I have a 1990 camaro z28 with383 and world class t-5 and rad from an auto , I was thinking of using the trany res in the radiator and conect oil lines to use it as an iol cooler . any thoughts ? any body done this? how mutch will it cool ? ect.? thanks in advance!

 

oil cooler for what? engine? lines too small, not capable of pressure and if sprung a leak a nice engine full of coolant. For the tranny? You'd need a pump to be able to do this and have a pikcup port that you will not scrape off when a fitting is connected to it.

Bad idea IMO. If you want/need an engine oilcooler, get something with -10 lines minimum

 

Agreed, bad idea. If your car came with the 305 5spd and 342 gears, chances are it has a factory oil cooler between the block and filter. It works, not the greatest but it does work.
There is a oil cooler thread some place that tells of 2-3 other factory oil coolers that work.

 

Ok guys get the point , it was just a thought but what you say makes sense.

 

Are oil coolers really necessary? Isn't an oil pressure gauge and engine temp gauge enough? I mean how hot can engine oil really get to make it dangerous? I can see this being necessary for race engines that run at high RPMs for long periods of time, but what about street?

 

I would think an oil cooler is important . the cooler the oil the less viscosity breakdown meaning superior lubrication, extended oil life , and in some cases more compression, so I look at an oil cooler like a radiator , how important is a radiator ? yes I know there is a big difference . but anything to keep the engine cooler is a pluss in my eyes.

 

Are oil coolers really necessary?
Yes
Isn't an oil pressure gauge and engine temp gauge enough?
NO
I mean how hot can engine oil really get to make it dangerous?
at about 270* F conventional oil starts to break down.
I can see this being necessary for race engines that run at high RPMs for long periods of time, but what about street?
it's not uncommon to have oil temps on the street at 200* constant, and it of your warter tem is running hi, using an oil cooler will also dissipate engine heat.
that is just normal driving, then add traffic and it is easy to get to that oil break down point.
the service scedual on new cars is as short as 3000mi, and some times that's to long! the wife's car, 2010 RX8-R3, with an oil cooler at 2500 mi the oil is black!
oil cooler for engine and auto trans is very necessary! 7-10 rows on each, and they must have a thermostat. so the oil gets up to operating temp which is just as important as keeping it from getting to hot.
race cars should get a cooler for a manual trans and the deferential/s

 

Black oil doesnt mean that its bad and needs replaced all the time. Yes you dont want engine oil getting too hot but you also dont want oil to cool either. 210-220 degrees for oil aint bad it also helps burn moisture that gets in there.

 

I installed the biggest tranny cooler that B&M sells (I think 14000 BTU) when I rebuilt the tranny. I don't have a temp gauge but I'm assuming it is working properly.. As for oil cooling, there is no aftermarket oil cooler that they sell for our cars, although seeing as it is this important, I would not hesitate to buy one asap because I do plan on taking it to the circuit this summer.

 

What do you mean, oil cooler for our cars? Buy a moroso remote filter/cooler adapter or an earls thermostatically controlled one, run -12 lines and hook it up to a -12 AN oil cooler... no problem at all! All youi need is universal parts

Here's my oil cooler setup on a 77 corvette, it's thermostatically controlled by a CV products thermostat:



cv prod. thermostat (the black thing)

 

But, but, but, but thats not listed in the catalog for 3rdgen Fbodys so it cant be put on these cars..

 

I also run a large engine oil cooler that comes on at 180* using a thermostatic sandwich adapter . The 180* on temperature allows the oil to reach a decent running temperature and for me that seems to be a good design. My car is a auto. so I also have a extra cooler for that.Mine is not some thing the "op" would want because its a combo cooler but it does show a variation of whats out there for our cars.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/DER-15903/

 

You got me on that one lol..