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R33: Oil Cooler Installation

Blk33

By Blk33,
in Tutorials / DIY / FAQ

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Richo Mentor

Richo

Posted
Posted
Second issue, I did an oil change yesterday, but when I drained the oil only 3.5 litres came out. Obviously the rest is still in the cooler core and lines. How does everyone else go about flushing the rest of the oil out.

Do these things happen to anyone else, or have I done something wrong? I have definately plumbed everything correctly going by this DIY, so I just wanted a bit of reassurance.

Cheers

Just installed one of these kits, (very helpful thread btw), but very interested to know about this as well, I dont want to have to unplug everything to flush properly. how do you guys do it?

Also, where can i go to get these lines cut shorter(in Adelaide) , they are way too long and taking too much space.

Cheers

  • 2 weeks later...
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Blk33
Blk33

For normal driving around town the standard heat exchanger fitted between the engine and the oil filter is quite satisfactory. However, 3 or 4 times a year I take the car to Sandown or Calder raceway

Dose Pipe Sutututu
Dose Pipe Sutututu

this should be similar enough: here's a write up I did of my DIY Kit: http://www.trak-life.com/diy-r33-skyline-oil-cooler-with-thermostat/

D.I.Y. Mik
D.I.Y. Mik

I hope this helps those wondering how to hook it up:

Posted Images

insanity Rising Star

insanity

Posted
Posted

go buy a bottle of cheap oil to use...

drain your oil as usual, leaving the filter on...

put the cheap oil through the engine for a few mintues then drain it again....

that should get the majority of the older oil out.

then replace the filter and add your good oil as usual!

Lazy-Bastard Grand Master

Lazy-Bastard

Posted
Posted
go buy a bottle of cheap oil to use...

drain your oil as usual, leaving the filter on...

put the cheap oil through the engine for a few mintues then drain it again....

that should get the majority of the older oil out.

then replace the filter and add your good oil as usual!

I'd rather leave used synthetic oil in there than cheapo flush oil. The issue still remains that there is quite an amount of oil left in the system after draining.

  • 2 months later...
Chris_R33GTSt Proficient

Chris_R33GTSt

Posted
Posted (edited)

An oil cooler is very high on my list of mods (which will all happen when the car is off the road this June for 2 months). Only question is that it adds extra complexity and I would like to try and make it as bulletproof as possible.

Does anyone here run an over sized sump with cooling fins?

I reckon the extra oil capacity along with the fact that there are no oil lines to fail has to be a good thing...

Edited by Chris_R33GTSt
jeffworld2 Veteran

jeffworld2

Posted
Posted
This is a valid issue^^^

Anyone care to share what they do to get the remaining oil out?

thats why mine is above where it goes into the block. before this, i was unscrewing it and lifting it higher, you will never get it all out this way (at least how mine was set up) but you can get a lot. i change oil often enough that im not worried about the quality of what is still in there.

GeeTR Grand Master

GeeTR

Posted
Posted
Added to members tutorials. Nice work. Pity the GTR has stupid BOVs in that spot... my cooler is under the damn car..

Hey Prank

Same issue i have, thought bout moving the BOV's, or replacing with one in the engine bay, but dont want the attn. Would be massively appreciated if you could share where you placed yours! :blink:

- Michael

  • 1 month later...
Muzz93GTST Apprentice

Muzz93GTST

Posted
Posted

Well i guess that Lazy Bastard has pointed out the obvious flaw with oil coolers, This is the very reason why i have not decided if i should buy one yet.

Unfortunately unless you have your oil cooler and everything positioned so that most of the oil drains out using good ol gravity , you will always have at least 1 litre

of dirty oil on the sump, yes thats right DIRTY DIRTY OIL hehe just the thought of it... eh yuck Even if there is nothing wrong with that.

Oil coolers do a great job But I would opt for a high capacity performance sump with oil cooling fins anyday. Unfortunately cant find anything like that for RB25.

grigor Rising Star

grigor

Posted
Posted

Come on guys!!!! Surely you don't think you get ALL the old oil out when you do a conventional oil change.

Even if you do a hot change and then leave it drain overnight, there will still be oil in turbo lines, galleries, cylinder head pockets etc.

99% of oil coolers are full flow, not by-pass, so any oil in the cooler will be filtered before it goes through the engine.

If you also fit a remote filter, that filter too is always mounted downstream of the cooler.

So don't panic. Change your oil/filter as per usual and top up according to the dipstick.

  • 1 month later...
West Grand Master

West

Posted
Posted

The oil cooler in my old 32gtr sat on the left hand side duct of the car, meaning i've almost two metter of braided line run from the oil filter, into the front bar, cross on top of the intercooler and down to the left hand side coner.

