stone guard restricting air at track?

[s2per]

During my last DE, I had some scary oil temps; like, 260 at one point. It was about 90 out, but I had to cut my sessions short and save the car for my daughter's runs.

Here's my question; can I increase airflow and hopefully drop the temp by trimming off the louvers of the stone guard over my Carrera oil cooler? Not worried about stones, it's basically a track rat.

Up front, I have the fog light opening open in my '72 valance, homemade shielding directing ALL air through the cooler, foam sealed on the sides. Under the hood, the 3.0 is backdated with early engine tin and headers w/o HE stuff. Brass factory lines to the cooler and later-model oil tank (blasphemy!). Castrol 20w50.

Thanks in advance....

[Formerly Steve Wilkinson]

I'm having trouble getting correct oil flow to a big B&B cooler under an IROC air dam, and I learned from an enormously useful thread recently that my problem is almost certainly due to a a minor obstruction--a crimp, in my case, in one of the brass oil lines to the cooler--that is causing the oil to bypass and return to the engine (or maybe it's the oil tank, I'm not sure).

So be sure your oil lines are absolutely straight. If there's a dent or crimp that you're looking at and saying, "Oh hell, the oil can push right over that..." you may be wrong.

[rfuerst911sc]

Does the cooler have a fan? I recently did a DE at Sebring ( 3 weeks ago ) and the afternoon runs it was 94 degrees out. The hottest temp I saw was in the 230-240 range but when I flipped the fan on ( mine is manually operated ) the temps went down to 220 or less. I'm also useing 15W40 oil as I hear it runs a little cooler than 20W50.

[Emission]

I used a pair of pliers and opened them up a bit more. Seemed to work.

On the track, you can still get a lot of debris that will blow a hole in your cooler. In fact, I'd argue you need the store guard MORE on the track than on the streets (higher speeds and soft tires).

[s2per]

Now that you mention it.....I do have a couple dimples and dings(technical, huh?) in the lines, just where they make the turn up into the wheelwell. Could these be restrictive enough?

[s2per]

Yeah, I'm sorry I missed that DE. You say 10w40 runs cooler? I've always adhered to the idea that good heavy oil is better at those higher temps that 911s have.

[rfuerst911sc]

Not 10W40 but 15W40. I'm useing Shell Rotella T conventional diesel oil at the suggestion by others on this forum. In my own real world driving conditions I do see where it runs a little cooler than when I ran 20W50. And the Rotella being a diesel oil withstands high compression and temps quite well and is reasonable in price. In regards to the pic of your oil line the flat spot on the inboard line looks restrictive to me and may be part of your problem.

[Craig 930 RS]

Lets see pics of that stoneguard setup before we can give an accurate opinion -

[s2per]

Sorry the pictures aren't great; it's a little too late to fire up the compressor and pull the tire!

[kucharskimb]

do you still have the battery box in front of the cooler, or did you remove it? i am also in a similar situation. i would estimate the battery box obstructs air to at least half of the cooler. if it's a track car, time to cut it out....

[ted]

If you remove it replace it with something as the tire will through clag and stones damaging the cooler.
I removed the factory shroud and replaced it with SS mesh.
Same stuff I used on this rear bumper vent.

I was interested to here the fan helped. If you have good airflow at 50mph the fan normally could actually be blocking parts of the cooler from getting air.
Perhaps when you turned it on it was not the CFM of the fan that cooled the car at speed but the fact that the entire cooler was getting fresh air.

With enough air flow many remove the fan.
The fan is more effective in stop and go traffic.

Directing more air over the cooler would help.
Removing a headlight, opening up the back of the headlight bucket would help.


Here's something VFR750 offered when I was looking for something less restrictive.

Check out McMaster Carr http://www.mcmaster.com/ They have the different materials available under "perforated metals"

I noticed the SST mesh has relatively open area. ~75% open. But is the oil cooler more restrictive??

[s2per]

Matt, the battery box is long gone; I agree, it was really in the way.

Ted, thanks, I also like the ss mesh idea. I had an unprotected oil cooler in another car for years with no ill effects, but it looks awfully vulnerable up there.

I'm also considering the 1.82:1 pulley update...anybody got an extra?

[donstevens]

Originally posted by s2per
I've always adhered to the idea that good heavy oil is better at those higher temps that 911s have.

Tim,

This is old school thinking form a time in the 70's and 80's when oil was not as advanced as it is today. Then, thicker was better and this concept has simply carried on for 25-30 years

rfuerst911sc is running 15W40 on the track with good results. Anyone else running a 40 weight? Anyone running a 30wt on the track? Does anyone have any oil analysis results of a 30 or 40 weight form an SC?

Don