aftermarket oil cooler installation

[kapnklug]

After changing the leaky engine oil cooler lines on my '86 M1009, I've decided to redo the rest of the system with a flate-plate oil cooler mounted in front of the radiator. Hoping this will be more efficient than cooling the oil inside the 200deg radiator, and also take some of the load off the cooling system. I've got some AN-to-3/4-pipe-thread adapters that fit the ends of the stock cooler hoses, and I'm thinking of using 3/4 iron pipe fittings to go past the drivers side of the radiator, take a 90deg right, and then inputs of the cooler. Oh and somewhere in there a 1/8"NPT port for an electric oil pressure sender. Any reason not to use iron pipe? The weight of the cooler itself will be supported on two vertical pieces of 1"X1" L channel, bolted into the core support above and below the radiator. Any suggestions?

 

[davo727]

You can get brass fittings at Home depot or Lowes, I think that would be much better than iron.

After changing the leaky engine oil cooler lines on my '86 M1009, I've decided to redo the rest of the system with a flate-plate oil cooler mounted in front of the radiator. Hoping this will be more efficient than cooling the oil inside the 200deg radiator, and also take some of the load off the cooling system. I've got some AN-to-3/4-pipe-thread adapters that fit the ends of the stock cooler hoses, and I'm thinking of using 3/4 iron pipe fittings to go past the drivers side of the radiator, take a 90deg right, and then inputs of the cooler. Oh and somewhere in there a 1/8"NPT port for an electric oil pressure sender. Any reason not to use iron pipe? The weight of the cooler itself will be supported on two vertical pieces of 1"X1" L channel, bolted into the core support above and below the radiator. Any suggestions?

 

[kapnklug]

Haven't done an actual price comparison, but I'm guessing brass fittings that size (1/2 or 3/4") will be way more expensive than iron, and also less durable. Is there a reason not to use iron?

 

[319]

Corrosion

 

[jag7720]

If you buy a new cooler it should have everything you need except for a long enough piece of hose and what ever you need for the pressure gauge. - use brass

I ran my in series for two reasons...

1. The trans fluid needs to be warm... not hot, just warm and on cold days a system with does not use the cooler in the radiator can get the fluid too cold. So the coolant actually warms the fluid to a point.

2. If the fluid gets VERY hot then the radiator will cool it down as much as it can and then the cooler will bring it down further.

My tranny shop agreed with my reasoning.


I took off the return line from the radiator and put on the supplied 4" aluminum line with fittings.
from the 4" line I put on the supplied hose and ran it to the cooler... then from the cooler back up to the return line. I the return line a slight bend to the right and put on the hose on. I did this so that if the cooler ever got a hole in it I could plumb the original lines back to their original locations.

 

[kapnklug]

This is the ENGINE oil cooler I'm talking about (although I'll be installing a series-mounted tranny cooler at the same time). Does the engine oil cooler need to be series mounted as well? Hope not, since the whole reason for this project was to bypass the leaky aluminum oil cooler lines, and I had the new parts on a shelf anyway.
I've also got an oil cooler thermostat, but it would really complicate the plumbing. The cooler did not come with the thermostat. Ya think its really necessary? I'm using a 14K GVW flat plate cooler. Winters here in upstate NY are usually around 5deg. Wondering if leaving out the thermostat might be a problem when its cold.
Finally, I'm guessing the supply hose should connect to the top port of the cooler?
I'll post pics when I get the cooler itself mounted, the paint on the new brackets is still wet!