As for remaining oil left in the lines and cooler it self, i wouldn't think it should be a worry as long as you drop the oil regularly, dont' forget by having an oil cooler, you've already pro-long the life of your engine oil so if basic maintance is carried out on time, oil will still be good by then.

  • 1 month later...
huddy Veteran

huddy

Posted
Posted (edited)

Attaching the Hoses

Remove the oil filter from the engine and attach the engine adapter. Make sure the two ‘O’ rings are in place. I used a little grease to hold them in place. Take note of the orientation of the engine adapter hose connectors, check the markings, inner and outer, this orientation will be required later. Outer is for the outside of the filter, and the other is the inner of the filter (threaded section). The oil from the engine is pumped through the outer of the engine adapter, through the remote filter outer (small holes with rubber one way valve), across the oil filter element to the inner threaded section of the filter, then to the cooler and returned to the engine via a long hose to the inner threaded adapter on the engine. If the hoses from the engine adapter are on the wrong way, the one way valve in the oil filter will prevent oil circulating through the filter and cooler. Take note of the orientation before you mount the adapter.

ok - excellent guide - i have a couple of questions with this though. im probably overthinking it. but i just want to make sure i get it right.

does this mean the oil cooler is fitted on the inner of the the two lines?

also with the core mounted straight up and down - which way should the lines be going in?

should oil be flowing in from the remote filter to the top of the core - then from the bottom of the core to the engine?

thanks heaps

-Matt

Edited by huddy
  • 2 months later...
Blk33 Community Regular

Blk33

Posted
  • Author
Posted

G'day ahh 33 s2,

My Skyline had a Blitz front mounted cooler attached. The pipes went through the standard holes in the left wheel arch so there was no issue with the right hand side.

I guess if your cooler pipe goes through the right wheel arch then you may have to mount the oil cooler in a different place.

Maybe someone else out there can help with suggestions???

Cheers

blk33 do you have a front mount when your installing this... as i have a hybrid with hybrid piping and it does seem to pose a few problems??
  • 3 months later...
frozenwaffles Mentor

frozenwaffles

Posted
Posted

ok, so have ajust jap kit and i havent installed it yet. since with this device installed, there is extra oil cooling capacity...should we be disconnectiong the old oil cooler from the water cooling system???

take this quote from the trust greddy oil cooler product:

Factory oil coolers are normally small water-cooled devices sandwiched between the oil filter and engine block. These tax the cooling system even under normal driving conditions. GReddy / GREX oil coolers are an excellent addition, and are especially effective in harsh driving environments. By using a similar inner-fin core design as our famous intercoolers, we are able to increase oil capacity, decrease oil temperatures, and extend engine and oil life.

so based on the fact that we have extra cooling capacity now from the oil cooler, should we be bypassing the water factory oil cooler so as to enhance/help the water cooling of the engine???

Blk33 Community Regular

Blk33

Posted
  • Author
Posted
ok, so have ajust jap kit and i havent installed it yet. since with this device installed, there is extra oil cooling capacity...should we be disconnectiong the old oil cooler from the water cooling system???

take this quote from the trust greddy oil cooler product:

Factory oil coolers are normally small water-cooled devices sandwiched between the oil filter and engine block. These tax the cooling system even under normal driving conditions. GReddy / GREX oil coolers are an excellent addition, and are especially effective in harsh driving environments. By using a similar inner-fin core design as our famous intercoolers, we are able to increase oil capacity, decrease oil temperatures, and extend engine and oil life.

so based on the fact that we have extra cooling capacity now from the oil cooler, should we be bypassing the water factory oil cooler so as to enhance/help the water cooling of the engine???

It would be a messy job to bypass the standard water/oil cooler, I would suggest you just fit the oil cooler adapter plate between the oil filter and the standard water/oil cooler.

Cheers

Rob

frozenwaffles Mentor

frozenwaffles

Posted
Posted

as far as bypassing the water oil cooler, all i want to do is put a small bit of hard pipe between the two rubber hoses that attach to the water system. that way the fatcory oil cooler is still there just has no water flowing through it...you cant take it off as there are different conections to go from the block to the cooler and then to the oil filter attachment point. it just seems silly cooliong the oil twice now...

  • 1 month later...
stolen_s15 Mentor

stolen_s15

Posted
Posted

A few tips guys:

make sure you wrap your braided lines in something protective if they touch/rub on anything, they WILL rub through almost anything and cause ou problems.

Also dont worry too much about the old oil problem, its not a big issue as Grigor pointed out. I mounted my cooler with the fitting facing down so every second oil change I simply undo them and the the oil drain from the lines/cooler, problem solved.

Nick

  • 3 weeks later...
  • 3 months later...

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