Oil heater/cooler and remote filter mount install.

[SilverXJ]

This is sometime I have been wanting to do for a while, install an oil cooler/heater. For two reasons. 1) It takes much longer than I would like to get the oil up to operating temp, much longer than the coolant. I don't have an over heating issue with the oil though, so its more for the heater portion. Oil needs a minimum temp to get the full benefit from the oil. According to Lake Speed at Joe Gibbs oil he recommends 180* before getting on it and 220* to boil out condensation. 2) If I went with the heat exchanger I would need to relocate the oil filter. This would also allow me to use a much larger filter and easier access. I decided to tackle this while my supercharger manifold is at the welder and machine shop.

The plan is to do this: block --> modified stock 90* filter adapter & bolt --> heat exchanger --> remote adapter --> AN -12 hoses --> remote filter mount and then back.

I plan on running a water to air heat exchanger that sandwiches between the filter (typically) and filter mount. Hesco sells a kit, but I feel its a bit pricy ($187.50) and its a VW cooler/heater and the extended filter mount bolt. The cooler is easy to find but the bolt maybe a custom part as our oil filter bolt mount is recessed about 1/4" into the adapter. I have a 3.25" one and it doesn't seem long enough. Plus I don't know where who makes that cooler, but I know that Dorman does make some replacements. Which I wouldn't touch with a 10 foot stick. After a lot of searching and comparing different oil coolers I have found one that meets most of my requirements. It is made by Dana/Long and the style is used on a lot of modern vehicles. This one in particular was meant for a Dodge Magnum or Chrysler 300. PN 4792912AE. I found a new one with the bolt for $61. The bolt uses the same 3/4"-16 threads. In fact they take the same filter as the XJ, not that this matters much for my use. The only draw back is that the coolant fittings are 5/8" and face toward the rear as mounted in my install. The XJ coolant feed line off the thermostat housing is 3/4". However I will use two 3/4 to 5/8" tees and provide a bit of a bypass between so the stock 3/4" feed line won't be restricted. I haven't gotten to sourcing parts for that yet, but I'm thinking of using a brass PEX tee, which should fit well.

Ideally I would like to have gone with a Mocal/Laminova heat exchanger, but they are a bit over my price range (~$400).

AN -10 lines may have been sufficient but I wanted as little restriction to flow as possible as I will use 90* bent tube an fittings off the filter adapter and a 45* and straigh fitting on the remote filter mount. So I will be using An -12 lines and fittings. The filter bypass adapter that I am using is a Hamburger/Trans-dapt 3320. Its a pretty nice billet piece with some nice flow lines. However, there is some clean up and smoothing out needed which there is plenty of meat on it for. Some time with a die grinder and it will work fine. The filter will be mounted behind the alternator, in front of the passenger side engine mount. There really aren't many options for mounting the remote filter, and I would like to keep it as low as possible to prevent any possible drain back. Sure the filter has an anti drain back valve, but nothing else does. The other option is on the front skid, but I would like to keep the lines as short as possible. I currently have a CV Products CV-745 with has the same threads as the stock filter, 3/4"-16. Which has a .50" opening for the fluid. The stock Wix 51085 or the larger Wix 51515 can me mounted on it or even larger, depending on location. However, I am undecided if I should keep the CV 745 or upgrade tot he larger CV-746 which has 13/16"-16. While the stock ports are around .5" as is the CV-745 the larger 13/16"-16 on the CV-746 may provide less of a pressure drop before it returns back to the block. It will be about $100 or so more provided I can sell the CV -745. I'll have to think about that, opinions?

So some pics:

Filter/adapter side of the heat exchanger.


Block side of the heat exchanger:


CV745 filter mount:




Hamburger 3320 adapter:




Adapters and heat exchanger together:




I also took a look at the stock oil passages and felt there could be some improvement. The main oil galley is ~.5" as is the feed passage from the oil filter adapter. The stock oil adapter bolt ID is .38" diameter and the feed holes in it are .317" diameter. I felt that there was some room for improvement here. Keep in mind that the inner diameter is only half the story as the oil sees the area as well, which is more important. I opened up the bolt's ID from .38 diameter (area of .1134 square inches) to .468" diameter (.172" sq in area). That is roughly a 65% increase in flow area. I also opened up the feed holes in the bolt from .317" (area of .1578 sq in, there are two) to .365" (area of .209 sq in). I also massaged the oil filter adapter a bit, opening up the port as well as smoothing out the rough edges. Even with out the oil cooler/heater and remote filter mount these modifications should show an improvement. If my block was torn down I would have done some internal modifications to the oil pump to block passages as well as the adapter to galley passage. Maybe in the future. The only thing I am concerned about is how the bolt will hold up since so much material was removed. I will be supporting the rear of the filter adapter/heater/stock adapter to reduce stain on the bolt and stock mount.

