How effective is the compact oil cooler sold by Pelican

[willyw]

Has anybody installed one of these coolers on their car, how effective is it? I am interested in how much cooling effect it will give my 2.7 engine. Is it worth the $250 bucks-----also if anyone has a used one to sell let me know----Thanks, Bill

[Bill Verburg]

IMHO the $250 could be better applied to a better front cooler.

[willyw]

Sorry, this is the cooler I am talking about http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/shopcart/911M/por_911M_oilsys_main.htm

[willyw]

Thanks Bill, my car doesn't have any kind of front cooler at all so I would be looking at big bucks there would't I?

[Bill Verburg]

Yup, You need lines t-stat. fittings and cooler. Wheather you need it or not depends on your temps. Under 210&degF don't worry, ocassional forays to 220&degF aren't too much of a prob but if you regularly see 220 or more invest the $ in a good cooler setup. Bandaids never work out.


Elepant Racing has some alternatives to factory but i don't know if they are any cheaper.

[willyw]

Thanks Bill

[banjomike]

I'm in the same boat. I was at the Elephant racing site, and with the finned oil lines, widemouth cooler, stoneguard kit, thermostat, cooler mounting kit, clamps, non-factory fan, and oil lines to thermostat parts alone come to $2054! Good God! That's like 23% of what I paid for the whole car!

I'm sure there are ways to economize. I saw used lines here not too long ago that went pretty fast at ~$400, and maybe the fan isn't needed right away but still, the $250 for the small cooler looks a hell of a lot better that no cooler at all (which is more likely at this point than 2 grand for a thing that my wife will never understand). grumble grumble...

[Adam]

I can't endorse Chuck's cooler setup enough. I already had the lines, T-stat etc, so it was a cheapy upgrade (in the scale of the job), but I can see how it piles up.

People want stupid money for used brass lines. I was quoted US$450 for a single, used return oil line by a local P-car breaker. I ended up repairing a flattened section of brass tubing instead. Chuck's setup is great value for money.

[RoninLB]

Originally posted by Adam Chaplin

. I ended up repairing a flattened section of brass tubing instead. Chuck's setup is great value for money.

what technique did you use.. cut and paste............Ron

[Adam]

Ron, we looked at cutting and soldering, but the only brass tubing I could find at short notice was extruded brass. I didn't realize that you can anneal (sp?) the extruded brass to make it soft. My theory was that extruded brass would shatter if struck by road debris etc, but it was on the cards if our straightening didn't work.

We used a bench vice and applied gentle heat and a small hammer. Remarkably, the line looks great, now. We buffed it up to check for hairline cracks, but there were none, so I coated it with heat-resistant matte black paint and it's all good.

[AES]

I agree with Bill. $250 spent on someting that only adds marginally to cooling ability is $250 wasted. The fan may be necessary in some cases but my 3.2 with stock cooler doesn't have one and doesn't need one. The cooler guards are only necessary on the more fragile coolers. Someting like the Lempke that Wayne sell is a rugged piece that provides a lot of cooling for a reasonable price. the 20 tube cooler is also rugged but a bit more expensive.

[RoninLB]

Originally posted by Adam Chaplin
Ron,
We used a bench vice and applied gentle heat and a small hammer.

thanks Adam............Ron

[RoninLB]

Originally posted by AES

Someting like the Lempke that Wayne sell is a rugged piece

Ditto ....... and, IMO, much more rugged than the 930 unit

[Jim Sims]

Improving cooling on a 2.7l without adding an external oil cooler:

Ensure all the air hoses and rubber air seals for the engine are in place and in good condition.

If the thermal reactors are still in the exhaust system, remove them (but don't discard) and replace them with a set of header pipes made for this purpose. You may be able to get a set of these pipes used from a Porsche salvage yard like Parts Heaven or watching for them on E-bay.

If you have a 5-blade cooling fan upgrade to the 11-blade unit; available new from Pelican for $247.

Clean outside of oil tank in right rear wheel well of any collected mud and road debris.

And probably the most time consuming but with the least "out of pocket" costs is to drop the engine and clean it (including cleaning the engine mounted oil cooler). Also, do the modification to the sheet metal air baffles between the cylinders; some claim this is worth 9 degrees in reduced oil temperatures. This will be a good and very easy time to adjust the valves and fix a few oil leakers and potential oil leakers. Cost of parts (all availble from Pelican) and supplies is around $85 plus the cost of an oil change and oil filter and shipping. Here's what you need at a minimum for parts: valve cover gasket kit, engine mounted oil thermostat o-ring, oil pressure switch, breather housing gasket, engine mounted oil cooler seals, CV joint gaskets, and CV joint screw lock washers.

Cheers and cooler oil temps to you, Jim

[willyw]

Thanks to all who offered info, I appreciate your advice and am considering my options---Bill

[RickM]

Question: The Oil line pricing seems to be outrageous. Why can't it be fashioned out of common copper pipe?

[willyw]

I am beginning to think anything for a P-car or the name Porsche on it is outrageous. They are definitely not a poor mans car!!!

[RoninLB]

Originally posted by RickM

. Why can't it be fashioned out of common copper pipe?

the topic was covered awhile ago.. try a search.. some good stuff was covered.........Ron

[RichMason]

check out these guys: www.batinc.net-files-kits.pdf

[Bones]

Do everything that Jim Simms recommends and maybe try a 'cool collar' too . Wayne sells 'em