Oil cooler questions

[andy20det]

Hi i need some info about oil coolers .

I found a ebay or whatever no name oil cooler setup at home that i didnt know i had.. I just need to machine some adapters to fit the sr20.

The bad news is ..It got no thermostat on it . I know that a built in thermostat is always better... but why ?? Is it not recomended to run it whitout a thermostat ??

If its ok to run whitout , wich caution should i take to prevent damage ?

Thanks !

[slider2828]

Never run a street car without a thermo.... This can damage your motor because loss of lubrication. Heat increases oil lubrication and cold oil really causes motor damage. You in montreal bro, its snows there, REALLY not recommended....

Get a greddy sandwich plate or there are others out there.... Maybe ISIS? I dunno

[andy20det]

The car never run in winter time. But i drive it dayli ... Is it sooo not recomended ??

[slider2828]

If you don't track or race..you don't need one.... Even time attacks no need for one....

[GSXRJJordan]

I think every SR20 that's driven hard needs an oil cooler. I saw my 'running hard' (track or canyon running) coolant temps drop over 20* (from peaks of 220* to 200*, already had alum radiator, shroud, etc) with the addition of an oil cooler setup, and oil pressure didn't ever suffer. Beyond keeping your water temp down, oil temps stay much more consistent, and with the addition of an oil thermostat, there's no downside (the one I use keeps oil above 185*F).

I ran my SR20 car without an oil thermostat for a season just to see whether temps really do drop into the "too cool" range, and my conclusion is that while warmup time is significantly increased (takes about 10 minutes for the 4qts of oil to come up to temp at idle, about 5 minutes if you're putting around town), temps didn't drop below 160* unless it was very cold outside and I was idling in a parking lot or something. That being said, this is southern california, and very cold ~40*F. If you're in a cooler climate, I wouldn't run a cooler without a thermo.

For motors with such small oil capacity and no built in cooling mechanism (like RB25's water-cooled oil cooler), a simple air cooler is a great idea when done right. It's a MUST when running a bigger turbo as they absolutely pump heat into the lubrication system.

I've got a small amount of oil cooler and relocation parts on their way to me and will be throwing a group buy together for kits since I'm not pleased with the market's response to this VERY common problem.

[andy20det]

Alright thanks ! Im runing my car only in summer time so it might be ok.
I'll probably put some kind of a wind sheild in front of the oil rad during dayly drives.

Up here in montreal Its not freezing cold. During summer we can get the same kind of weather like in Socal but whit more humidity. My mother lives in Santa clarita North of L.A . I wich ill be living there one day. I went to malibu .... And Dam those cayon road are SICK !!

[fliprayzin240sx]

Just make sure you get the engine up to temps before you do anything to it. With an oil cooler, it will take a tad bit longer to get it up to temps. Get yourself a Water temp and Oil temp so you know when its good to go before you start pushing it. I usually let my car warm up for 10mins in the morning before I drive it, even then, I have a thermo on mine.