It's not huge.. but works amazing on a 8v GTI.. It doesn't fit on a 16v ABF though from all accounts...
finally ordered an oil cooler, went for 13 row, 235mm wide with a stat in the take off plate. got it from rally design as it was cheaper than buying direct from think auto, even though think auto make them should get it fitted this week, Edited by: steve r
On the track my 1.8 16v regulary runs at about 125-130 oil temp. Is this too hot? should i get myself a cooler too?
that's something I've been wondering for a while too. Presumably the engine's internals will last better if they are kept at a lower temperature?
Yes There is also some effect from the oil that you are running. I went up to 20w50 when I had a session see over 140 degrees at coombe and combined with a huge rad swap it made a difference. Remember that if you have large water temperatures the oil filter housing will be heating the oil (if the water is hotter than the oil) Sort the water cooling side first, but the oil cooling side is definitely something to think about
I'm pretty sure that although the 16v tends to run a bit hotter than it's 8v sibling the most efficient temp for the oil is between 105-110 deg C. VW engines are designed to run fairly warm for efficiency so a whacking great oil cooler and no thermostat might rob power. Todays oils are pretty good at maintaining lubrication at higher temps (especially fully synthetic) so very few road users are going to need a secondary cooler. On the track and very high temps from sustained high speed running is also likely to rob power so an oil cooler would be sensible. IMO too many people buy oil coolers because they think it's a good idea and they look cool rather than their engine really needs it. In fact the extra weight probably just slows them down David.
Indeed I only meant for track use. No point for road use only. I was just thinking ahead if I want to use my (currently) road car on the track
I went for a small oil cooler (235mm X 10 row) for my 1.8 16v. It runs about 10C cooler now at 94C driving normal and 106-112C on track. My sandwich plate looks exactly like yours Steve R, can you see daylight through that hole with the spring? I could on my one and decided that it didn't have a stat. It takes just about the same time to warm up in the mornings. The only problem I had was stopping the unions leaking whe I fitted it and physically fitting the oil filter now,I have to put a jack under the engine and lift it slightly to get the clearance. There is a few pics on my website of my one.
My valver i got now has very large radiator(biger than vr6), oil temp never goes above 90, and on motorway or any road when going more than 60mph oil temp is 58-62 celsius! Even on hot days sat in traffic never goes above 90 celsius. Do we need extra oil coolers after all? dont think even on track i would be able to get oil temp over 100 celsius
got it fitted today: wussel: my plate is the same as yours, i could see daylight through it where the spring is, but i thought it would close off with oil pressure and the stat part would open it again at the correct temp, when i ran the car after fitting it the pipes to/from the cooler got hot when the mfa read 70 deg C. but i'll contact the shop to double check they sent me the correct one. sambo: what rad have you fitted? Edited by: steve r
ive been running my astra coolerless for about a year. sees 130 max at the oil pump at track days (about 205bhp, 8k rev limit). not too much problem for fully synth oil, but it could be lower. they do have a 7 row air to oil cooler as standard but i damaged the lines during the last engine rebuild. has a stat sandwich plate 95 deg C.
The 13row 235mm cooler will fit on a MK1 with 2.0l 16v ABF i've got one in mine you need to fit the remote oil filter kit with it Edited by: Brookster
You want the biggest MK2 rad - that was the GTD one. I fitted one to my 16v and it made a huge difference. The same size rad is on a MK3 16v and on a passat GT 16v. The latter is better to get from a scrappy as it also runs twin fans. I have one of these to fit my newly aquired 16v
wussel: just spoke to think automotive who make the oil coolers, they said that we have the correct sandwhich plate, with the oil below the set temp it will flow through the hole you can see with the spring and bypass the oil cooler, once above the temp the stat closes the hole and oil flows through the cooler. apparently you can also tell by the fact its got that silver fittng screwed into the plate inline with the spring. chris, cheers i'll be on the lookout for a passat GT one then, if you hear of any , how many cars have you got on the go now, 3? Edited by: steve r
