Does my motor need an engine oil cooler?

[Legendary]

I was wondering if I should use an engine oil cooler for my motor. I do have a little performance coming out of it so I wonder if it would help (check my sig). Is it just a waste of time and money? Is it only good for the High horsepower cars?

Side note: I was told to put Lucas High performance 85/140 Plus Gear Oil in my Manual tranny. Is this good?

Thanks

 

[87gtconv]

Coolers dont make U go fast so only use it if you need too! I am a Redline man so I think that is best to put in T5 tranny!

 

[HISSIN50]

whoever told you to put that stuff in your trans (didnt see that you use anything other than a T5) must work for a trans shop and wants to rebuild it for you. that will kill the needle bearings. T5's take ATF. i like Redline D4.
good luck.
BTW, as i recall, the T5's from Broncos take a thicker oil, as they use different synchros, etc. i could be wrong.

 

[Legendary]

In the first part of my post I was asking about an engine oil cooler not the tranny cooler. I only asked about the lucas oil in the tranny in my second question because I didn't want to be a post whore and start another thread. Sorry about the confusion.

 

[HISSIN50]

In the first part of my post I was asking about an engine oil cooler not the tranny cooler. I only asked about the lucas oil in the tranny in my second question because I didn't want to be a post whore and start another thread. Sorry about the confusion.

i think this is directed to 87gtconv, not me......?

sorry if i came off poorly in the first post of mine. i re-read it and saw it that way. i was trying (poorly) to be cute.

i have no opinion on oil cooler stuff. i would do it personally if someone gave me a free one. stick a thermostat on it, and i dont think you could go wrong (i.e., keepin oil too cool). just my two cents worth.

good luck.

 

[Maryland Stang]

If you're not cooking the oil between regular changes a cooler is not necessary. The only real way to tell is to get an oil analysis done on your used oil. If you're using a real synthetic like Mobil 1 or Amsoil a oil cooler will not be required as the oil does not break down like dino or parasynthetics.

Note: If you are driving the car really hard constantly like as in road racing or drag racing then an oil cooler may be required. Although you are not cooking the oil a cooler would help in keeping the engine temps down.

There is a company called Magic Circle that literally doubled the lifespan of small 2 cylinder air cooled 4 stroke engines (Kohler engines) through the use of high quality air filtration (no, not a K&N, they filter air about the worst possible), a Amsoil bypass oil filter and a engine oil cooler. The engine oil cooler was so effective at reducing the operating temperatures of the engines that Kohler decided to make them standard on all of their V-twin engines.

 

[Michael Yount]

As MarylandStang says, oil analysis will tell you a lot about the condition of your engine and oil. I'd add that a good place to start is to add a quality oil temperature gauge. It's sender should be positioned in the oil pan sump so that you get a good stable reading. I was shocked to see that my temps (during the summer) were consistently in the 260-270F range - higher than I was comfortable with - although, they'd been there for the 12 years/55K miles on the engine at that point. I bought a Ford Motorsport cooler and installed it. On the highway, temps dropped down to around 210-220F. In traffic they are around 230F - much more acceptable. My radiator doesn't have to work as hard now. If you decide to add one, I'd try to mount it low in front so that the hot air coming off of it does not re-enter the air stream to the a-c condenser and radiator. A lot of people simply strap their tranny/engine oil coolers onto the front of the a/c condenser or radiator. But it's my opinion that you don't want to degrade the a-c performance or make the radiator work any harder than it has to.

 

[IMissMy93Fox]

Like everyone else said I really don't think you'll pick up any power from it, but if you're road racing it definately wouldn't hurt. Cheap insurance I think.

 

[Legendary]

Thanks for the input guys. As for my second question, the Lucas High performance 85/140 Plus Gear Oil is too thick to run a t-5 tranny? It isn't all lucas in there. It's a mixture of atf too.

 

[90mustangGT]

I run the FMS Oil Cooler. I did it because of several reasons. Most new cars and almost all Heavy Duty vehicles come with oil coolers. The oil system not only lubes the engine, but also helps cool it as well. Some areas of the engine cannot be cooled by the water, but can overheat, such as the pistons, rings, and not to mention, the berrings, which are prone to failure due to heat, and overheated oil will not lube as well, resulting in failure or at least excessive wear. I have 3.73's in the back, love road trips, and so it can stay around 3Krpms for hours, I feel much better with the cooler taking care of what the radiator can't. My engine stays much cooler to the touch. You can pull the dipstick out of the engine and the oil on it won't burn you. I recomend it, but it is not nessasary, and it won't add HP.

 

[Michael Yount]

I would only use atf in the t-5 -- that's what they're spec'd for.

 

[Legendary]

I run the FMS Oil Cooler. I did it because of several reasons. Most new cars and almost all Heavy Duty vehicles come with oil coolers. The oil system not only lubes the engine, but also helps cool it as well. Some areas of the engine cannot be cooled by the water, but can overheat, such as the pistons, rings, and not to mention, the berrings, which are prone to failure due to heat, and overheated oil will not lube as well, resulting in failure or at least excessive wear. I have 3.73's in the back, love road trips, and so it can stay around 3Krpms for hours, I feel much better with the cooler taking care of what the radiator can't. My engine stays much cooler to the touch. You can pull the dipstick out of the engine and the oil on it won't burn you. I recomend it, but it is not nessasary, and it won't add HP.

Do you have a thermostat on your oil cooler? Do you have to worry about over cooling??

 

[90mustangGT]

Do you have a thermostat on your oil cooler? Do you have to worry about over cooling??

It has a t-stat bypass on it so it won't flow if it's too cool. I run Moble 1 5W30 and I don't think it gets that cold in GA for that oil. I don't have a oil temp gauge, thought about getting one but I don't think it is nessasary.

 

[Michael Yount]

The FRPP unit is a stacked plate design that self regulates on temp/flow. Even at 15-20F ambient temps outside, my temp comes up to the 200-210F range. Just takes it a bit longer to get there than when it's warmer outside.