Oil Coolers Splitting (Split from Mini racing in SE)

[Cujo]

I was going to enter if I had a trouble free run at the weekend Tris

But I have a dodgy clutch and my (brand new) oil cooler split and fired oil everywhere so I will have to give this one a miss. I'll pop over to see how you get on though.

Bill said he was going to enter

[Robert Morris]

Steve gordons new oil cooler split at Brands on the 15th and i reckon it must be vibration these new ones are not as strong as the old ones so we are going to have one made at Brise.

I spoke to Mary at the weekend and she was hopeing to race next weekend

[Big Dave]

Originally Posted by Robert Morris

Steve gordons new oil cooler split at Brands on the 15th and i reckon it must be vibration these new ones are not as strong as the old ones so we are going to have one made at Brise.

Did u both use a spanner on the hex fitting welded on the cooler or did you just do the fitting up against the weld???? also keep the cooler pipes well supported and mount the cooler on rubber bobbins and they last till you smash them

[Robert Morris]

Originally Posted by Big Dave

Did u both use a spanner on the hex fitting welded on the cooler or did you just do the fitting up against the weld???? also keep the cooler pipes well supported and mount the cooler on rubber bobbins and they last till you smash them

Most certainly did and have supported however the orginal one never had trouble the only reason we changed it it was scruffy.

[Big Dave]

Originally Posted by Robert Morris

Most certainly did and have supported however the orginal one never had trouble the only reason we changed it it was scruffy.

was it a Mocal cooler Rob?

[Cujo]

I only changed it because the last one was mounted below the front valance and was a bit scruffy having survived a few kerbings.

I tightened the new one up against a spanner BD, it's failed in between the fins, which is strange. Rubber bobbins is a good idea though.

[Big Dave]

Originally Posted by Cujo

I only changed it because the last one was mounted below the front valance and was a bit scruffy having survived a few kerbings.

I tightened the new one up against a spanner BD, it's failed in between the fins, which is strange. Rubber bobbins is a good idea though.

i have only ever had them go round the fittings or put a big hole etc in em never seen one go there before try backing it sounds faulty!!! obiously still looks new with no signs of impact yeah??????

[Eric Falce]

Originally Posted by Robert Morris

Steve gordons new oil cooler split at Brands on the 15th and i reckon it must be vibration these new ones are not as strong as the old ones so we are going to have one made at Brise.

I spoke to Mary at the weekend and she was hopeing to race next weekend

May be I shouldnt be here but I have had three oil coolers split over the past season,each time I have mounted them in different ways,no reason for it,wonder if it is just a bad batch or not!

[GORDON STREETER]

A fair number of people have suffered from split oil rads in the last year or so and I think the quality may be dropping ( I wonder where they're made ? )
I personally have never had any trouble as I run it on the return of the dry sump system. Also I don't know how much pressure they are supposed to take ?
However I have noticed a few people around the pits over the years revving their engines without first getting it up to temperature, with the oil gauge off the clock !

[Robert Morris]

Hi guys your comments about oil cooler problems very intresting, last night i received a pm and they where explaining about the problems they had experianced. I belive there is a manufacturing problem and we have to buy a more expensive brand. James has discovered he also has a leak on his astra and that is on the low pressure side. Will be intresting if any body else submitts on this topic.

[Eric Falce]

They should be ok for up to 150+ lbs,seems very strange that they fail inside the actual centre section.I decided to change mine just to update it,should have observed the 'if it aint broke,dont mend it'.Did send the last one to the supplier for him to get an opion from the manufacturer,that was 5 months ago,still no reply,am changing supplier and making sure it is from a different manufacturer.

[Robert Morris]

Eric i have sent Gordons back twice and the supplier has changed both times and we were very carefull that it was mounted in accordance with the manufactures spec, So i will now send the most recent failer back to them for their comments, and let you all know the out come.

