All,

I will soon be getting my engine back from the builder, (bore to 84MM, balance, port and polish, valve work, springs new VVT solenoid) I have a habit of over doing things and my question to those who are way smarter than myself. Would a oil filter relocation kit with oil cooler kit be over kill? I do plan on installing a Boundary 4 shim oil pump with 84 PSI. I ended up with the 4 shim option with the reasoning I would be adding extra length the oil needs to travel (tubing to relocation and oil cooler and back to the engine) the VVT and the turbo feed, I do plan on having the cooler and relocation kit on their respective systems and not tied to each other. Is this a good idea? It seems like it is to me, please educate me with your knowledge if you feel otherwise.

Has this ever been done by anyone on this forum with success?

V/r,

Sezgin

 

If you’re turbocharging to ~300+, live in Texas, SoCal, and are tracking it, go for it. If you’re in cooler climate, non-turbo, and not tracking, it’s a horrible idea. 200* is the minimum you want your oil at. Even in summer, I drive my 300hp build as hard as I can for ~10 miles, then sit in 6 miles of traffic. I barely hit 200, even in 80-90* summer days.

my point is it’s all relative. I’d avoid the relocation kits, every one I’ve seen has produced more mess via leaks than they ever solved during oil changes.

 

Good info, I live in PHX it does get hot and the ambient heat from the black top during 115 degree summers and the added heat if the turbo radiating mitigation is my intention.

My focus is on longevity and I do plan on daily driving, as far as HP. I want as much HP as I can safety produce. Maybe one component at a time regarding oil, I do not want to deal with oil leaks if relocation kits are a pain like you said.

Thanks for the tip.

 

For Phoenix I’d recommend an oil cooler for sure, especially if you’ve kept AC.

 

In AZ an oil cooler is a great idea, but I would use a 212 degree thermostat so that your oil will still reach operating temperatures in a reasonable amount of time and it won't overcool during the winter. You want the oil to get to boiling temperatures to get rid of any fuel/water than has mixed into it, especially if you plan on running e85 which can increase the amount of fuel/water that makes it into your oil.

I did run a system like you are describing where the cooler and the relocation kit were coming from different adapters where the oil filter used to be, but it's cramped for running proper -10an sized lines, if I did it again on a BP, I would be using one of these to simplify it.

Remote Engine & Transmission Oil Filter Mount with Thermostat (improvedracing.com)

 

What do ya'll think about North Carolina or the NASA Midatlantic region? I'm in the middle of a track project and planned to at least run a cooler. It'll be almost exclusively track focused car. It does get very warm here but nothing compared to out west or back home in Florida.

 

For track cars it's pretty much always a good idea, typically the only reason you wouldn't want one is if you can't make minimum weight or if your series doesn't allow it.

 

I will be keeping the AC.

 

That looks like a very comprehensive unfortunately I got the FM Miata relocation kit. I have not installed the FM kit yet maybe I will go with the one you are suggesting if it does give me issues with leaks.

 

Assuming you're talking about the FM oil cooling kit:
The FM kit uses AN-8 fittings and the MT.net recommendation is generally "at least AN-10 or don't bother!".
The FM kit mounts the oil cooler at a non-perpendicular angle to the air flow so you need additional ducting to force air to actually flow through it.
The FM kit mounts the oil cooler on the steering rack which is quite low so any ducting to force the air to flow through it will need to be even lower than the steering rack so will be prone to damage and getting ripped off (possibly with your oil cooler) if you drive on anything but smooth surfaces.

Even if you've already bought the expensive FM kit, do you really want to spend the effort on installing it knowing all the above?

 

I wouldn't knock the FM oil cooler kit that much, it would probably do ok for a modest track car. The factory undertray slopes down, and FM's instructions have you trim it to feed air to the oil cooler. And there are plenty of ways to duct air without protruding downwards. Plenty of modern cars have horizontally mounted oil coolers. It's way better than a number of hacked together mounting/plumbing solutions that I've seen here or FB builds.

 

I agree, the FM kit isn't perfect but it works OK, it will net you some cooling with minimal fabrication effort. I use their brackets to mount the cooler, but made my own -10 lines.

Building a good oil cooler setup for a Miata is hard, there's no really good place to put it, the few "OK" places (in the corner of the nose, using a fog light hole for ducting, for example) have no structure to attach it to, and the hose routing is a nightmare. Putting it in front of the radiator and intercooler messes with the efficiency of those heat exchangers, and putting it behind them means it gets fed air that's already really hot and there isn't much room with the fan anyway.

--Ian

 

I have always assumed the primary reason for the oil filter relocation is the mess it makes when you change the filter. Rags never seem to do a good enough job for me.
So on that note, has anyone tried Flyin Miatas relatively new oil catch "bib", inserted when you are changing the filter?
Seems like it could reduce the mess, or just cause more frustration trying to get it in place and feeding the hose out past the subframe.
https://flyinmiata.com/en-ca/product...r-drain-funnel

 

My cooler/relocation kit is currently off the car. After 1000km on the fresh engine I changed the oil/oil filter, and used a baby's disposable nappy to catch the spill. I was surprised at how little it spilt, and the nappy caught it all easily. Job done.