Pics of the modifications:








It is not finished and installed yet as I need to do a mock up, decide on fittings and hose lengths, work out the coolant flow, order the rest and install it.

[jsawduste]

Nice job Chris and thanks for the info.

An addition to my "To Do" list.

[SilverXJ]

I'm interested to see what the oil pressure does. If I had time I would first replace the bolt and stock adapter and get a reading, then add the heat exchanger and take a reading, and install the whole lot with the CV-745 and take a reading, then install the CV-746 and see what happens. Maybe curosity will get the best of me.

BTW, the CV745, Hamburger 3320 and Long cooler are all made in the US.

If you have enough room between the frame and engine block I would try to eliminate the stock 90* oil filter adapter and just run the heat exchanger and remote adapter straight into the block.

[SilverXJ]

I took a log of the temps today for a baseline. A bit of high tech and low tech. OBDII for the coolant temp, my Arduino multigauge for the oil, a Nexus 7 tablet with voice count down timer, and a tape recorder. Due diligence and all. Time is in minutes.

Two samples from today:

Code: Select all

Ambient: 	84	EGT:	79.6 
Time	Coolant	Oil	AW4
0	80     	72	84
1	102    	74	88
2	130    	76	93
3	152    	79	95
4	183       84	98
5	187    	93	110
6	195    	104	120
7	208    	115	122
8	210    	134	128
9	210    	140	133

Code: Select all

Ambient: 	89	EGT:	87
Time	Coolant	Oil	AW4
1	96     	94	92
2	131    	93	96
3	157    	93	101
4	180    	97	107
5	185    	104	118
6	190    	115	120
7	195    	121	122
8	201    	125	129
9	209    	132	143
10	210      144	152
11	210      152	156
12	210 	  160	161
13	210   	166	164
14	210	   170	160
15	210    	175	157
16	210    	180	160
17	210    	183	159
18	210    	186	164
19	210    	188	166
20	210    	190	160
21	210    	191	158
22	210    	193	162
23	210    	194	157
24	210    	197	165
25	210    	200	168

I decided to swap out the CV-745 (3/4"-16 thread) for the CV-746 (13/16"-16); larger diameter filter outlet. I purchased the 745 on ebay for $35, cleaned it up a bit and took some good pics and sold it for $60. The CV-746 I purchased also comes with AN fittings.

I got some grinding done on the filter adapter. Just smoothing out sharp angles for improved flow. Every time I grind something, by the end I'm tired of it.. but I just can't get away from it.

I'm also planing to do the install in stages to not oil pressure changes as I have enough data for oil temp vs. oil pressure that I can see what changes. 1) modified stock filter adapter and bolt. 2) 1+ heat exchanger and oil filter crammed on the back some how, if it can fit, 3) 1+2+ relocated oil filter and its plumbing.

[SilverXJ]

Two more time/temp tables:

Code: Select all

7 miles
Ambient: 	83	EGT:	79.3
Time	Coolant	Oil	AW4 
0	80	73	85
1	131	74	87
2	135	77	92
3	160	79	94
4	181	86	104
5	187	96	121
6	200	107	134
7	210	117	142
8	210	130	147
9	210	146	153
10	210	155	155
11	210	163	158
12	210	168	160
13	210	172	155
14	210	175	149
15	210	178	150
16	210	184	157

Code: Select all

 
15 miles, about a 4 hour cool down since first table
Ambient: 	90	EGT:	100
Time	Coolant	Oil	AW4
0	128	110	99
1	142	109	109
2	184	111	119
3	190	115	130
4	200	125	145
5	210	141	152
6	210	152	158
7	210	163	162
8	210	170	166
9	210	175	158
10	210	182	164
11	210	187	160
12	210	190	160
13	210	194	162
14	210	195	161
15	210	197	161
16	210	199	162

Unfortunately the tape ran out on the last one and didn't click off. About 8 minutes late the oil came up to temp. So, about 24 minutes for the oil to get up to temp.

