Oil cooler for turbo cars
- Thread starter bs009
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I must be doing something wrong... I have the Intense oil pressure kit (S3 spring and a thick washer). It shows 90 psi on my stock gauge running 10W-30 when warm. I was going to try finding a smaller washer or just removing it. As for the oil cooler issue, I remember Intense selling an adapter with NPT ports and oil pressure adjustment screw. I was thinking about using that to run a remote filter and cooler. Maybe you would like it too! Just a thought.
Let's clear the air here. Literally every single l67 hbody car came from the factory with an oil cooler. Starting in 1992, all the way through 1999.
Oil gets a lot hotter than you think it does, and viscosity vs pressure is not a linear relationship. Cold 5w oil is much higher viscosity than normal operating temperature 30w. It's not actively cooled, at all. So running a turbo like a holset, which is sleeve bearing and oil cooled, means that much more heat load and flow volume rewired, that is not actively cooled, and the meager oil pump in the 3800, which is bean countered down to simply adequate for stock, means you have a setup where you are pushing the limits.
Start throwing in exasperating circumstances, like sitting in traffic at hrpt, with a cooling system not working as good as you want... Sure, you can argue that your oil restricted ball bearing turbo that is water cooled doesnt need an oil cooler.
I love how 3800 people shit all over new or different ideas all the time.
Oil gets a lot hotter than you think it does, and viscosity vs pressure is not a linear relationship. Cold 5w oil is much higher viscosity than normal operating temperature 30w. It's not actively cooled, at all. So running a turbo like a holset, which is sleeve bearing and oil cooled, means that much more heat load and flow volume rewired, that is not actively cooled, and the meager oil pump in the 3800, which is bean countered down to simply adequate for stock, means you have a setup where you are pushing the limits.
Start throwing in exasperating circumstances, like sitting in traffic at hrpt, with a cooling system not working as good as you want... Sure, you can argue that your oil restricted ball bearing turbo that is water cooled doesnt need an oil cooler.
I love how 3800 people shit all over new or different ideas all the time.
cold starts go pretty much straight to 70-ish
once the engine hits about 180* the pressure will come down to about 45 or so.
Last year sitting in traffic in the heat and after everything is heat-soaked I would regularly see less than 20 psi, sometimes even lower.
Now all of those measurements are being read from the original gauge that came with the car in 1982 so who knows how accurate that thing is.
I know my coolant issue needs to be addressed so there's big changes coming there this year to fix that.
Exactly. Low oil pressure -> ticking lifters. Every hydraulic lifter is going to do this.
There is nothing specific to the LS7 lifters here. I'm sure if there is anything to different specs it's going be an improvement rather than a detriment.
GM added these to a lot of earlier 3800 cars to begin with and those didn't have a turbo in their oil system. I'm sure if they saw a reason to spend money on adding them there was a reason for it.
This isn't really that crazy of a mod. It isn't all that different from adding something like a trans cooler which btw sees much higher pressures than an engine oil cooler.
I never would have thought I'd hear someone call an oil cooler overcomplicated.
Yea i don't see it as complicated I'm just worrying that there is another issue to be addressed here.
That kit does look a little cheesy, but honestly I push lock fittings are fine, we use some that hold up to 350 psi.
It's the hose quality and routing I'd be worried about.
OP, how about you tap in a oil temp gauge, log some data, then install a cooler kit.
That kit does look a little cheesy, but honestly I push lock fittings are fine, we use some that hold up to 350 psi.
It's the hose quality and routing I'd be worried about.
OP, how about you tap in a oil temp gauge, log some data, then install a cooler kit.
I really appreciate it, right now though I'm going to have to focus more on other parts of the car for now.
Once I finally get an aftermarket cam in the car I'm sure the rear end will need attention, but I think that's at least a year out right now.
No one has offered any data either way yet and I'm not finding a lot one way or the other yet on my own.
Unfortunately I'm not going to be able to test the idea either because there's not going to be an easy way for me to test with and without the turbo.
The turbo is absolutely cooled by the oil though so I can't imagine that that's what you're disputing. That's why so many cars use turbo timers after a spirited drive to help cool off the turbo.
I'm going to get a temp gauge now, but I won't have any results until spring when the roads aren't salted anymore.
My friend, not only is that a myth, but it's not to let the oil cool off the turbo, it's literally to let the turbo cool off. Manifolds/turbo exhaust housings get VERY hot during track time or "spirited driving", there's a lot of heat that goes into making power. The oil does nothing to help cool it off, it merely just lubricates it, which if you're being picky, is technically a way to keep the bearing/bearings from getting too hot. No car came from the factory with a turbo timer, there's a reason for that. An NA car could just as easily have cracked exhaust manifolds from heat.
And honestly on a modern gasser even a diesel that wasn't pulling a load doesn't need to spool/cool down. Oil is so great now it'll keep it lubed for minutes of off time even though a turbine stops spinning within 15 seconds
I can understand that being one of the reasons for a timer, but lots of newer cars use water-cooled turbos not oil cooled turbos.
Are we really arguing that the oil going into the turbo isn't being used to cool it??
https://gcg.com.au/component/rsticketspro/view-article/18-water-cooled-turbos-they-need-water
Holset's Guide on How a Turbo Works.
That last one is straight from my turbo's manufacturer.
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