Oil cooler positioning - opinions please

[Driftin_AW]

right, I'm installing a gearbox oil cooler. I've had the idea for a while to mount it here:
http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2005/06/2.jpg
I was going to make a fibreglass shroud underneath it, and supply it with air via a flexible PVC duct running down the side of the enginebay, to a scoop under the car. Then I thought to myself...wouldn't it make more sense to just mount the oil cooler down at the bottom, similar to the intercooler on the first mk1.5 Carl Crawford did:
http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2006/01/84.jpg

Doing it that way would allow me to fit one of my larger oil coolers too. Anyway, I can't decide - the one on the engine lid side piece would look wicked, but maybe mounting it down the bottom is better... opinions please!

[Paul Woods]

id go for the top mounted one with a toms scoop,my reasons...

1)it looks cool
2)id hate to think something like a stone hit the oil IC at speed if it was mounted underneath,you'd lose your oil and 1 lap later bang

no,top mount for me mal,i really like the use of that dead area,needs a toms though.

[Driftin_AW]

just so you know, I def. wont be putting a toms type scoop on it :P air will be supplied from underneath, and exhausted out the top. That is, unless someone shows me a scoop design that looks good (I'm yet to see one I really like)

[nik]

im with you mal..i think toms sccops are rubbish..they look way to fastandinfuriating and in my mind the air is going the wrong way..
better to scoop from below and take advantage of the faster less dense air above the car..

[nik]

btw..will there be any issues with a rad so much higher than the box?

[Driftin_AW]

that's what I was wondering. I guess oil would drain out of it when it's stopped, but when the oil pump (inside the gearbox) is turning it should pump up there no problems

[superchargedsam]

Mal with all your aero mods I rekon your car will operate like the one on back to the future and hover everywhere so once at speed the wheels could move through 90 degrees and get cover to keep it flowing nicely ! HKS used to use a gearbox or sump mounted intercooler for the twin charge kit and you would get airflow there for sure but am with Paul on the whole stone hitting it issue ! As for Toms scoop idea Malc why dont you sketch down something you like and feel would work for this and will see what we can do over here for ya !
Also agree with Nik on the airflow direction but the right scoop in the right place could help and would depend where you then vent the air from the underneath from as thats the problem people are trying to for ce air into an area its trying to escape from, a toms type scoop could be used for an enclosed air box for perfect cold air with added ram air effect which is what I have on every bike I own. To this end if you scooped air onto the oil cooler you could then take a second scoop exiting facing backwards under read trunk deck which would be aided by air being sucked out behind the car so a few options there for ya ! Malc get scetching !

[Driftin_AW]

haha no, I definitely shouldn't sketch anything...probably wouldn't even be able to tell the car from a cow if I drew it... :lol2:

[superchargedsam]

LOL ok how about decribing what you think would look good as always looking for ideas and am sure I can get someone to draw it up from a decent description if you think it would have abenefit to the car rather than just be there for cosmetics !

[lodgeman]

i keep thinking about a clear perspex, flat not round ,scoop that comes from the centre roof by the clear toyota perspex thingy ( tech description) with a roof vent that comes straight down the centre of the rear window and down the back of the engine cover and piped around to the underside of the top mounted cooler and then that would exit upwards? stupid or what?:hide:

[superchargedsam]

Alan no not stupid but would need to be carefully routed to get best effect, also you would want to avoid restrictions from the opening face along the tract of the pipework or you could run into problems at speed, and lets face it we all have that RS200 fantasy somewhere in us and this gets us somewhere close if what yoru talking about is what I think your talking about !

[superchargedsam]

Alan another use of this could be as a cold ram air effect inlet routed to the air filter !

[nik]

how about a roof scoop like the scoobies or even better the isuzu trooper like the one i have on the boot but on the roof facing the way theyre supposed to..but bringing the air into the cabin area, through some dutcing and into the engine bay through the firewall..neednt use clear perspex as you could route the air with ducting anyway you like in the cabin, not blocking the rear window view..does that make any sense..??

[superchargedsam]

yep and would make an awsome sound as well ! ideally need to see a side on image of the 2 in a wind tunnel to see where the air hits the top and how closely it hugs it to force it in there ! Is there no software we can put an image of the 2 in and see how air flows over its lines, I guess any simulation software could be very very pricey !

[jasper]

Been toying with this idea myself for the IC as I want to keep the boot free, only trouble is I've got a T bar so may have to go down the scoop route but have it enclosed as Sam said earlier.

[djdna2000]

I think the top mounted idea is good.

I'm going to mount my gearbox cooler in the LHS wing vent (that I am gonna create) and the engine oil cooler in the RHS vent, both with fans. I'm gonna sheet off much of the bottom of the bay for aero reasons, and have a SPAL fan sucking out of the lid. I think both fans blowing and the lid fan sucking should cool the bay enough. I'm then going to make some sort of vent for the air intake, either roof mounted or through the pillar (looks similiar to TOMs but no bending round corners).

[superchargedsam]

Whats all this mention of oil coolers going on ? Dan are you running them as your goona track your beast or would you still do it if it was road use only ? Did think about oil coolers but thought most were looking at ditching them ? Thought Malc was using them as he lived in a country where they saw the sun, this morning at 4.30 when I left for the trudge into London an oil warmer for the gearbox would be nice as takes a while for gearbox to become smooth which I guess means I need to get my lazy arse under there and get the box oil changed as well as the engine oil for a change !

[djdna2000]

It is going to be a track car, so I think the extra insurance is useful. It depends really, I'm sure that it isn't 'necessary' but it can't hurt. I'll probably block it off during winter.

[superchargedsam]

Cheers Dan just checking what you thought for road use so thats good to know !

[jasper]

Could use something like this but probably only suitable for tintops:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Universal-roof-vent-MR2-GT4-SKYLINE-PULSAR-SUPRA_W0QQitemZ8032134422QQcategoryZ43118QQrdZ1QQc mdZViewItem

[superchargedsam]

Jasper I was looking at that but no way I wann ruin the lines of the tin top but a cut down version could be fasioned for coops and T bars Im sure

[johnathan]

that first pic was a supra oil cooler right i'm working on using one of them with a scoop "sorry i like them" but do you know if the original 3sgte oil cooler line will fit right on don't have one yet so i don't know

[Driftin_AW]

yep the first pic is a supra cooler. You can just cut the oil cooler loop on the front of the gearbox and have each pipe flared then run some flexible oil line to the cooler, should be pretty simple to plumb up.

[johnathan]

thanks just wanted to double check

[Sparky]

gee this is an old thread. How did you go with the oil cooler project.

I would put the cooler in a 5 sided box with the 6 side of the box as the cooler itself. put it underneith the car so that the cooler faces the rear of the car so no stone can ever do any damage to it and run flexible piping from say the inside of the front wheel arches into the box. Air will come in through the face of the tubes in the wheel well down the tube into the box, because the box is sealed the air has no choise but to pass through the cooler and is then expelled either under the car or through the engine lid.

:)

[Driftin_AW]

I don't want to do this unless I decide it's necessary, which will depend on some temperature testing I guess, not sure when I'll get time for that though

[Shorty]

How effective will an oil cooler be really. I found this (http://cgi.ebay.de/OL-Kuehler-OLKuehler-VR6-R32-MR2-Eclipse-E36-M3-Civic-LLK_W0QQitemZ230038164375QQihZ013QQcategoryZ33597Q QrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem) in germany ebay and was thinking of getting it if it is effective.