[SilverXJ]

I also finished grinding on the oil filter adapter. See the above images for before. There was plenty of meat on it to smooth out any rough transitions and sharp edges. Between rough grinding and final polishing it probably took 5 hours or so. But i have no doubt it flows much better this way.

After:

[SilverXJ]

Current oil temp vs. Oil pressure table, at idle:

Code: Select all

Oil temp	Oil pressure
155     	46
170     	42
174     	40
183     	39
191     	39
195     	38
197     	37
200     	37
206     	36
208     	36
210     	35
216     	34
221     	33
239     	29

And for those of you that haven't followed my 4.6L stroker build, my oiling system is slightly different than stock:
1) Tied into the main girdle I have a windage screen
2) Melling HV oil pump
3) Both the stock and after market pressure sensors are located at the end of the main oil galley at the rear if the engine. On a stock engine it would be right after the filter. I feel that my location gives a better reading as far as final oil pressure is concerned.
4) The oil temp sensor is where the stock pressure sensor use to be, directly after the filter.
5) I also have a restricted orifice, .013" (IIRC) direct lubing the cam/oil pump gear. The is fed from the same place the oil temp sensor is, directly after the filter.
6) The oil pan has baffles front and rear.
7) Smith Brothers pushrods with a restricted orifice, .020". Wish I could go smaller.

[jsawduste]

Nice work Chris. The time to temp is pretty amazing.

[SilverXJ]

What amazes me is that my boss just purchased a new BMW X3. Its a POS, but what I find interesting is that it doesn't have a coolant temp gauge. Instead it has an oil temp gauge. More OEMs need to follow this approach as it is very much more telling than a coolant temp gauge. In fact some BMWs change their red line based on oil temperature. Oil temp is a much better indicator of engine temp better than coolant temp. I can 10% agree with rev limiting based on oil temp. Every time I see some one going WOT on a cold engine I cringe. I really believe more of our stroker friends could benefit from an oil temp gauge.

Also, based off the oil temp vs. oil pressure I can get a good idea of a bearing failure. I could program my Arduino multigauge based on those number that will sound an alarm if it is out range.

[jsawduste]

Interesting..........We have talked about temps and failures but did not realize that the BMW marquee was incorporating it as a feature.


Now, I see a whole new storm brewing on oil temp/viscosity/lubricity in addition to additive packages.

Chris Silver, I will bookmark this thread so we all know whom was the instigator of the latest interweb feud.

[SilverXJ]

Interesting..........We have talked about temps and failures but did not realize that the BMW marquee was incorporating it as a feature.

I had no idea either until my boss pointed out to me that it was reading weird and that he had to read the manual to see exactly what it was telling him.

Now, I see a whole new storm brewing on oil temp/viscosity/lubricity in addition to additive packages.

I'm quite adamant that people should invest in an oil temp gauge, especially if they install an oil cooler. You see so many people install and air to oil cooler with no thermostat or even an oil temp gauge. It is a real indicator to your true engine temp as well as the fact you can document the temp to pressure and watch for changes that can indicate something awry. Prior to installing the oil temp gauge I though that the engine was ready to go once the coolant was up to temp.


Hit a small snag today. I went to paint the heat exchanger and the paint started wrinkling. It didn't look like there was any paint or coating on it, but something interfered with the paint. And I did clean it well first with a paint prep spray.

So I had to strip it down. Waiting for it to dry and sanding it down was out of the question due to the ridges. Sand or glass bead blasting was also out due to the fact that it would be nearly impossible to remove the sand from the internals. And no matter how well you tape it up or what tape/mask you use sand will get in there. Sand + engine bearings is never a good idea. I also don't know of any one local that does soda blasting... so it was chemical paint stripper. What a mess, but it worked well. Its currently drying.

I should probably have left it bare, but I have believe that anything metal needs some sort of coating except stainless (the grade that doesn't rust). Be it powder coating, painting, or anodizing. Salt will attack nearly anything.

