Oil cooler question

[ksquared]

Is there any doc on the performance of the stock oil cooler? I'm aware that an upgraded cooler is often considered a worthwhile mod. Just wonder if anyone has made measurements to back up this "common wisdom"...

[Rick Pope]

Given the number of these I've heard about, that ran hot and scored the cylinders, I'd guess that's documentation enough. Best bet would be a large cooler w/ thermostat. I know of one person who's done that. I'm sure he'll be along soon.

[EMS]

It is not rocket science and you really don't need any "back up" info. A larger oil cooler, even the ones from the Prolinks, offer more surface area for heat exchange plus a larger volume of oil. If you think about doing a calculation about heat transfer and consider what parameters would play a role, you can pretty much guess what the outcome would be. Even a larger oil sump has proven to be a positive effect. That's the nature of an aircooled engine.
The additional advantage a thermostat controlled valve will provide is, that your engine may always run in an ideal temperature range, preventing the engine from running too cool. But I think, based on personal experience, you will see a real advantage only with a dry sump system and a separate oil tank.

[NobleHops]

Re your last point about a dry sump, why is that Mike? Does the external tank just cool the oil to a much greater degree with all of its surface area and surrounding airflow?

[EMS]

Yes, Nils that is one of the reasons, but basically, the oil temperature in a dry sump is quite a bit different from the oil temperature in the engine. It heats up slower and cools down slower, depending on where the oil tank is located. if you want an optimum oil temperature circulating from a dry sump, a thermostat controlled valve would be most helpful.