Well, I don't think there is a good enough seal on the plate to stop oil from going through the lines, but will there be enough pressure to safely start the car without priming the oil lines?

I hope the 1/2" lines aren't too small.

 

do you guys think 1/2" hose is tool small for the lines? I'm worried.

 

do you guys think the 1/2" hose I bought is too small, and will cause a pressure drop?

 

****, I'm worried the hose is too small, and although it was advertised as "high temp" and for "oil coolers" the hose is only rated for 250*. I don't want to install this **** because I'm worried about it not making enough pressure, but I don't want to run my 1.6 at the track in 80* weather with no cooler.

 

half inch should be fine IMO - what's the max inner diameter of the fittings? half inch right? I ran 3/8" npt fittings on a race Miata (not boosted) and did NOT see any noticeable pressure drop. What did your oil press. look like at the last track event?

 

60psi, but it was 42* out. I had pressure problems at an auto-x in 72* heat, but that may have been a bad filter which was replaced.

I'm scared.

 

I'm worried about the casting on the top:

and here are the 45*'s I bought. 1/2" JIC swivels.

 

I dunno man your set up seems pretty sweet, I guess I haven't run into enough oil problems of my own (leaking aside) to really freak out about it too much but it looks like you researched stuff and got some good stuff. People here probably have put together similar on much cheaper parts and without any problems.

 

well, some people experienced severe pressure drops. I spent less than $300...lol.

 

i have a 24 row bar and plate cooler too btw.

 

that casting is what Joe cleaned up in his- do the same to yours. And those fittings look restrictive- do they keep a 1/2" ID? maybe it's just the way they look from the outside . I've got 1/2" 90s at my cooler, one straight out of the sandwich plate and the other is a 45 - the rest is all hose bends. But my plate only uses 3/8" npt ports- steps right up to the -10 hose and the cooler is 1/2". Oil pressure is good always- but I've shimmed my oil pump. Operating temps are 240f. I made about a dozen boosted runs from ~2k to ~7k and got temps up to 255f where it stabilized.

Just hook the **** up and watch your gauges or go home.

 

they keep a 1/2" ID. I have 1/2 hose, which is -8an and I'm worried about the hose material. Would you guys be worried about tracking a 1.6 with no oil cooler hard in 80* weather?

 

no boost? NO. I ran my showroom stock Miata in a 3 hour enduro at 100f ambient in Charlotte and the only time the temp went up was in a draft. No oil cooler and stock radiator.

Synthetic oil will endure 300f temps for extended periods. Unless you've got a big problem, you won't be near that. If you've got an oil temp gauge you'll know. If you don't, watch the OE coolant temp gauge- if it's starts rising, your oil will soon follow. These cars are hard to break normally aspirated.

 

I guess I'll just skip the oil cooler, hook up the dual fans, and become religious and start praying. I'll clean up the casing and buy 5/8 lines and fittings for the next time.

 

Do you need any special tools to create your own hose lengths or do I just have to buy hose and the end adapter? If I do need tools which ones will be enough to get by with?

 

a crescent wrench and a box cutter get teh job done.

 

If dealing with braided stainless hose (recommended) then wrap the hose with masking tape or painters tape before cutting, and cut through the tape to prevent the braid from fraying.

A chop saw (abrasive blade) or a bandsaw (fine metal blade) work best, but you can use a hacksaw- just know that you'll have to be extra careful cleaning up the end.

 

Yeah make sure you use tape on the ends. When I did my drain/feed lines it was my first time ever dealing with braided line and I didn't use it on the first cut. It frayed like crazy.

 

I would do a big radiator before I did an oil cooler. The low water temps will keep the oil temps down as well, I believe. (At least to some degree.)

Having said that, I had oil pressure problems a few weeks ago at Thunderhill on my stock 1.8 with a 2" aluminum radiator.

 

I recommend Earls Perform O Flex braided line. Seems to be the easiest to work with.