i have ordered all my parts to put an oil cooler on my 'Lude, except the cooler itself, i'd like to buy a nice Mocal, but i can't spend nearly $200 on one right now, i was thinking of buying a B&M trans/oil cooler from Jeg's for $59, anyone think this is a bad idea?? feedback please

 

https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=536253

 

yeah, i saw that, didn't help much

 

$200 for a mocal? Which one are you planning on running? If you're running that large I sure hope that you're going to be using a thermostat in the system! When I convert mine from just a remote oil filter to a oil cooler setup I was going to run the MOC - 13210 oil cooler and that can be found for ~$100

 

yes, i want to run one that big, and yes, i ordered the thermostat, i got a spin on adapter, filter relocator, and i can get all the lines locally fairly cheap, i just need to decide on a good cooler, that's why i was considering the B&M from Jeg's it's fawking huge, and it's only 60bux

 

I used a B&M cooler on a powerglide tranny a few years back. It worked fine and I think it will be more than adequate for your application. The need for a Setrab or Mocal comes when you need maximum cooling for a given size.

My powerglide was built and running at 220psi and I never had a problem with the cooler.

 

Ste StarMazda cars this past weekend were running big Fluidyne oil coolers. You might look into those. I believe I saw a couple on Ebay awhile back.
-Adam

 

Bigger is not better. Mocal and Setrab coolers are the most durable and arguably the most effective you can get, for the size. I use a 19 row Mocal, which is $129 from Racer Parts Wholesale.

Don't get a thermostat. Get a properly sized cooler, and block it off with cardboard in cold weather. Oil thermostats are just one more thing that can go wrong. Simple is better. Seriously, people have lunched motors from busted oil thermos.

Warren

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Warren &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> Get a properly sized cooler</TD></TR></TABLE>and how do i know what the right size is?

 

Do you have an oil temp guage? If so, how hot is the oil getting? The amount of heat that needs to be removed will give a good idea how big is needed. Do any manufacturers list the btu capacity of the cooler? With that info and how much heat needs to be removed, I could dig up my machinery handbook and figure it out.

I have a summit catalog and they just list the coolers by motor hp. Not much help. JC Whitney lists some coolers with built-in fans. Probably not real high quality from them though.

Out of curiosity, how much money/time do you have in the motor and turbo to risk damage from a cheaper cooler to save $100? Consider a pressure switch connected to a really bright warning light. You can get a switch that goes off at 25-30 psi. That way if there is a leak, you know before all the oil gets pumped out and maybe save the motor.

 

i have a LOT invested into the engine and what about the little switch thing with a warning light, that's a DAMN good idea, where can i get more info on that???

i do not currently have an oil temp guage, that is something i will be installing when the motor goes back in, i figured a good oil cooler would be a good idea, especially with an oil cooled turbo

hmm, i guess i'll just have to spend the 200 bux on a good Mocal cooler, i already ordered the other stuff from racerpartswholesale today.

 

nobody has any experience with earls?

 

I think I saw the switch in a racer supply place like pegasus or racersupply. It fits in like a regular idiot light switch, just has a higher setting. I first saw it in a celica built for driver's schools. The driver said he lost a bunch of motors to oil pressure and temp problems so he had BIG warning lights let to go off before it blew up.

Is the turbo water cooled? That helps bearing life a lot by keeping them from overheating the oil when turned off. Does the prelude have the heat exchanger built into the oil filter housing like some integras? If so, then honda already thought the motor needed a cooler and adding the turbo will add a bunch more heat, so yeah, the big cooler is a good idea.

It's a good idea on a street motor for the oil to regularly get to at least 212 degF to boil off any water that condenses in the motor. If it does not get there in normal driving, then block off the cooler if needed. If using a thermostat and having a temp guage in the system, then if the thermostat fails, it just won't let oil to the cooler. It should not block oil flow. That would be a good reason to have an oil temp warning light, just in case. Of course you could eventually have so many back up systems and warning lights that it meets NASA specs.

 

no, the turbo is oil cooled only, most people i've talked to say that water cooled turbos aren't any advantage, b/c by the time the water get to them, it's hot anyways.

yes, Prleude have that liquid oil cooler stuck to the back of the block like the GSRs and ITRs

where should i put he oil temp sensor, i was just gonna put it in the bung in the Moroso oil pan that is for the oil temp sensor

 

A factory water cooled turbo is usually set up so water will still flow after the engine is shut down. That keeps the temp in the bearing from getting high enough to cook the oil. They did this to add lifespan to the turbos, they really don't like giving away new ones under warrenty.

Without water cooling, the oil sitting in the turbo when you shut it down does not have anywhere to dump heat so it can overheat and bake into carbon which then gets into the oil next time the engine is run. Remember that under hard use the turbo is really hot, possibly glowing red. The exhaust gas running through it is 1200-1400 deg. Are you going to use some type of turbo timer? That way you don't have to remember to run slow then idle before shutting down. They were really popular on factory turbos before water cooling became common.

So long as the bung in the pan is below the minimum oil level, that should be a fine place for the temp sensor. Remember to tie the wires up so nothing can damage them. Keep away from exhaust, suspension, road debris. Is the sensor located so it will be safe from road junk? If it gets knocked off it could dump the oil fairly fast. Remember that a lot of the turbo stuff comes from the drag race world where there are not potholes, speedbumps, or dead woodchucks to worry about.

Consider fans for the oil cooler and intercooler so they stay cool at low speed. A common occurance with air cooled Porsche 930 turbo is sit at light in hot weather, hot air goes up from motor into intercooler mounted above the motor, hit the gas and 200+ deg air goes into the motor and boom.