Oil Cooler Question

[arionii_s550]

Ford Performance advises -12AN lines too and from the oil cooler. The concern is flow and pressure drop across the core of the cooler. Larger coolers have larger pressure drops. Everything in the plumbing of the cooler has an impact on flow and pressure. The size of the lines and the number of bends all impact oil flow and every possible step that you can take to limit the reductions of oil flow should be taken. Sometimes there is nothing you can do to make the installation work but a 90* AN fitting is more restrictive than a 45* AN fitting and a 45* fitting is more restrictive than a straight fitting. Each restriction adds to the overall reduction of flow and peak pressure drop. The Coyote oil pumps move a lot of oil and the piston squirters use a lot of oil flow to cool the pistons.

I am not a big fan of moving the oil filter unless you have a fitment issue like running a forward mount twin turbo setup. Most relocation kits move the oil filter forward and if you decide to build a proper splitter you may end up having to remove the splitter each time you have to change the oil filter. Also the relocation kit now adds yet another restriction in the path of the oil and then you will be adding another restriction with the oil thermostat.

I use the Setrab oil M22x1.5 sandwich adapter with the thermostat and bypass all in one unit, here is the part number 19-STP76-22-180-22. You need to order their ProLine fittings in -10AN or -12AN for the connections at the sandwich adapter as they have a special thread length and maximize oil flow at the adapter. You will be removing the OEM oil cooler so you will need a short filter assembly insert, I am not 100% sure this is the correct number but your dealer parts department can help you get the correct piece AL3Z-6890-A.
.

Not sure what Setrab cooler you are leaning towards but the Series1 oil coolers are too small for road course use unless you are looking at the 72 row unit, the Series6 oil coolers in the 50 or 60 row with good placement and good airflow will handle almost everyone's needs. If you are planning to run 30+ min sessions or back to back sessions you should consider a Series9 48 row or bigger but they are hard to install due to their larger size. I would also price the Earl's UltraPro coolers as they are identical to the Setrab coolers and can usually be found for a little less.

Take your time and plan out each part and think about how they will effect the flow and pressure of the oil system when you decide what pieces and the final placement of the parts in the system. The oil system is a critical system on the car and has to be designed with that in mind. Adding an oil cooler for serious track duty is a good idea but adding an under sized or poorly designed oil cooler can cause more harm than good. Use straight fittings as much as possible and the largest size lines you can make work, also oil lines move and grow when under pressure so make sure when you plumb the lines themselves that you account for some movement and add protection to the lines from rubbing on any part of the car. Try and keep the radius of the hoses as large as possible. Seal all the openings in the duct work from the lines passing through them.

Dave

what size oil cooler are you using?

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[JBarr]

Reviving this: is it possible to add a thermostatic sandwich plate to the stock oil cooler and with fit the FL-500-S filter without either relocating the filter or removing the stock cooler?

 

[GTP]

Yes. That is my setup. There is just enough clearance at the end of the filter to the subframe (when the filter is unscrewed). BTW I run the FL-820-S filter which is larger diameter but same height as the FL500.

 

[JBarr]

That's great! Thanks. I'm planning to go with this setrab thermostatic plate.

 

[GTP]

Good choice. Two tips:
1. Use -10AN hose, NOT -12AN. There isn't enough room for 12AN fittings with that plate. Yes, 10 is big enough.
2. Use Setrab 90-elbows that are M22 at one end and terminate straight into -10AN hose. Don't use the fittings as pictured, and then a 90deg screw-on fitting. So get two of these:
SET-M22RU10-90.
Trust me on this.

 

[JBarr]

Thanks for the tips. This is perfect.

 

[GTP]

Here is a shopping cart, if that also helps. Prices are out of date. This is for the low, horizontal cooler mounting like I run. There is the bigger heat rejection cooler (what I run, but pricey) or the lesser one (affordable).

And don't forget to order these.

 

[DougS550]

I would suggest using "Full Flow" AN fittings to reduce the loss of flow throug fittings.

 

[EFI]

Are you guys draining your coolers with every oil change? Or simply leaving the used oil in the lines and cooler to just mix in with the fresh oil?

And if you do drain/flush out all of the oil, do you refill it back up before starting or do you put extra oil to account for what will be in the cooler? For example the cooler I'm looking at holds about a quart of oil, so if I were to drain it, as soon as the thermostat opens up all of a sudden my pan will be a quart low as the empty cooler now fills up.

 

[RBELUN]

Are you guys draining your coolers with every oil change? Or simply leaving the used oil in the lines and cooler to just mix in with the fresh oil?

And if you do drain/flush out all of the oil, do you refill it back up before starting or do you put extra oil to account for what will be in the cooler? For example the cooler I'm looking at holds about a quart of oil, so if I were to drain it, as soon as the thermostat opens up all of a sudden my pan will be a quart low as the empty cooler now fills up.

I dont specifically drain the cooler. my adapter is not the thermostat control as my setup uses the factory water cooler and adds an efan for extra cooling.

 

[GTP]

Are you guys draining your coolers with every oil change? Or simply leaving the used oil in the lines and cooler to just mix in with the fresh oil?

And if you do drain/flush out all of the oil, do you refill it back up before starting or do you put extra oil to account for what will be in the cooler? For example the cooler I'm looking at holds about a quart of oil, so if I were to drain it, as soon as the thermostat opens up all of a sudden my pan will be a quart low as the empty cooler now fills up.

I wish I could. It just isn't accessible. I thought about inserting an inline drain petcock in one of the two lines. But I'm not sure just how accessible even that would be.

 

[EFI]

I wish I could. It just isn't accessible.

Can you undo one the AN line fittings at the adapter? Or is that not going to provide enough fall for fluid to drain out?

 

[GTP]

Can you undo one the AN line fittings at the adapter? Or is that not going to provide enough fall for fluid to drain out?

I am overdue for oil change after 4 track days. So I will check the lines path once the LF wheel is off, and then address your question.

Until then, No the hose ends are absolute inaccessible, at least in any convenient way. My horizontal oil cooler has a 5 degree slope and both connections are on the driver side. So the idea would be to install a drain valve halfway along the line that goes to the lower elevation connection. I'll bet I could get most of the oil out of the cooler.

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