Oil change with an oil cooler.
Discussion
Hello all,
I've googled this a bit, but getting very varied opinions, so thought I'd ask PH for theirs.
I have a Honda Integra track car which has a 19 row oil cooler fitted. Between the cooler and the car there are about 3 meters of hose. This adds about 1.2L to my oil capacity.
I've had the cooler fitted for about 8 months now and have done 3 trackdays and been to the ring. Perhaps 5k road miles. In total I think I've changed the oil about 4 times, but one thing I've never done is flushed out the oil cooler and lines.
The question is, does that need doing, and if so how often? Any tips to carrying this out? It seems that it could become a very messy job very quickly.
Any input appreciated.
Cheers
Dan
I've googled this a bit, but getting very varied opinions, so thought I'd ask PH for theirs.
I have a Honda Integra track car which has a 19 row oil cooler fitted. Between the cooler and the car there are about 3 meters of hose. This adds about 1.2L to my oil capacity.
I've had the cooler fitted for about 8 months now and have done 3 trackdays and been to the ring. Perhaps 5k road miles. In total I think I've changed the oil about 4 times, but one thing I've never done is flushed out the oil cooler and lines.
The question is, does that need doing, and if so how often? Any tips to carrying this out? It seems that it could become a very messy job very quickly.
Any input appreciated.
Cheers
Dan
Is the cooler thermostat controlled?
Seems quite a lot of additional capacity?
Anyway if you don't blow it out it just dilutes your new fresh oil with the old stuff still resident in the cooler the first time the thermostat opens or as soon as you start the engine if uncontrolled.
One of my cars has two oil coolers fitted with no thermostat control on that one if I am doing any other work at the time of the change I will disconnect the feed pipe and blow thro (the oil ends up in the sump where it can be drained out)
Seems quite a lot of additional capacity?
Anyway if you don't blow it out it just dilutes your new fresh oil with the old stuff still resident in the cooler the first time the thermostat opens or as soon as you start the engine if uncontrolled.
One of my cars has two oil coolers fitted with no thermostat control on that one if I am doing any other work at the time of the change I will disconnect the feed pipe and blow thro (the oil ends up in the sump where it can be drained out)
In a word, no, it doesn't need doing. You're adding plenty of fresh oil to the engine.
Automatic transmissions might be considered similar. A full drain and fluid change only ever changes about two thirds of the fluid, because a third remains trapped in the torque converter.
In either case if you're worried, just do more frequent changes. There's no need to flush.
Automatic transmissions might be considered similar. A full drain and fluid change only ever changes about two thirds of the fluid, because a third remains trapped in the torque converter.
In either case if you're worried, just do more frequent changes. There's no need to flush.
I presume that the oil temperature is such that an oil cooler is needed?
I did two laps of the TT circuit, which is over 70 miles in total, taking the revs to the maximum wherever possible, at the end of the 70 miles my oil temperature hadnt reached working temperature, and that engine had an oil cooler.
The Castrol rep was in the pits when I got back and he measured the oil temperature electronically. I asked him how I should measure the temperature when he wasnt around, he suggested a meat thermometer in the dipstick hole.
My Cooper S runs between Turkey and Ham, is this normal?
I did two laps of the TT circuit, which is over 70 miles in total, taking the revs to the maximum wherever possible, at the end of the 70 miles my oil temperature hadnt reached working temperature, and that engine had an oil cooler.
The Castrol rep was in the pits when I got back and he measured the oil temperature electronically. I asked him how I should measure the temperature when he wasnt around, he suggested a meat thermometer in the dipstick hole.
My Cooper S runs between Turkey and Ham, is this normal?
That's not a bad idea to lift it up and push it through. It is thermostatic though so I'll have to get the engine up to temp first! (which should allow the oil to drain easier anyway).
Yes it's there for temperature, why else would you fit an oil cooler
I can't believe you didn't get upto temp after 70 mile flat out! that's crazy!! (or am I missing the joke)
I got to crazy temperatures after just half a lap at the ring before fitting the cooler, for example.
Yes it's there for temperature, why else would you fit an oil cooler
I can't believe you didn't get upto temp after 70 mile flat out! that's crazy!! (or am I missing the joke)
I got to crazy temperatures after just half a lap at the ring before fitting the cooler, for example.
depends how the cooler is fitted, if it's higher than where the hoses come out the engine, it should all drain back in, if it sits lower, then some of the oil might remain, probably not as much as you might think, as much of it can still get pulled via a syphoning action, but even if some remains, so long as you are not adding something like engine flush, it's not a big deal that some of your oil doesn't get changed, especially given how regularly you seem to be changing it.
ging84 said:
depends how the cooler is fitted, if it's higher than where the hoses come out the engine, it should all drain back in, if it sits lower, then some of the oil might remain, probably not as much as you might think, as much of it can still get pulled via a syphoning action, but even if some remains, so long as you are not adding something like engine flush, it's not a big deal that some of your oil doesn't get changed, especially given how regularly you seem to be changing it.
The oil cooler is lower, perhaps by 20cm or so. Thanks for the informative reply
Vacumatic said:
I did two laps of the TT circuit, which is over 70 miles in total, taking the revs to the maximum wherever possible, at the end of the 70 miles my oil temperature hadnt reached working temperature, and that engine had an oil cooler.
are you saying that like its good? cold isnt a good thing to have DanielJames said:
I ended up taking the cooler off and tipping it upside down. To my surprise, not very much oil came out. Maybe 200ml.
Exactly, the actual capacity of the cooler and pipes is so small that it's not worth the effort of trying to drain it. There's probably more old oil sitting around your cams than in the cooler.FWIW, thermostatic take off plates have a small bleed hole that allows an amount of oil through at all times even if the stat is closed. If they didn't have this, the first time the stat opened after fitting the cooler you'd get a catastrophic loss of pressure as the pump blows the air through the system and onto your bearings.
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