Hi guys,

Have been offered an oil cooler.... is it worth the money and effort on a 998 which stays cool (but will be subject to some light track duties) in QLD?

Cheers, Dave

Pic:

I found stock 998cc to stay in normal range when not being pushed on modern highways through the mountains with a load. When working hard in hot weather +95F, it would overheat, oil pressure dropped etc. 13 row oil cooler worked just fine and could easily be blocked off otherwise.

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Select a gear, bring up the revs and release the clutch...off you go!

I don't think so, modern oils are really good.

But sometimes you just need to do these things because you want to, and like Hunter2 said, you can always slip a piece of plastic in front of the cooler when you don't need it.

I'm not a fan of 2nd hand oil coolers however, its a little like reusing oil filters in my mind. A new matrix is less than $150.

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

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

Beat me to it - by all means buy the fittings, but slapping a 2nd hand cooler on there when you don't know it's history might be a false economy....

i fitted an oil cooler to my previous engine as it was suffering overheating in heavy traffic and it definatley helped. later i also fitted a cooler thermostat and renewed the entire cooling system. it all helped.

personally i think any car can benefit from extra coooling capacity in our hot australian climate. it can get pretty dam hot in this land of ours and i think anything you can do to help your little mini cope with the heat is a good thing.

recently when i rebuilt my engine i just replaced the oil cooler with a new one, as i had found metal filings in the sump. this meant there was a high chance of metal filings inside the oil cooler, meaning if i rebuilt the engine, it is likley the metal filings would have then been pumped from that cooler through my nice new engine. so i replaced it as a precaution. i later cleaned it out, and yes it was full of filings, lucky i replaced it. it is almost impossible to get all of the metal filings out of an oil cooler if it is contaminated with metal filings.

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'66 BRG Morris Mini Deluxe 60HP ATW

Quite agree with using a new cooler.

Also schemed up an extra rad for the Mini plumbed from heater take-off to lower rad hose - first used it on hard working 998cc but it came into its own with 1380 and trailer.

That and a switchable electric fan in the inner wing and we're good for +100 temps while working hard.

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Select a gear, bring up the revs and release the clutch...off you go!

Lower hose? Huh.I always thought top hose, then you're kinda running in series with the main radiator, rather than parallel (hope that makes sense).

Extra rad runs in parallel as would heater matrix...and it works in high load, high heat, high temp conditions.

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Select a gear, bring up the revs and release the clutch...off you go!

I,ve had BMC A series engines since 1964 & never "Not" fitted an oil cooler & have
never suffered from severe engine problems in any of them. Rememember,rule of thumb
your oil temp will be about 20 deg. hotter than the water temp.
I would personally not introduce a S/H oil cooler to your engine because you never know what bits of metal are running around inside it-----especially when a brand new one ,with hoses is only around $180.00

buy a auto tranny cooler if ur worried about particles floating around
i think unless ur reving to 6000 all day ur wasting ur time , most oils are tested at much hotter temps than ur mini can produce

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A good friend will come and bail you out of jail...but a true friend will be sitting next to you saying "Damn...that was fun!"

Hunter2
Love that mount for the extra radiator

Extra rad comes into it's own when stock cooling is not up to the task - like an early "S" in British Columbia with its mountains - I loaned my rad to this "S" for the Spring Thaw I Rally in 2008. Ended his overheating problems. He has since sourced a narrower heater core to fit behind the earlier grill. Easy in, easy out for Concours presentation.



Or when the 1380 is pulling 2,500 lbs. through the mountains of Arizona in the summer. Here climbing Mingus Mountain on the way to the Cottonwood Valley on the Mini Meet West Rally in 2006.

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Select a gear, bring up the revs and release the clutch...off you go!

Hunter2 your trailer looks really nice

Make it yourself?

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ANY SEA ANY TIME

I was inspired by this trailer at Mini Meet East 2000 in Mount Cheribourg Park, Magog, Quebec (after driving 3,000 miles across Canada with a Mini sedan jammed with stuff).





Get a collection of two Mini rear ends, two Mini roofs, design a frame, and axle/hub assembly...and work with friends to build it. John G. did most of the steel work after the two ends were cut and welded together - deseaming the front half (to match the Mini, welding in new aprons and closing panels, cutting out the damper towers, welding in a flat floor. Here is the trailer roof - 6 pieces from two Mini roofs...



Then Lyall, the body/paint man, prepped the trailer and painted it. He shaped the pedestals for the wheel flairs, applied the buildup and painted to match the Mini. Murray G. insisted on doing the interior upholstery to match the Mini...what can a Mini owner do?

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Select a gear, bring up the revs and release the clutch...off you go!

I've had no issues with oil temp in my 998. But then it never gets hot enough to worry about it. And yes I've been cruising the highways at 30+ deg c and the van fully loaded.
A good oil is the key. That and an engine that doesn't actually run hot.

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