Adding auxilliary engine oil cooler

[class87]

From: firstonthebadlist1  (Original Message)
Sent: 4/11/2006 9:45 PM

I have a 77 Winnie with a 440-3 and I searched past posts and found nothing on external add on oil coolers. Do they make them and does anyone have experience with them. Thanks



From: denisondc
Sent: 4/11/2006 10:23 PM

They make them: A common form is an adapter that screws on where the oil filter would normally go. It is about an inch thick, having two couplings that have hoses connected to them. One coupling is for the oil going to the cooler itself (the heat exchanging matrix or tube and fin types, etc.) The other coupler is for the return oil from the cooling matrix. The regular oil filter screws onto the adapter, and just sticks out an inch further.
Since the 440 oil pump bolts to the outside of the block, there are also mopar specific oil pumps that have the couplings to and from the oil cooler built in. The oil filter just screws on to that special pump in the usual way.
The oil hoses have to be the semi-high pressure kind made for the purpose, usually having a steel braid construction. I think www.summitracing.com carries a selection. Do a search using -oil cooler-, and -oil cooler adapter-.
I had looked at adding an engine cooler, but decided I didnt need one. My engine oil gets up to 260 on days when its 100°f in the shade and we are driving 55-60 on dark macadam roads that are hotter than that, towing a car behind us. That temperature was okay with me.
When climbing into altitudes of 10,000 ft above sea level, with the pedal to the floor, in 2nd gear or 1st gear, for an hour or more at a time - the oil temp never went above about 320°f, which was also okay with me, under the circumstances.
I inspected my winnies crankshaft bearings at 90,000 miles, and they and the crankshaft looked beautiful - though I replaced them just because its easy to do when you are looking at the crankshaft. My oil pressure is about 60 psi at 55 mph, dropping to 25 or 30 at an idle in -drive-. I use the least expensive 10w 40 or 15w40 oil I can find, and change it about each 4000 miles. It burns about a quart each 800 miles - not bad for 34 year old piston rings..
I did add an auxillary transmission oil cooler - in additin to the original one in the radiator, when I was going to be towing cars for days at a time. It lowered peak tranny temps from 220 down to peaks of 170. So I probably didnt need it really. You dont want the tranny oil to be too cool, or it wont drive out the moisture from sitting for months at a time.