BBCSwap

Would you keep the coolant lines to the oil filter when doing an engine swap? Do they help cool the oil or not worth it?

Komet

They're more of an oil temperature regulator. Personally I did not, after cleaning the disastrous leak mess they caused.

TallTim

iTrader: (2)

I kept mine until the adapter started leaking internally

Tom 400 CFI

Considering the subsequent engine made more power, revved higher....and didn't have an oil heater, I'd feel totally comfortable leaving it out. Less parts=less problems.

72buickgs

Unless u are drag racing or track racing, an oil cooler is not necessary

Fast355

iTrader: (2)

Personally unless the adapter is leaking internally which almost never happens, I highly suggest keeping them. It helps stabilize the oil temperature in a more desireable range in all weather and running conditions. The newer LT1s went away with the cooler because they shifted to Mobil One synthetic which can tolerate more heat. It is not hard to push the oil temps over 300F on a SBC with limited cooling airflow through the engine compartment especially with the high coolant temps like these cars have. 220F coolant still has a massive amount of cooling to offer oil that is approaching 300F. It is an oil cooler in hot weather and a heater in cold weather. On short trips in cool weather it benifits the engine by allowing the oil to heat up more quickly, vaporizing out moisture, preventing sludge, acid buildup and corrosion.

Reddragon88gta

Also, if the lines are looking rusty and someone wants a replacement Hawks reproduces an improved design made of aluminum IIRC that would be very easy to change out while the motor is pulled. It can be done while still in the car but more work.

SbFormula

I did away with it. Not necessary for my application, GMP SP383 Deluxe TPI, street use, occasional drag strip, using Purple Royale 10W30. It had started rusting out and was leaking anyway.

Fast355

iTrader: (2)

Street use, stop and go traffic is where my oil temps shot sky high without a cooler. Idle oil pressure was dropping 15 psi at hot idle. Might not be many days where you are though that your ambients climb to 120F or more, coolant temps climb to 220F and the engine compartment becomes a 250F oven though.

Tom 400 CFI

That's weird. Low load? Low RPM? -That's "Street use/stop and go" by my definition....and that's where you had oil temp problems?? I've never seen that in any car, personal or fleet. I'd say there were other factors at play, in that single, circumstance. It's high load and especially high RPM that drives oil temps up, primarily.

I got one car with an oil cooler -the Kart, and one w/o (the "whole" 'Vette). Both are ~300hp, 5.7L manual trans cars. They both warm their oil at about the same rate, they both run similar oil temps in "Street use, stop and go traffic" -which is right around 200°F, give or take, and they both drive the oil temps up w/RPM (on the track). NEITHER drives the oil temps up enough to cause an issue. Let me repeat that: NEITHER drives the oil temps up enough to cause an issue.
The car w/the cooler puts that heat load into the cooling system....which I think we can all agree is marginal to begin with, and increases the coolant temp/engine temp. Not ideal, but NBD. The car w/o a cooler drives up the oil temp, and also puts the heat load into the cooling system via heat transfer through the engine block and heads. They both perform about the same, and they both see about the same extremes and same general behaviors. This is on the street and on the track. Highest oil temps I've seen on the track in the car w/o a cooler was ~270°F, on a 100°F track day. I'm fine w/270° oil, it won't hurt anything.

Anyone who's got an engine that "oil temps shot sky high without a cooler" in typical "Street use, stop and go traffic", has some other problem that are the root cause for sky high temps. Or a different definition if "Sky high temps", than mine. But cooler, no cooler, either should work fine for any street driving. For track use w/o a cooler? I'd change the oil after a track day if running non-synthetic oil. Or run synthetic. Either way, potato, potahto...either should work fine. NBD either way.

SbFormula

I was thinking the same, however, I avoid engaging with this type of ENDLESS discussion (argument) with @Fast355. It leads nowhere. From his perspective, what he observes is the reality. Be it!

Fast355

iTrader: (2)

I have observed it on both small blocks I have instrumented for oil temp as well as the Nissan VQ35HR and VK56VDs I have owned. The Nissans all have an OE oil temp senser fed into the ECU. I think you have to understand when I say stop and go, our stop and go here is not the same in Dallas/Fort Worth where everyone treats the accelerator and brake pedal like a light switch every mile they drive in traffic. Dead stop, heavy throttle back up to 60 mph, then back to a stop in all of a mile or less, over and over and over again, sometimes 30-40 miles worth of this at a time.. If you are not on the throttle, you have 15 cars fly by you, flipping you off and taking your front bumper off to jump into the 5 car length gap you left in front of you. So stop and go is heavy throttle, higher rpm use. The high ambient temps also play a part, especially with ac use. I feel like the higher stall speed converters also tend to push the temps up a bit as well. Once I am able to cruise at a steady speed for a while, the temps come back down fairly quickly

Tom 400 CFI

You are right. I made a mistake. I own it....my bad.

OrangeBird

iTrader: (1)

Pikers..... Come drive in Boston sometime, where driving is a gladiator/demo derby sport, , , and traffic disputes are settled with gunfire

Seriously

Fast355

iTrader: (2)

That is DFW, it is kind of like Thunderdome.

Tom 400 CFI

Must be harder on cars, than track time.

DAMNIT!!! I did it again! Rhetorical comment. No need to rebut it. As you were.

QwkTrip

iTrader: (22)

Coolant based oil cooler is a good thing to have if you can keep it. Gets the oil up to ideal operating temperature quicker, and then helps cool the oil when hot. Win-win situation.

It's not going to be sufficient for a high horsepower car that goes racing though. But most of us don't need to be concerned with that.