Hey all,
I have been recently wondering about installing an oil cooler into my 68 morris mini but needed some advice as to whether it is a good idea or not.
When my car gets hot (around 70-80 degrees celcius) it loses its oil pressure a lil bit and i was wondering if having an oil cooler would make the engine run better? I'm always worrying about my engine temperature, although it never gets too hot as i have a brand new custom made thick core super cooling radiator but the engine always runs better when it is cooler......any ideas of what to do? are oil coolers that effective on engine temps?

cheers >Rude<

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1968 Morris Mini Deluxe......sold
1992 Toyota Starlet GT EP82

Hi Rude,
You'll be unlikely to get much advantage form an oil cooler if you are doing regular road work but it does help with lubrication in extreme service. A cooler will make no difference to the engine temperature on the gauge and can introduce problems, like oil leaks from the hoses an cooler core. If you can tell us what type of driving you do and what you use your car for, we might be able to offer further opinions.

Regards
Al

Prolly not, unless you are going racing and smashing your oil, or running a turbo, or something along those lines.

There's been a few threads on this allready, and mostly the view is no. They were important when oils were crap, but they're not anymore.

I've got one on my car cos it came with it from the factory. I also have a digital oil temperature gauge stuck in there in a rudimentary non-invasive fashion. It takes about half an hour of driving before the oil approaches the water temp which isn't really much use. As long as the oil stays at a reasonable pressure (better than 15ish PSI, though this is not when the switch comes on) then there shouldn't be a problem. Running a better quality oil might help a little as well. Don't ask which one cos there's a great deal of threads dealing with this in this forum. Just do a search on which oil to use.

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

thanks....its my daily driver car, usually my oil pressure is around 40-65psi which is really good but when the engine gets hot it goes down to between 20-40psi i thought that was really low but yer thanks.

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1968 Morris Mini Deluxe......sold
1992 Toyota Starlet GT EP82

20 is too low if the type of travelling you do involves a lot fo idleing.

66S - the temperature on the gauge is the water temp, not the engine temp (big difference). An oil cooler, if positioned somewhere where it will get a lot of cool airflow (ie. at the front of the mini) will help keep the oil cool, which will keep the engine cooler, which will mean the water temp wont get as high.
Also, to be worried about "extra oil leaks" is a tad dramatic.

I have a 1430cc big bore stroker that pumps out a lot of power. With my oil cooler, my temp will hover at a running temp 70 on a coolish day, and 80 on a hotter day. My oil starts off at 80psi (cold, not idleing) and will go down to 40 (very hot, idleing) which are both highish, but i need the pressure for my engine.

My advice is: If you have a big, heavily worked engine, I would install an oil cooler in a spot where it will actually be of benefit (high level of airflow). If you have a very stock, original motor that you drive around casually, then it's certainly not needed (and may be of detrement to the engine).

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Jonathan
http://photobucket.com/albums/y64/FatMaserati/

My 1360 has exactly the same temp when hot, with or without the 13 row cooler. 70psi hot, 35-40 hot idle. Oil is Castrol Edge 25W/50.
Even after a thrash on the freeway.
So, it's now sitting on the shelf... I may use it for track days, but nowt else.

Biggest improvement I made to Barney the 1293A+ (he used to lose pressure after a freeway run) was to bin the relief valve, and fit a 9/16" steel ball, with the spring shortened ~4mm and a bit of 5/16" dia x 40mm long steel rod inside the spring, to keep it straight.
He now has 60psi hot, idle is 40, even after a freeway run.
The ball seals a lot better than the stock relief valve does, and can't jam.
I have one in the 1360 too.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

I knew i'd get round to posting this bit of info eventually.

last month i ran a track day at Wakefield Pk and decided to check oil temps with and without a front mounted 13 row cooler. I had a thermocouple clamped to the outlet pipe of the cooler (T/c lagged to prevent false readings) and ran 6 hard laps with cooler and 6 without (masked cooler matrix with cardboard to replicate no cooler). Engine is 1275.

results as follows
max temp with cooler 76°C
max temp without cooler 96°C
no noticable difference on water temp gauge, ambient temp probably 16°C

seems to me a 13 row cooler will let you run oil 20°C cooler, if thats what you want.

Diecast

I got it an an oil temp guage, a smiths one, range rovers had them! but it reads wromg as i havent calibrated it as i use a water temp sender and its rather fun rally.when driving at 100 on the open road it goes down to what the guage says 50, is actaully about 20'C but then you get behind a truck or any cars it rises over about 20 to 30 seconds to about 60-80' i think. It looks cool but you don't need it. Doesn't affect water temp but maybe on hot days and under stressful conditions it might make a difference. My thinking is that if factory cooper s's had them then they must serve a purpose i think.

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1964 Morris 850, 1330 Supercharged - 81.8hp atws.
1975 Leyland Mini S 1100S powered - Nice and reliable.
1977 Leyland Mini LS - Project LS-T

The purpose they served was to avoid oil overheating in competition, where you are up it for the rent all the time...
With modern oils, there's no real need unless doing track work.
And in winter, the last thing you want on a motor is an oil cooler. Oil needs to get up to pretty high temps to evaporate moisture etc.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

The early Morris 1100 and some minis were fitted with an oil filter bypass light, to tell you when your oil filter was blocked and the filter was being by-passed.
I found if you went from a very hot day into a sudden hailstorm you could get the filter light to come on.
I wonder how quick it could happen with an oil cooler?

Want to be an Actor in a month or two, it's time to act now.

It won't cost you a dime. Future 6 actors (new 6 for each movie), most successful people with most referrals - 3 female and 3 male aspiring actors/models will be chosen for supporting role in the upcoming movie

Is that the Green light (near the 50mph mark) on the smiths guage??? coz it came one a few times a few weeks ago n i was like ummm arrr wat the hell is that?? lol

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1968 Morris Mini Deluxe......sold
1992 Toyota Starlet GT EP82

Yeah that's it. When it comes on you are putting UNFILTERED oil (with its collected crap) into your engine.

Oil and filters are cheap insurance.
I change the oil every 1500 miles and the filter every 3000. To be sure, to be sure...

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

haha cool, yea i went to M.R. Automotive (my mini parts wonderworld) and the guy said that all he could think of was that the oil filter was dirty n its the sensor but advised me that it probably isnt even connected and is shorting out...lol...but yer i think it does work coz there was a difference in the engine wen it came on... i dono but yer gettin serviced in 4 days so should be sweet. thanx

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1968 Morris Mini Deluxe......sold
1992 Toyota Starlet GT EP82