Auxilliary Oil Cooler

[[email protected]]

I'm just wondering where the best place is to mount an external oil cooler on my '79 Transporter. I came back from a couple of years over seas, and my brother-in-law had installed one at the bottom of the driver's side intake air scoup (that empty area to the farthest left of the engine compartment). I've left it there for a year or so now and the oil seems to run fairly cool (average around 210 F) but I'm wondering what effect that location may be having on my head temps.

Fresh air comes in through the scoups and down to the engine compartment, but passes over the oil cooler fins before being sucked through the fan housing and distributed through the tin ducts and across the heads. It seems to me that the hot fins of the cooler may just be warming the air that's meant to cool the heads. I'm afraid that I've got a false sense of "cool" security with my oil temp guage if cooling my oil is ultimately heating the heads. Any thoughts? Maybe I should just install a cylinder head temperature guage to compare with my oil temp readings... If so, what's the healthy head temp range? Any ideas for a better location for the cooler would be appreciated (I'm trying to avoid mounting it where it is visible from the outside).

Cheers,
Richard

[Vanman_spud]

A lot of people here in England mount thier cooler above the gearbox but I don't personaly see how it gets enough air.

Some people mount it under the LH battery tray with a duct and a grill to stop stones from hitting the cooler.

On my own bus I have mounted it above the centre belly pan to the right of the heater tube (you could mount it to the left though) with a duct to draw air from under the bus straight into the cooler - I also blocked off the sides of the cooler so air cant go round it only through it.

I then cut a hole in the pan behind the cooler to let air out - When I have more time I'll duct the air out so it cant circulate round between the pan and floor.

Hope this helps

[[email protected]]

Thanks for your input -- it's given me some great ideas, especially the duct. I'll take a look under my bus to better visualize it...

Thanks for the help,
Richard

[Bags Buses]

Hi Guys
About the oil cooler , where do you hook it up to the motor. Do you have to pull the motor and pull the oil cooler to hook up ? Is there an external hook up on the block. Want to put one on a 1800 .
Karl

[farmersdahtr]

mine uses an adapter at the oil filter with an inlet and outlet for the oil lines to the cooler. filter is still used. Dave

[ratwell]

Check out the home made scoop on this one!

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/pix/187060.jpg

[Bags Buses]

Hi Dave
I take it you have a pancake motor ! Where did you get the setup from ? What kind lines did you use ?
Karl

[JDawg]

that's a helluva scoop ratwell!

[farmersdahtr]

Yes, this cooler is on an 82 Vanagon. Unfortunatly I can't say where it came from because the PO installed, but lots of people sell them, including Bus Boys. I have lots of reservations on using it, but with the Auto trans it seems a necessity. I block it off in the winter though, because foam forms in my oil and the temps never get past 180 and take forever to get to that point. Unless you are getting close to 250 alot, I dont think I would use one myself. My 78 runs cool without one. Of course a tune-up, and all tin and seals in place helps alot, also trans fluid up to specs and brakes adjusted properly, wheel bearings clean, tires inflated properly, etc. If you want the name of the manufacturer of my unit I can give it to you in a couple of weeks, I'm on the road till then. Dave