[Eric Falce]

thanks Robert,curious to find the problem.I mounted the first one as per the old unit,solid,next one i used the cotton reels,the next one was half soilid and the bottom with cotton reels so I have realy tried most mounting positions without success.

[275 GTB-4]

To anyone splitting coolers...try running without one for a change...you will probably notice no difference in Oil Temp anyway

[Robert Morris]

If it safe to remove them why do we fit them i am aware when we run without by mid race the pressure will drop 5 lb or so? be intresting if any oil supply is looking at this thread and has a view.

[GORDON STREETER]

What I do is run an oil cooler but tape it off . Give it a thrash round in practice/qualifying and see what temperature it gets to. If its reading to high its easy to pop in the pits and rip some tape off.
I run the temperature gauge sender in the filter housing, and to be quite honest I will only find it necessary to use the cooler in long races and if the ambient temperature is high. The one thing they are good for is giving increased oil capacity especially on a wet sumped engine. Decent fully synthetic oil should be run at over 80 deg c. Also I have always got a pipe already made up so the cooler can be blanked off quickly if needs be, so I don't have to "sod about" at the last minute.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0fmIiR0O_Q
The link will show my car over the years with various bits of tape at different tracks.

[Peter Mallett]

I lost two at Snetterton last week. Running hot I'm showing around 80psi. Cold (and I don't rev it cold) It goes up to near 100psi.

Changing to a high pressure heat exchanger (although I thought that was just another name for an oil cooler) so we'll see.

[Thunder1]

We had the same thing happen last year where the oil cooler was splitting.This all happen after changing from a wet sump engine to a dry sump engine.New cooler for new engine same brand cooler and the mounting same as before.We split two coolers in a row in the space of a few weeks they lasted about the same hrs of track time.

The end result of the cause was the oil lines had very high harmonics due to the dry sump's oil pump's increased pulse.The old oil lines length being too short making the lines stiff and rigid not allowing for and movement so the high harmonics traveled straight to the cooler after some time fatigue set in end result split cooler.

The fix was to have longer oil lines to the cooler.


I hope the info comes in handy.

Thunder1

[Tim Falce]

Originally Posted by Eric Falce

so I have really tried most mounting positions without success.

Is that why my aunt P always has a long face?

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by falcemob

Is that why my aunt P always has a long face?

Trust you to bring the thread down into the gutter. Why can't you behave like me, I'll say a prayer for you in church on Sunday !

Eric, the kids of today ha !


And Thunder, point taken but most of the problems that people have had is just fitting a new cooler without doing anything else. Presumably they never had a problem before.
I have had the same oil rad for 20 years !

[Big Dave]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

I have had the same oil rad for 20 years !

Me too the box looks a bit tatty now tho

[Big Dave]

Originally Posted by 275 GTB-4

To anyone splitting coolers...try running without one for a change...you will probably notice no difference in Oil Temp anyway

What in a Mini Get real!!!!!

[Moosehead]

I got through a number of coolers last year (all brand new). All failed in the same spot, where the union is attached to the core. Had words with my supplier who told me that the company that makes the coolers for all the different brands (they're the same....look at them) had been taken over and that the new owners had downgraded the material spec.

My supplier hand fab'd one for me as a special order and has been ok since

[Al Weyman]

So Gordon if you have had the rad for 20 years presumably you have lost a few engines in that time if so you obviously do not subscribe to the view that if you blow an engine you should scrap the cooler, a question I asked some while ago and have since decided to give it a damned good clean well two of them actually as it would have meant changing them in two cars and starts getting costly. Its down stream of the oil filter and I did notsee any bits of crap come out when I back flushed it and blew it through. I also asked the question did I really need a cooler as I see so many taped off and the answer back was I should run with one but I am still not totally convinced for 10 to 12 laps sprint races.

[275 GTB-4]

Originally Posted by Big Dave

What in a Mini Get real!!!!!

BD...I am real...try concentrating your efforts on the best oil and best cooling system...external coolers add volume (sure) but also add compexity and are an unecessary failure point.