!!!

I'm hoping to do just that! My record so far is taking the overall victory every other Parade I attend--and by that pattern this is an "off" year so I may wind up taking second place. We'll see how that goes.

We'll also see how the transmission swap goes. Will I have to run the entire autoX in 3rd gear?

--DD

Dave, Just got your message about the tranny didnt, want to call you as its midnight. I should have the stuff to get you going and the place to do the swap. I work from home so you can swing by anytime tomorow if you like. Give me a call.

-James

I didn't make the autoX. In fact, the wife and I decided that our cars needed to be trailered home. We flew home on frequent flyer miles, got in this afternoon.

When we went to drive the cars up from the basement parking lot to the lot where they would be picked up, out of habit I shifted from first to second.

It worked. All gears were there, no problem at all.

All I can think of is that the problem is somehow heat-related. Probably the heat was aggravating damage or wear that I caused in previous years?

Weird stuff.

--DD

Dave, don't forget to check the adjustment on the linkage, also the bushings at the obvious spots.