I asked the following in the Tech section with no luck. So here we go again...

I have a 1989 Honda Prelude. The car has been turbocharged for a couple years now. With this coming season, i'd like to attend some lapping events at my local track.

With the turbo, the temps are already high. To somewhat help the problem i was planning on installing an aftermarket oil cooler. My main problem is lack of space.The intercooler takes up the front bumper, and having two pusher fans leaves me no room between the fmic and the radiator.

My question is, will the performance of the oilcooler be hurt if i mount it behind the radiator? The area which i plan on mounting is directly behind one of the pusher fans that is constantly running when the car is on. When the fan is on i can feel a good amount of air traveling through the radiator.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

 

If the only space you have is in the engine side of the radiator,you should be ok as long as it's in the lower middle where it can see the most airflow.

 

Sure, it will be hurt, but it will still function as a cooler (just not as effective as if it was in front). The air flowing over it will be warmer after going through the intercooler and radiator (not to mention the effect those have on the overall flow pattern and heat transfer coefficient), plus, it may see more radiant heat from the exhaust (if it is a Honda with the exhaust in front).

 

Have you considered one of the laminova oil to water heat exchangers?

http://97.74.103.94/files/laminova.pdf

 

Here is what Mocal says in their catalog:

Installing an oil cooler
In the case of the air to oil cooler, The oil cooler will only achieve results
where a volume of air is passing through the fins. The amount
of heat dissipated by radiation is negligible. In practice the most
convenient position for the oil cooler is in front of the water radiator
where a flow of air is guaranteed. Even in cases where the water
cooling is marginal, placing the cooler in this position will have
hardly any effect on water temperature. The sheer volume of air
passing through the cooler ensures that the air is only heated a few
degrees; not enough to affect the water radiator performance, and
as the oil cooler is a more efficient device for extracting heat from the
engine, the overall effect is helpful. However, where water cooling is
marginal it is essential that the oil cooler be placed against the water
radiator face, otherwise warmer air leaving the oil cooler will become
turbulent on meeting air at ambient temperatures and will not
pass through the water radiator. If placing of cooler and water radiator
in close proximity is not possible then a duct of cardboard or thin
aluminium should be made to exclude the ambient air. If space is
not available in front of the water radiator due to an electrical fan for
instance, the cooler may be mounted behind the radiator and will
still work well for the reasons already given. In the unlikely event of
an insufficient space being available either behind or in front of the
water radiator, the radiator grille may be moved forward by using
longer screws and spacers. Alternatively oil cooler size holes may
be cut in the forward bulkhead either side of the water radiator and
air from the grille ducted to the cooler.

 

Thanks for the info guys! I'll be looking into the laminova heat exchanger. It seems at though it would be better for my application. It will help get the oil up to temp. faster and stay cool after.


Much appreciated.

 

If your Prelude is an '89 Si, chances are yo already have an oil/water heat exchanger. It is mounted between the oil filter and the block (number 15 as shown below). My 87 CRX also had one of these.

-James

 

Yes i do have a factory oil/water heat exchanger. I'm sure the factory system is fine for a stock motor. I just thought with the turbo now, that adding something else to help cool the oil down couldn't hurt. I plan to attend some local lapping events.

I've already upgraded my radiator. Now i wanted to add and external oil cooler to combat the higher temps, from running the car on the track.

 

Are you running coolant temp and oil temp gauges? I wouldn't spend the money unless you know it is getting hot already. In some cases, if your coolant temp runs kinda high, removing the factory oil/water heat exchanger can actually lower your coolant and/or oil temps. I have always found it best to use separate heat exchangers for each system. you could mount the cooler parallel with the ground and make a little plastic or aluminum scoop that pulls air up through the heat exchanger, or mount it somewhere with low airflow and attach a 12v computer fan to it. You will have to think outside of the box if the box is full of radiators and intercoolers and fans.

 

How well do these work?