SE oil cooler plumbing; AN dash 8 or dash 10?

[Tony]

Hey all, I'm putting an remote filter and oil cooler on my SE.

Most of the components on the market seem to run AN-10 fittings, however some previous posts by knowledgeable people here on the forum tend to suggest -8 hose is sufficient.

Has anyone seen a definitive reference that may shed some light on the ideal diameter? I know the FM oil filter kit uses AN-8, so that's a pretty good starting point.

Many thanks in anticipation...

PS: I'm thinking of going with a 13 row, stacked plate style heat exchanger.

[Muzdaman]

My Works Engineering cooler/filter re-locator uses AN-8.

[Lokiel]

Consensus on miataturbo.net is AN-10 fittings for oil which is why I used AN-10 fittings. They're the experts so if you're building your own kit, you may as well use AN-10 fittings and never worry about them again.

Where/how are you planning to mount it?

I had some "fun" installing mine so you might want a look at my garage thread for some alternate ideas.

[project.r.racing]

i'd go with whatever the adaptor comes with. both a massise IDs for the size of a BP engine, and will do the same job. depends how much heat dissipation you really need. the smaller of the two will hold a little less oil than the larger.

same goes for the oil size cooler.too big and your oil is alway cold, too small and it ain't cooling enough. but then again, these engine don't create alot of heat compared to a 600hp 2.5L turbo monster, so personally a small 9 row i think it enough.

[Apu]

I tee'd the rear wiper spray on my Alfa to the oil cooler for that extra bit of cooling, so whenever I wasn't getting enough cooling, just triggered the rear squirter and voila, see the temps drop!

You could do that with your front wipers too - just get the fittings from your local petshop (fish tank supplies).

[Lokiel]

:
same goes for the oil size cooler.too big and your oil is alway cold, too small and it ain't cooling enough. but then again, these engine don't create alot of heat compared to a 600hp 2.5L turbo monster, so personally a small 9 row i think it enough.

One of the reasons I bought a GREDDY oil-filter relocation block is that it incorporates a thermostat which only opens when the oil reaches 71~85C so that it's not circulating cold oil - not a big problem usually here in QLD but every little bit of prevention is a good thing.

I tee'd the rear wiper spray on my Alfa to the oil cooler for that extra bit of cooling, so whenever I wasn't getting enough cooling, just triggered the rear squirter and voila, see the temps drop!

You could do that with your front wipers too - just get the fittings from your local petshop (fish tank supplies).

I've heard of people "misting" their intercooler and radiator to provide additional cooling but I hadn't even thought of doing that to the oil cooler - same principle, great idea!

If you want something more robust than "fish-tank pumps/fittings" to do this, have a look online for PC water-cooling components, it's extremely important that they don't leak so more attention is paid to ensuring their integrity. Unfortunately you'll end up paying a lot more for PC-pump components though.

[Apu]

I've heard of people "misting" their intercooler and radiator to provide additional cooling but I hadn't even thought of doing that to the oil cooler - same principle, great idea!

If you want something more robust than "fish-tank pumps/fittings" to do this, have a look online for PC water-cooling components, it's extremely important that they don't leak so more attention is paid to ensuring their integrity. Unfortunately you'll end up paying a lot more for PC-pump components though.

If you T it off the wiper washer lines, you don't need any additional pumps! So fish tank fittings are sufficient - it's just a T-joint and a cock (to divert water to the appropriate line) that you are looking for. You could probably buy similar from Bunnings - you just need a T-joint the to fit the wiper spray tubing, and a garden spray nozzle (one of those tiny ones that give off a fan shaped spray).

On my NB, I've mounted my oil cooler in the firewall cavity and the wiper lines run right over it, that said, I haven't had the need to fit the spray yet.

On the Alfa, I had the oil cooler mounted right up front (it's hot in Singapore!) and the water spray would work on both the radiator and the oil cooler.

[Tony]

Thanks for all the replies.

I should have mentioned that the car is essentially track use only now and while the motor is still essentially standard, at some time in the future it will be rebuilt with forged internals, larger turbo etc.

Regards...

[Okibi]

Here's another idea ..

http://www.maruhamotors.co.jp/miata/par ... anger.html

[MINX]

I tee'd the rear wiper spray on my Alfa to the oil cooler for that extra bit of cooling, so whenever I wasn't getting enough cooling, just triggered the rear squirter and voila, see the temps drop!

You could do that with your front wipers too - just get the fittings from your local petshop (fish tank supplies).

Had a bit of time on my hands so thought i would mess with this idea.
Irrigation fittings from bunnings - easy.
1. Dissconect power supply plug to wiper motor - so wipers dont go when washer toggle pulled
2. T in another tube.
3. Place a tap downstream of T to stop water to windscreen
4. Run hose down to oil/inter collers/s
5. add half circle spray nozzles and end cap to end of hose.

Easy right - and it does work. Except....
The nozzles are below the level of the washer bottle, so when off, they still gravity feed and drain the washer bottle

Got too hot in the garage so in the a/c for lunch and a brain storm

[NitroDann]

couldnt get a ball valve that holds the water in when not under pressure?

Dann

[Apu]

I tee'd the rear wiper spray on my Alfa to the oil cooler for that extra bit of cooling, so whenever I wasn't getting enough cooling, just triggered the rear squirter and voila, see the temps drop!

You could do that with your front wipers too - just get the fittings from your local petshop (fish tank supplies).

Had a bit of time on my hands so thought i would mess with this idea.
Irrigation fittings from bunnings - easy.
1. Dissconect power supply plug to wiper motor - so wipers dont go when washer toggle pulled
2. T in another tube.
3. Place a tap downstream of T to stop water to windscreen
4. Run hose down to oil/inter collers/s
5. add half circle spray nozzles and end cap to end of hose.

Easy right - and it does work. Except....
The nozzles are below the level of the washer bottle, so when off, they still gravity feed and drain the washer bottle

Got too hot in the garage so in the a/c for lunch and a brain storm

So where do you have your cooler mounted? I did have a slight drip with my Alfa but it wasn't a big deal. Turned it off when I wasn't at the track and on the odd occassion when I forgot...water was easy to get hold of anyway. Just have a container handy so you can fill up at any tap or pull in at a petrol station.

If you have a trickle as opposed to a slow drip, have the line/tube traveling upwards before the nozzle. It'll still drip but I found the siphoning effect wasn't as strong. It shouldn't empty out the the tank too much though as it has to pass through the pump.

Since your car is turboed, it would make sense to have a separate spray system as the intercooler will gain from the spray and you will need more water...but I get that space is at a premium. Think about mounting a truck washer system in the boot?

[MINX]

Re Sprayer

Fitted an aquarium check valve, it seems to have enough restriction to stop the gravity feed.
Test run showed the tank runs out pretty fast.
Will do some tests at Lakeside on 21st to see if it makes any dif to temps, filling up each session.

end threadjack

[Apu]

That's interesting that it appears to flow through the pump so quickly. I would have thought the mechanical bits would have offered sufficient restriction.

[Okibi]

One of my mates did this on a 300zx, he ran the pump non stop for a "test" lap of the block, when he got back the pump had run so hot the empty washer bottle had melted.