Hello,

I want to swap a T5 transmission into my 87´ Formula 305.
The trans oil cooler in the radiator would be free then.

Question about that: Would it be technical possible to use that ex-trans oil cooler for the engine oil?

You`re pretty sure thinking I´m crazy, but let me explain the background a little bit:
Here in Germany I´m driving this car as a daily (hope only summer soon) and I upgraded an engine oil temperature gauge.
Conditioned on the cold/warm wheater, the oil temp in the pan never reached more than 195°F, also in "extreme" Situations like City driving or Autobahn with 100mph.
In normal daily driving condition the oil in the pan is around 140 to 175°F which I dont like. Want to have a more or less stable temperature of 200°F.

For that my idea is to use the free trans oil cooler for the engine oil. As we all know, the cooler is integrated in the radiator and water with 195°F flows around it to hold my engine oil stable at 195°F, THEORETICALLY. But out of the cooler and with the tubing the oil will lost some heat on its way back to the engine.

So I dont think somebody did that before and can tell me if it works or not but if so, I would love to hear that.

Concerns are the neccessary tubing size and the thread size for the volume flow the pump is giving (just have the thread size of the oil cooler in/ex ports) and the pressure differences of the engine and the automatic transmission.

Greetings,

Chris

 

Yes it would work fine, as far as cooling (or temp stabilization) goes.

The only issue I can see, besides the possible restriction in lines and the cooler itself for that matter, is that the engine oil is under more pressure than the trans fluid. I don't know that the trans fluid cooler is able to reliably withstand that, long-term.

 

I’ve read 20-80 psi in transcooler line

Only main issue is line size. You are gonna want to run large diameter line probably atleast -8 an size or near 1/2”. Else may see a good bit of pressure loss. I run -10 lines to external coolers on my cars. I dont recall how big the rad fittings are but I believe they were setup with like 3/8”? Flare style fittings. It may work but i would love to see 1/2”

 

radiator tank oil cooler should be on the "hot" end of the radiator instead of cool end where the tranny cooler is-temps there are about right for tranny,but too cool for engine oil.Lines,~5/16",are much too small for oil cooler anyway,should be at least -8,better -10 as noted above.

 

The lines on GM trucks that run an oil cooler in the radiator are at least 1/2 inch, if not 5/8. The issue would be the with the lack of volume coming through the trans cooler sized lines.
Take this example... go to your local quick-ee mart and buy a 32oz drink of your favorite pop, and before you put the lid on, take a coffee stirrer straw and try to take a drink. Note how hard you have to suck for very little soda to come up the straw. Now take that wimpy stirrer straw out, put the lid on, put a normal straw in and enjoy it while driving to get a real oil cooler..

 

Hello forum,

okay, I will decide to go another route then. My new plan is to buy a sandwich adapter (summit CVS-OCS63) and use a good pair of straight 1/2" NPT fittings (since the biggest would be 1/2 NPT for the most quality adapter). Out of the oil filter adapter i want to run two hoses (size depending on the hose barb size) and go for an OEM oil/water heat exchanger from any europe car that have the required specs (Height, Width, 2 water and 2 oil connections) and install it most near the filter adapter itself to avoid unnecessarily high hose length. Then connect the oil connections with the hoses- easy, but the water connection is the question. I just need hot water so maybe I can go the OEM throttle body coolant line which I disconnected...

Opinions are up to you now

Legend for the paint work in the picture:
White is the oil/heat exchanger that still needs to be find.
Red is the coolant line to the heater core inlet I think that i will install the coolant routing of the heat exchanger in and then to the intake manifold.
Blue are the oil hoses that i want to be short. Attachment/mounting is no problem I think, just the routing is questionable.

What do you mean?
Also, what hose barb size is recommended for the oil hoses? 5/8"? Will the stock oil pump manage that?

Greetings, Chris

 

another option is to use air-cooled oil cooler placed out of airstream with a fan on it that can switch on when oil needs cooled-that is what I use on my car and it works great,mounted the oil radiator underhood behind LH headlight area.

 

My Problem is not cooling, my problem is the oil is too cold! I want it "hotter" and stable. Thats why I want coolant beeing flushed through.
But thanks for your reply, appreciate it

 

for that you would want something more like the factory oil cooler used on some later 3rd gens and C4 corvettes,KC4(?)option: thick sandwich type adaptor with coiled cooling pipes within which coolant is piped to-no oil piping needed,just coolant hoses.

 

Just curious - what grade oil are you using and why is it "too cold"?

 

Good morning,

I dont wonder that you guys are curious about that idea.

My oil temperature gauge reads in normal driving condition something around 140°F. The outside temperature here now is between 32-50°F.
Also when I go Autobahn the oil never reads more than 175°F (for that I have to drive it constantly with 2500 rpms @ 80 mph).
For now I cant exclude my sending unit is reading right or can you give me some reference results? I have to double check that.

The oil I´m driving should be very well known here in America for you. Valvoline Maxlife 10w40 "synthetic technology".

Isn´t 140°F too cold @ crusin?

z-chev:

Ah, i didnt know that just two hoses are going through a thick sandwich adapter. I thought the oil is going to the radiator and then back in the block.. Okay that makes sense. I found such a sandwich adapter but no radiator

Mayyyybe I can buy that thick adapter and take thick hoses going into the coolant system like heater core inlet or intake manifold outlet. Ahhh thats coool

Would that piece work then?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/87-Trans-Am...sAAOSwQfRcT6IM

What about a new o-ring?? Gaskets?
If I see that correct, there are different numbers on the adapters.
14084369 and 14092135 for example on the ebay founds.

After some research the second number would be the fit...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/89-Corvette...EAAOSw~6FczuwK

Or would that one also fit? Internal differences of the adapter between the corvette and the 3 gen ones?