I have an 88 Iroc with the original oil cooler. My questions are: How much does it actually cool the oil, How much effect would it have if I got rid of it for awhile. I say this because my edelbrock headers almost touch the lines, it is starting to drip antifreeze and one of the seals is cut and it leaks a little oil.
I am trying to get my car to actually run cool. I have a rebuilt 355 in it with both fans running constant and it has a 180 stat. If I slightly rod on it the temp will climb over 220. Would a high flow water pump help at all?

 

Sounds to me like you need all the cooling abilty your car has. If your car doesnt have one stock, then I would definiteley install a heater control valve, which when closed, lowers your cars temp about 20 degrees.

------------------
1983 Pontiac Firebird SE
LG4-Based Chevy 400
700R4 Tansmission
Modified 4 Barrel Q-Jet Carb
Accel Super Stock 8mm Wires
Edelbrock Pro-Flo Air Cleaner
3.23 Posi Rear
14X7" Cragar SS/T Wheels
35X4 CD/AM/FM Head Unit
100WX2 Amp
2 Pioneer 12" Subs in Custom Box

 

I don't have the oil cooler, but a fellow 3rd-gen'r here added the factory type to his car. He runs Mobil 1, but the biggest difference he noted was that the oil warmed up more quickly in the winter, while keeping the oil temp cooler in the summer.

The oil cooler won't drop the overall engine temp. Have you checked your radiator for flow? A 12-year old piece could be suffering. A larger core radiator would probably do you more good than a higher flow pump.

------------------
82 Berlinetta, orig V-6 car. Rescued w/86 LG4/TH700R with all harnesses, sensors, ECM, etc. 3.08 open, cat-back from '91 GTA, Accel HEI SuperCoil. AMSOIL syn lubes bumper-to-bumper. Daily driver, work-in-progress (LB9 w/ZZ3 cam, World 305 heads, exhaust, paint, etc.).
57 Bel Air, my 1st car. Currently 396 .030 over, Weiand Action+, Edelbrock 1901 Q-Jet, Jacobs Omnipack, 1-3/4" headers, TH400 w/TCI Sat Night Special conv & shift kit, 3.08 10-bolt, AMSOIL syn lubes bumper-to-bumper. Best 15.1 @ 5800' Bandimere. Daily driver while Camaro was being put together.

 

Quite personally, i think u would be much better off investing in a better radiator. the stock radiators were not fit for higher hp levels. The more HP u make, the hotter the engine runs. Our race engine builder always said, hot oil(to a dsegree of course), cool coolant. Save up the money, and invest in a good dual core aluiminum radiator. If you dont have an auto tranny, that will save you some bucks, but a new radiator sounds like you only true solution.

Steve

 

I have an oil temp gauge and an oil cooler in my car, and the cooler usually makes about a 60 degree difference in the temperature of the oil in the pan. It seems to slow down the rate at which the coolant warms up when idling in traffic, but it doesn't appear affect the ultimate temperature much.

[This message has been edited by Apeiron (edited September 13, 2000).]