I also had an issue getting the o-rings for the oil filter adapter. The closer dealer didn't have then in stock and they weren't placing any orders due to the fact that they are closing tomorrow. So I called Shelor, which is 25 minutes away. The person on the phone said they had it in stock and gave me a different part number then what my parts manual has, but research showed they fit. I should have wrote that part number down and took it with me, but I didn't. I leave work early to get there before they close. When I get there I told them exactly what I told the guy on the phone. They said they didn't have it... left work early and drove 25 minutes for a part which they now don't have. I'm sure the bitch could see my anger building, but even after I told her what the guy on the phone told me they were of no real use. They couldn't figure out any other way to look it up. Really? Finally, I told her to look it up on Amazon for the part number in stock and that worked. Even after all that they refused to give me any discount. F Shelor.

Part 1 of the install is going to happen his weekend. The oil filter adapter is painted and I have the o-rings. I'm curious to see if the oil pressure will change due to the mods to the bolt and adapter or not.

[SilverXJ]

I installed the modified oil filter adapter today. Results look some what promising but more data collection will be needed. The 3 samples that I took (idle) showed an increase of 2 psi. Not much, but something. I also did some test fitting.

For the remote filter mount it looks like I may need to wait until I get the Brown Dog engine mounts as the new mounts could either interfere with the intended mounting location or provide me with a better mounting surface. Should be about 2 weeks or so.

Test fit on mock-up block:


Remote adapter only, plenty of room if you want to go that route:


Modified adapter, heat exchanger and remote adapter test fit in bay.. a bit hard to get pics of it though:




Tool used to remove oil filter adapter bolt:



In other news there was a fire at storage. Luckily it was not in my building, but the one across from it. You can see where my unit is in the pic with the ZJ. Damn close and damn scary. There was a car and two bikes in the building that the fire department was able to move from harm. Unfortunately one of the units severely damaged had a woman's whole house contents in it. Very sad.

[SilverXJ]

Small update. I received the 3/4 to 5/8" tees from Cold hose and performed the restrictor modification to one. The restrictor will go between the two leaving a partial passage so flow after the heat exchanger will remain as if its a full 3/4" hose. It will also push coolant into the heat exchanger instead of just bypassing it completely.

Unfortunately I no longer have access to a lathe to make a very nice press in piece. So the easiest and cheapest method was just to use a NPT reducer. It is partially pressed into the 3/4" opening (~.2"). It won't be going any where. Then the hex head was cut off. Leaving roughly a .36" diameter hole, which is roughly the difference in area between the ID of the 5/8" and 3/4" hoses.



Should work perfectly.

Brown should be getting the mounts out to me soon. They said last week that they are caught up and will be getting to mine in the next few days.

All the projects I have in process are held up for one reason or another. The MP90 manifold has been at the welder since around the 15th of May. The manifold for the 5.2L ZJ and a bike frame have been at the powdercoater since around the same time. Now I am waiting on the Brown Dog mounts to see if I can bolt the oil filter mount to one.

[SilverXJ]

I'm also at a bit of an impasse on hose end selection for the oil filter adapter (not the remote mount). Do I go with say a 90* or 120* and let the hose do the rest of the bending or do I go with a 180*?

[SilverXJ]

Well, after drama with sourcing the throttle body bearings and then a week up north I'm back on track.

I installed the heat exchanger today. No coolant hooked up yet because a) I need to take a look at some hoses to see which may work the best and b) I want some oil temp vs. pressure points w/o coolant flowing through it to see if there is any noticeable pressure drop. Now, the remote filter isn't installed either, just the filter on the back of the heat exchanger for the same reason, to see if there is any change in pressure vs. temp.

So far I only have two data points. Looks like no change to maybe 2 psi drop, which is nothing really. BTW, my checking method is done at idle since that will be the lowest pressure point. I record the mileage, ambient air temp, stock gauge oil pressure, oil temp, Arduino multigauge oil pressure, tranny temp, and coolant temp.

As far as the coolant hoses the Gates catalog has a few hoses that look like they will fit and make it look like an OEM install. I'll try to check them in person w/o having to order them. It looks like a C shaped hose would work best considering the coolant fittings on the exchanger point toward the rear and positioned slightly behind the upper heater hose.