Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2009 20:41:43 -0800
Reply-To: David Marshall <mailinglist@FASTFORWARD.CA>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: David Marshall <mailinglist@FASTFORWARD.CA>
Subject: Re: Mocal sandwich plate plus oil cooler equals overcooling
In-Reply-To: <6da579340902101754s1ce9d136x61dc0e2fba6eb3e1@mail.gmail.com>
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I would say you are doing it wrong or
something is broken!
My R-TDI powered Westfalia has an massive
Audi V8 oil cooler - this is about 1m long and about 10x15 deep / high and
my oil temperatures are perfect. My TriStar sounds a lot like your
system and it works well too.
If your oil never gets above 65C
(150F) then your thermostat is in a position where it makes the oil go
through the cooler all the time. I run the OE water cooled oil
cooler, which I think is more correctly put as an oil temperature
regulator as it brings the oil up to temp faster and tries to keep it at
the water temperature, and a thermostatically control sandwich
adapter. Oil filter, sandwich adapter, OE regulator, filter
flange.
Prior to installing my external oil cooler I could push
temperatures past 150C on long hills when pulling a load. Even with
the best synthetic that is just too hot. Now my oil is about 97C (
water is about 93C to 95C ) on the flats and pulling the same hills that
used to get 150C oil temperatures would result in 110C to 115C on vary
rare occasions. I would say that's about perfect - you need to get
the oil above the boiling point of water from time to time to get any
condensation out of it. Your 220F is about 105C which is not hot at
all - I start to get worried when I see sustained 120+ temps - synthetics
can do much higher than that!
The sandwich plate I am
running is nothing special - bi-metallic strip that goes over a 3mm ish
size hole when hot. Purchased it from either CIP or Summit.
Photo the large Audi V8 cooler can be seen here:
http://hasenwerk.ca/1986syncrowestfaliatdi/photossummer2008/DSC04717.JPG
David Marshall
VW Adventure Driver and BMW Adventure Rider
http://www.hasenwerk.ca
On Tue, February 10, 2009
17:54, John Bange wrote:
>
> Since I've never been happy
with the way my oil temps climb above
> 220degF when laboring up
and over hills in my tool and part laden work
> Vanagon, I went
and bought an oil cooling system. The Mocal 19 row
> cooler
squeezes in nicely behind the left taillight and gets great
>
airflow. Unfortunately, I'm now seeing EXCESSIVE cooling. Even after
> roaring up the mountain pass at 65mph+ with half a ton of junk in
the
> back, my oil temp gauge barely manages to break 150degF.
Previously,
> before the oil cooler install, I'd see almost
225degF after a run like
> that. My first notion was that perhaps
the sandwich plate thermostat,
> which is supposed to close the
bypass hole at 180degF, was stuck and
> was pushing oil through
the cooler all the time. When I got to work
> this morning the oil
cooler was hot to the touch, so it's definitely
> seeing oil flow.
I'm wondering, though, if perhaps it's not the
> sandwich plate
thermostat stuck shut, but that the bypass is too
> small. It's
not a very big hole, and the cooler is plumbed with AN-10
> hoses
(a bit under 5/8" ID) which is pretty sizable. I can imagine
> 20W50 oil being thick enough to create enough of a pressure
> differential across that bypass hole that enough oil would be
pushed
> "the long way 'round" through the cooler,
reducing the oil
> temperature. Am I over-imagining, or has anyone
else ever run into
> something like this? I'll likely be pulling
the sandwich plate off and
> stove testing it in my wife's best
cooking pot this weekend to sanity
> check the thermostat, but I'm
still curious... am I going to have to
> install a manually
operated flap to block airflow to the cooler just
> so I can reach
adequate operating temperature?
> --
> John Bange
> '90 Vanagon - "Lastwagen"
> '90 Vanagon GL -
"Wiesel"
>
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