Plumbing in an extra oil cooler

[MaineShark]

Okay, I'd like to add an external oil cooler, but I'm not sure where to plumb it into the system. I can think of five major possibilities:

1) In series with the stock, radiator-mounted oil cooler.

2) Spliced into the turbo "out" line.

3) Spliced into the turbo "in" line.

4) In place of the stock cooler, with the stock cooler then spliced into the turbo "out" line.

5) In place of the stock cooler, with the stock cooler then spliced into the turbo "in" line.

I can think of advantages and disadvantages to each.

The first, second, and fourth would increase the overall cooling efficiency of the car (the second and fourth would have the added advantage of cooling the hot turbo oil before mixing it back into the oil in the pan).

The third and fifth would potentially protect the turbo more, cooling the engine oil before it got to the turbo bearings, but there would be the possible risk of the cooler getting gummed-up, reducing flow to the bearings and shortening the life of the turbo.

The fourth and fifth (swapping the external and stock cooler) might make more thermodynamic sense: the engine oil at the filter is not as hot as the oil going to or from the turbo, so it makes sense to expose it to the coolest possible heat exchanger, for greatest efficiency.

Personally, I'm leaning a bit toward the fifth option, but it also means the most work in fabricating and routing new lines.

Thoughts?

Joe

 

[Red Regal T]

I've been looking at the permacool oil coolers priced from $100 in jegs and summit. I eventually will go to the camaro aluminum radiator that has no oil cooler. I think your thought of using both coolers is overkill. Actually, while some help, the oil running into the radiator oil cooler runs into at least a 170* enviroment. Not much cooling help, IMO. Just use an aftermarket oilcooler and delete the stocker. Get longer lines made to run to the new cooler. Take a look at the PTE turbo saver. This reroutes your oil and moves your oil filter up behind the PS headlites so that you never have unfiltered oil go into your turbo.

Splicing either into the in side or out side of the turbo is not a good idea. In line doesn't hold enough volume and out side is not under pressure.