Somehow I think that it gets a bit more chilly here in Canada. I live in Southern Ontario, so it is not as bad as Winterpeg (sic), but it still can be -20 C, or -5 to -10 F.

 

it's where they make wheatabix !!

 

So do you run an oil cooler without a termostat?

I love Wheatabix! No, its no where near me.

 

google oil cooler thermostats. there's a company that makes um for airplanes and they say it's not necessary but if people want um .they'll sell um .

 

I would just be worried about the oil not heating up enough during the winter when just doing a normal commute to work.

 

I have not yet installed an oil cooler. No-one has been able to tell me what terminal oil temperatures are seen without an oil cooler yet, and I have not yet installed my own gauge.

So, I am not putting a cooler on until I know how badly I need one.

 

RMW and Mini Mania both offer kits. I know Adam from Mini Mania in the UK do recomend them, but I havent seen any figures yet.

 

Sneedspeedshop.com has an oil cooler system they have designed for the Mini that I've been looking at and it looks to be a very good one.

 

Is the oil overheating? Are you having problems with the oil getting too hot or cooking?

If you answered no to either of these questions, you don't need an oil cooler.


You are just adding complexity to a system that already works very efficiently. Also, if driven in the winter, you will have problems with water in the pan because the oil never heats up enough to boil off the moisture.

 

I put in a Setrab oil cooler a long time ago, complete with Aeroquip hose & fittings, and a Canton 200º thermostat that blocks all oil from the cooler untill it reaches 200º.

It was about 1ºC this week, and my oil got up to about 200º by the end of my 20 minute commute. I think it was at that temp about 10 mintues in. So any water would evaporate over that time.

I don't care if I didn't need an oil cooler, or if it is needless complexity. I think it is cool and it makes me happy.

note: I never took temp readings before the oil cooler because I had no oil temp gauge at that time.

 

Tell that to an engine that has seen 10k miles on the track

I will be getting one as a precautionary measure to keep my engine running strong for a long time.

 

I can show you pictures of my bearings from my car that got 60k miles of non stop abuse along with 7k rpm dumps on slicks at the track if you would like, which had bearings that looked better than any car that was babied on the street. Oil is only part of the equation for keeping your engine running strong.


Well, its its being raced, and the oil is getting too hot, go for the oil cooler.

If its being raced, but the oil temps aren't a problem, what is your reasoning for putting on a cooler? You can add an external reservoir like a dry sump and bump up capacity to maybe 8 or 10 quarts or add 1 or 2 in line filters if you just want more clean oil.


If you are racing it you should be changing the oil very frequently anyways, so extending oil life is not an excuse.

 

Not extending oil life. Extending engine life, I guess though in Ohio you probably don't have to worry about temps quite as much. Out here in CA during the summer months its over 100 at two of the very popular tracks (Buttonwillow and Streets of Willow) and over 90 at most of the others.

Drag racing ("7k rpm clutch dumps at the track")...nah, oil cooler isn't needed. There is plenty of time to allow it to cool in-between the 13-14 sec it is asked to perform. But on a road course, beating on the car for 20-25 minutes straight! With RPMs above 5k 90% of the time and 90+ degree weather...yes an oil cooler is NEEDED. I'm sorry but Mini/Chrysler/BMW did not engineer this engine to handle that kind of abuse in STOCK form for the life of the car.

Can the car handle it? Sure, I already took mine to Buttonwillow in 100 degree weather and I don't have an oil cooler. But the engine would be much better off if I did, thats why I will be getting one.

Is oil the only part of the equation, absolutely not. But it is a big component, and keeping its temps lower and consistent will result in a happier engine over the life of the car.

 

But hot laps where we run non stop runs 15 in a row does.

There is alot of abuse done to the engine in that first 60'.



Do you have an oil temperature gauge?

I keep hearing how the oil needs to be cooled, but do all the people getting an oil cooler know what their temps were before and after. If they don't know what they are before, how do you know if you needed anything more to begin with?




Again, i'm not saying you DONT need it, i'm trying to understand the reasoning some people are using to determine why the NEED one.

Only one person so far has come up with some data.

My oil was never over 200 on a hot 90 degree Ohio day. I'm not sure why anyone else would be having problems. Maybe it was poor oil choice.

 

Ok...I understand where you are coming from. Basically, there is no hardcore proof/facts/evidence that an oil cooler should be added.

I have no evidence, nor will I ever unless somebody sends me a gauge + tapless adapter within the next couple months before I buy a cooler. I intend on either purchasing the MM kit or at least using their adapter plate as a source for a temp and pressure gauge, thus I wont have a gauge until after I have the cooler.

Now I do have reasoning to believe the temps are getting beyond what I consider reasonable. Several other vehicles note temps of 250-260 when on the track, noting even as high as 280 and rarely 300! IMO anything over 220 is getting beyond where the oil should be. During several searches I did come upon people in Mini's who claimed 250+ on the track. For myself, I did notice the stock water temp gauge one the higher end of center instead of the lower end of center. Obviously there is nothing firm here, but I could tell the car was getting hotter...and if water temps are getting hot, you know that oil temps are even hotter as there is no "radiator"/cooler to cool it down.

 

Well, I would get a multigauge of some kind. That way you can have all kinds of info within one pod, unless you want a few gauges.

I would want oil temp in the pan and oil temp at the filter. On the MM kit, you can use the return side of the cooler to gauge how well the cooler is working by comparing it to pan temp.

I would also want an oil pressure and a true water temp gauge. Also a good boost gauge and a wideband area given in my book.

 

had mine now for roughly 60 k miles of regular seasonal driving . no water no issues . you just gotta let it warm up . definately need gauges. i can say after 160 f to 180 f there's no diff. in performance . below 160 needs to warm is obvious.

 

i have the chrono pack....i don't trust the values or know how to interpret a given reading (limited values on the guage), but i guess that my oil temps are regularly in the 260-265 range (while on track). while this is at the upper limits of acceptability, oil manufacturers don't deem this as excessive. i will add an oil cooler as i live in s. florida and any cooling is a good thing.

 

I agree with bean. I don't track my MINI but I see 225-230 degrees on the highway in 100+ degree heat. We have a professor here that did a lot of work on nascar engines. He told me that they found that 225 degrees was the sweet spot for those engines and the oil they were using to get maximum power.

 

Would love to see pictures of your install if possible, as I have been contimplating the same sort of install, and yes,I too do not care if it is nessesary I just want one and think it is cool.

 

Here it is. My camera is so old, the shutter mechanism cant go fast anymore. (7-8 years old is ancient for this type of thing)

There is some abrasion on various plastic and metal surfaces caused by the hose, but not that much because of my poly engine mounts.


Custom mounting brackets.


The thermostat is huge, so this was the only place it could go.

Aeroquip is easier to work with if you have the right tools for assembling the hose fittings.

To change the oil filter, I cut the zip ties - there is enough slack in the hose down below so I can pull the thermostat out.