DIY oil cooler
 

Although I had to use JB-Weld to fix the brazed on (leaky) fittings of my Tru-cool oil cooler, I've now finished the job.

I found a 120mm fan that takes 12v and produces 240 CFM of air flow. Sealed the electronics with black rubber sealant goop and hooked it up to the radiator fan wires. When the car begins to get warm, the oil cooler fan will switch on with the radiator fan.

My only problem is that the airflow is slightly blocked by the part of the frame that it rests upon. I've thought about performing surgery on it, but we'll see how much of a problem it turns out to be.

http://i44.tinypic.com/s1pwz6.jpg

nice. I thought about doing something similar, putting the OC perpendicular to the radiator, but on the pass. side, not top.

is that fan going to be able to cope with an under-hood environment?

^ I think the fan is entirely useless all together. This isnt a processor you are cooling.

regardless of the fan, the cooler will still be an improvement on temps, looks like a clean install. And that cooler looks identical to the stock 80's Saab or Volvo ones except different fittings.

It's not for a processor. It's an extremely loud, extremely powerful fan for ventilating a server. 240 CFM is a gigantic airflow for a computer fan. Computer users have blown out power supplies trying to run this fan because of its current draw.

Anyway, some guys have been using large computer fans for oil coolers on bikes with silicone sealed electronics. The plastic these fans are of can resist processor temps into the 100+C range without melting. I'll keep an eye on it and isolate it from the oil cooler if necessary. This isn't rocket science guys.

A shroud might improve the cooling effectiveness (yes this is a thermal engineering term and yes I have used it improperly) of the fan by 100% or more.

Yeah, I realize that but I haven't gotten around to making one yet.

Interesting placement. Looks like it could be effective enough... nice.

gj with the oil thermostat. i didnt put it the first time i did my oil cooler and my oil like never warmed up. LOL

want one?
http://www.carbontrix.com/store/images/kidvents2.JPG
I'm only using one in the side of the bumper.

Which car are they from?

Could go vertically into an NB bumper...

So far it looks to be working good. I need to take it out on the highway in the summer and do some high speed runs with the A/C on to be sure, but I am pretty confident that the mod is a success.

The fan pushes air like a champ and it instantly turns the cooler from HOT to nearly room temperature when it comes on. It is a really impressive fan. Doubly impressive when you consider that it cost me like 20 bucks online and it took maybe half an hour of trial and error to do a good install. For those interested in copying this setup, it was a Delta AFB1212GHE Rev C Grand High Speed 120mm fan I got from Sidewinder Computers - Supplier of High Quality PC Modding and Cooling parts. I sealed the electronics with Permatex "Black Silicone Adhesive Sealant" (Part # 81158). Permatex really does make some awesome products.

I still need to bash the support brace for the bumper with hammers because it is partially blocking airflow, but overall I am very pleased with the performance. Pretty much as soon as you start driving the car hard the coolant goes above 88C and both the radiator and oil fans come on. I'm very proud of myself for letting the radiator relay switch do all the hard work of deciding when to turn on the fan.

I don't get where on the car that would go. Turn signal area?

below the markers in the bumper, on the side. However, I picked up my new begi scooper, and I'm about to get crazy with the cheese whiz and stick something special in the mashed potatoes.

There are little fans like that for oil cooler/ps coolers etc. They're not cheap, but purpose built. I think that setup is more than adequate- you're getting a lot of oil out of the engine and exposed while adding a decent amount of oil to your total capacity.

Resurrection - Jim, I'm interested in a long-term report on how this has worked out. Or from anyone else who has done something similar.

It works great. With the AC on in 100 degree summer heat, I can drive the car hard (street hard, not track hard) and the oil temps stay in the 180-190F range even if I stop at lights and otherwise deprive the radiator of passive air flow. That little 250 cfm server fan kicks ass.

Rest of the cooling system is a 50+mm race radiator and a coolant reroute with SPAL fans.

My only problem was shortly after I originally installed it it bled oil from the sockets on the oil cooler (was a ford racing unit) due to being brazed in place. I filed down the area that was leaking and replaced the brazing with a bunch of JB weld. It hasn't had any problems since.

Nice. You have fastened the fan to the cooler how? Screws/bolts/washers? Zipties?

I don't entirely remember. I haven't worked on the car for ages and I'm at work right now.

If I remember correctly, I used a thin steel cable to fasten it to the cooler and secured the cable with a little u-shaped clamp. It's been stable for ages and I haven't had to mess with it.