Oil System Questions

[dpetteng]

So, I have a 1970 911t 2.2.

There seems to be no pipes going to the front for an oil cooler. I thought all 911's has some kind of oil cooler even if it was just the trombone pipe?

[lsf911]

All 911s do have an oil cooler that is attached to the right front side of the engine. Not all have the front oil cooler that you mention.

[dpetteng]

Ah ok, it has the one connected to the engine but I thought they all had the ling pipes running to the front and a fender mounted cooler. Thanks

[Flat6pac]

Not on a 2.2 t as standard, option in the day but rarely seen.
Bruce

[dpetteng]

So as I am upping the power with bigger cylinders and cams in the future, should I retrofit one?

[dannobee]

Are you planning on tracking it? Do you drive in hot weather? Those two matter more than cams or engine size. And how clean is the engine? That film of grime around everything can raise the oil temp by 30 degrees.

[dpetteng]

So I live in the UK so heat isn't a problem LOL I wont be tracking this and the engine had a load of crap on it but is now sparking.

[chrismorse]

You could run the new engine and see what temps look like. If uncomfortably hot, ever, I would add on a fender cooler, thermostat and lines.
My dad's 74 had ac, no front cooler and ran high 280 just cruising, scary, cuz heat is a killer for air cooled engines.
I ditched the ac to run the stock (74 and up larger lines), and a carrera cooler. 210 max on hard drives. Fitting sizes may be a bit different on early cars.

Talk to someone like Chuck at Elephant Racing about your options and costs. I bought a used set of lines from him

Stopped worrying,
chris

[r lane]

Went from a 2.4 T to a 2.7 S street car. Engine temp was over 225 and if pushed would go north of that on a hot day,, in Atlanta. I never bothered to test its limits. Ran a front cooler in the fender and it gave me 25-30 degrees. With all of the magic oils, I am told you can run much hotter safely, but I don't like to see over 210, 220 max and I think that is too hot. Am putting a bigger cooler in my track car as it was 220-225. One less thing that I want to worry about. Bob

[dpetteng]

I have seen a few deckled mounted coolers. Does this make sense as it would be easier to plumb in? Is there a retrofit kit of this kind?

[Trackrash]

You have three options.

Wait and see. Before I had a front cooler I almost never ran over 190 with my old 2,5 on the street.

Install a front fender mounted cooler. Several options. Lots of threads detailing it.

Install a front bumper cooler. Works great when you are moving, not so good in traffic.

There are occasionally used setups coming up for sale. Check the used parts forum.

[Walt Fricke]

Porsche sometimes put a transmission oil cooler in the decklid. It isn't a particularly good place for a cooler, because it heats the air you want to cool your air cooled (and oil cooled) engine. If you add a cooler, put it up front.

Besides, you think the shocks which hold your deck lid up fail way too soon, see what adding a bunch of weight to the deck lid does - even if you double up the shocks.

[safe]

I see 260 regularly on track days. 265 and I take a break.

[Walt Fricke]

My GMC 5500 tow vehicle started seeing 250 when towing up hill or against a wind or if I got over 60 mph with temperatures in the high 80s and above (all F). Had me worried, but the dealer said GMC has no spec for oil temperature (I added a gauge, being a 911 guy I want to know), so whatever temp range the oil is rated for is OK for the engine. Not sure I will not try to ease the engine's load when I see temps like that, but interesting. It just has a water/oil "intercooler" system, no separate air/oil cooler. Synthetics can take quite a beating before they quit lubricating and providing the oil wedge and floating the crank and rods on oil.

Not the approach I take with my track air cooled Porsches.

[dannobee]

The dirty little secret in nascar is that we routinely run oil temps over 330 degrees and water temps over 280. Yes, water boils at 212. The relief valves in the cooling system pop off at 100psi. Quite a bit more than a standard car's 15psi radiator cap. This was all done to "clean up" the air going over the car.

[targa72e]

Probably fine if you are planning on replacing the engine every time its used

john

[911pcars]

Except for the late 2 liter S engines, all had no externally-mounted cooler until customer complaints appeared.

For other than max-mild driving climates, 2.7 liters was the threshold PAG used to justify installing an external cooling system (trombone at first, then a finned radiator).

Sherwood