Rear Mounted Oil Cooler

[Locobob]

Been kicking around moving the engine oil cooler to the rear frame rail so I thought I'd throw the idea out of comments and input. I would be using a custom/universal oil cooler, probably something like a 10"x10" and hanging it off the rear frame rail next to my relocated battery box which is already there hanging off the right side of that crossmember right behind the rear end.


Pros:
10lbs ish of weight off the front end for better weight distribution
Declutters the radiator area for better cooling
Mounted next to my battery box it'll make a nice mounting surface
for the rear diffuser I plan to make.


Cons:
Probably add 3-4 pounds of hose using light weight hose, might be
mitigated somewhat by size of cooler
Hose routing will be a bit challenging, I'd probably go
through/behind pass side lower body panel
Pressure drop?
Road debris? differential/exhaust should protect it pretty well
Effectiveness? I would just rely on under car airflow, I think it
would be good enough considering how little the oil cooler
actually gets used - pretty much track only.


Thoughts???

[Dynomite]

It is not so simple as a rear mounted battery installation with a limited voltage drop to contend with.

With oil and some 10 ft of hose (actually twice that with return line) you will have a lot of head loss and not much oil flow albiet the hose itself will cool significant oil. By the time the oil goes 10 ft the oil temperature will have dropped such that the cooler will not be very effective in cooling that already relatively cool oil.

See Item #3...……...Oil Filter Adapter Functions

My vote is NO...…..

[secondchance]

Personally, I think too many cons to contend with for 10 lbs and better cooling. Keeping it simple would be my preference. Introducing 20’ long rubber hose makes me feel uneasy not to mention possible oil pressure drop which will make me feel real uneasy.
I am seriously considering Spal fan conversion to beef up cooling although worst I have seen since Dewitt dual row radiator was around 218 in 98 degree day in stop and go traffic. Spal fans may add weight but not by much.

[Dynomite]

Originally Posted by secondchance

I am seriously considering Spal fan conversion to beef up cooling although worst I have seen since Dewitt dual row radiator was around 218 in 98 degree day in stop and go traffic. Spal fans may add weight but not by much.

I am considering an experiment using Spal Fan motors and blades installed in existing Fan Shroud replacing Stock Fans and motors.

See...….Cooler Thermostats, Thermostat Modifications, Engine RPM, and Fans

This provided by Phil (Jagdpanzer) which I recall he is experimenting with shortly.


Dual 11" Spal Fans from Summit Racing (2,700 cfm)

If I read this correctly, I could install two of these 1,600 cfm Spall 11" Fans and end up with 3,200 cfm
Single 11" Spal Fans 30102800 on Ebay (1,600 cfm)

Might have to reconsider when the fans come on and if both come on

[Pete]

Rob unless your racing her really hard oil cooler is useless till oil reaches 200* for the T-stat to fully open.
I don't road race my Z,some drag racing and street driving.
What i notice is my oil temps are about same as my engine temps +- 10*

Pete

[Vette Guy]

Bob, what temps are you seeing that are prompting changing the stock cooler? Our cooler is used by road racers in L98 and LT1 applications. I went to a Setab 9-row cooler in my L98 (sitting in front of the radiator) but also upgraded to a HV pump to effectively move the oil. I agree with everyone here that you’d introduce a lot of potential engine failure issues for little benefit.


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[GOLDCYLON]

Originally Posted by Dynomite

I am considering an experiment using Spal Fan motors and blades installed in existing Fan Shroud replacing Stock Fans and motors.

See...….Cooler Thermostats, Thermostat Modifications, Engine RPM, and Fans

This provided by Phil (Jagdpanzer) which I recall he is experimenting with shortly.


Dual 11" Spal Fans from Summit Racing (2,700 cfm)

If I read this correctly, I could install two of these 1,600 cfm Spall 11" Fans and end up with 3,200 cfm
Single 11" Spal Fans 30102800 on Ebay (1,600 cfm)

Might have to reconsider when the fans come on and if both come on

I've used these for 5 years. Modded daily drivers in AZ heat when the freeway hits 128/135 its a must

[lfalzarano]

You’ll have to consider, the the extended lines would be exposed to more heat from the road, than in the current original route. Air flow and pressure through the oil cooler radiator fins will be significantly less than in the original location. It doesn’t appear to aid in lowering oil temperatures when needed. JMHO


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[GOLDCYLON]

Originally Posted by Vette Guy

Bob, what temps are you seeing that are prompting changing the stock cooler? Our cooler is used by road racers in L98 and LT1 applications. I went to a Setab 9-row cooler in my L98 (sitting in front of the radiator) but also upgraded to a HV pump to effectively move the oil. I agree with everyone here that you’d introduce a lot of potential engine failure issues for little benefit.


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OMG Bob! Don't.... for these reasons..... very little benefit. For 5 pounds skip the heavy lunch......

[Locobob]

I'm not having any issues with oil temps, or coolant temps. My oil temp needle barely lifts off the bottom, usually hovering between the two zeros in the 100 indicator mark, even during spirited driving. The only time I've seen it get above that was on a road course track day. What got me thinking about it is I need to put in a new A/C condenser so I'd be digging around in there anyhow. I was mainly thinking about the weight issue, our cars are nose heavy so anytime I see a chance to remove weight from the nose or move it reward it peaks my interest. The main issue I see here is pressure drop, I'd be adding at least 20' of hose to the system and I'm not sure if or how that might effect the cooler bypass valves operation. I don't see any real danger of catastrophic engine failure here, hell the cooler is rarely enabled anyhow, unless maybe I didn't prefill the oil cooler and lines and had a situation where the valve opened and created an oil starvation issue.