Hey all, just want some advice on the above subject. Is it worth the money for this item and does it work ok? Let me know

 

oh here we go .... i have one so i'm biased. but i'll say it works awsome . i don't detonate at all . i pulled 176 at the wheels a year ago at 6000 rpm's and it was still going up . this was third pull with 15% pulley ,full alta exhaust , intake, 16" wheels and giac tune. the cooper uses oil jets to shoot oil onto the underside of the pistons (where the heat is) so cooler oil (within reason) is a plus . no pulled timing , no detonation . just get a mocal thermostat to go with it if you have winters. plus mini madness's kit comes with oil pressure and oil temp ports ready for your gauges. have fun .

p.s. i was also running on a bad cyl. when dyno'd . dyno dynamics.
do to using the wrong lines to the cooler and popping one . so to close; make sure you get the whole kit . about 525.00 . everything you need will be there .

 

1. Is it right that the S has what some people call a small oil cooler already, but its actually there to heat the oil to operating temperatures when starting from cold?
2. Are there any oil cooler kits on the market that have a thermostat built in to only start cooling the oil when needed, rather than cooling it at all times?
3. What lines are people running to their oil coolers?
4. Has anyone had problems with them rubbing again the engine etc and either starting to wear through engine parts or the lines?
5. What have people done to guard against lines popping off, or splitting and making sure they are alerted about it before their engines go 'pop'?

 

the s has a heat exchanger; oil is cooled using coolant as a carrier. don't know of any kits with a built in thermostat.(many oil cooler producers consider it unnecessary) the lines supplied or a good aftermarket line made for the fittings being used will do fine ; psi ratings and temp ratings are generally much higher than what we see. mines been on for some time ;over a year and the rubbing is minimal;though i modded the mfd and bumper and use a protective sheathe. the push on lines DO NOT go on easily at all!!!! so popping one is something i'm not concerned with now. also madnesses' pressure port is on the return side so a loss in pressure will be noticed right away with gauges. temp is outgoing . hope it helped .

 

Is the Minimadness liquid to air intercooler any good I haven't seen much on them & I noticed they have a special oil cooler if you're equipped with this kind of intercooler so, you can use the hood scoop for the oil cooler.

 

that oil cooler has some advantages logistically to mine . it's easier to service,easier to drain-bleed . but it is smaller . there are alot of guys going to w/a ic's mini madness is one of them touted here. do a search for water to air.

 

The heat exchanger fitted as standard is NOT for oil cooling,quite the opposite it is for oil heating!!
The water in the engine heats up far quicker than the oil, the heat exchanger is used to bring up the oil temperature at a faster rate.
to use hot water to cool oil would not be very effective as the temperature difference is not that great,or the exchanger not that large (cigarette packet size)
Increasing the power output of the engine by 20.30,40,50% will always add heat ,the combustion temperatures will increase, oil is squirted to the piston undersides to cool piston crown temps (it allows lighter pistons to be used)
oil temp is relative to rpm -the higher the rpm the more cooling is required,sustained high rpm NEEDS more oil cooling
A thermostat bypass of the cooler is not an essential,but better, it depends on your driving -longer trips allow the oil to get hot enough to get rid of water in the oil . colder months or short trip use only put a blanket over the cooler (thermostats are not that expensive to fit)
Allowing excess oil temp and thinning the oil is not a good idea,all tuned cars should have an oil cooler, synthetic oil is very good but all oil thins with temp
why risk catastrophic failure for the price of an oil cooler?
We have had a number of cars with engine failure due oil (mostly track cars with great expenditure on the engines -all wish now they had a cooler fitted and oil temp and oil pressure guages!!!) too late!
What happens on a track car is a pre-cursor of a tuned road car
I cant comment on the US , but in the UK the MINIs tend to get used with more "spirited driving" than most cars,and oil levels seldom checked,an extra pint of oil in the system cant hurt and may save the engine

 

great explaination . the mocal thermostat fits well right over the passenger side crush tube (out of the way). it does speed the heating process a bit. once the oil is up to temp ,even in the single digits , i've never seen it drop back down . i will say that at 160 f - 170 f my oil pressure is constant all the way to 210 f . it's never been above that . that's not tracking , but some hard street drivin' . point is pressure tells the tale and if you can keep the pressure stable but at cooler temps then you win . cooler pistons ,cyls. etc.

 

Herbie, what is your pressure reading now?

 

Well how hot of oil temperatures are people seeing at track days (like 3 lap practice sessions at a time, ~2 mile track)? When I first started track days my oil temperature didn't go very high, but now that my times are improving and my revs are consistently higher, I am seeing temps close to the end of the hot side of the oil gauge (crono pack).

 

Just FYI, you can run the better Setrab oil cooler core with a front mount water to air intercooler. It mounts right above the bumper on the radiator core. It is a very tight fit with the hood, but it will work without trimming. You just need to carefully route the lines. The core MM offers instead of the Setrab is kinda junkie IMHO. The other nice thing is the core then gets the best cooling possible as it is right behind the grill. I typically see temps of 170 degrees on DD's and as high as 220 on the track or standing in traffic in the AZ heat. That is with the turbo superheating the oil too, so if you are using this setup on a standard supercharged setup I think you will see some seriously controlled oil temps.....

 

The oil in the engine is a vital component it works hard for a living!
There are numerous posts on intercoolers,air filters,exhausts ,pulleys,plugs,injectors etc but very few mention the oil system.
creating more heat by upping boost pressure or increasing power always gets the oil hotter,and thinner than it was pre increase.
Heat flow is directed to the sump and the cooler the sump oil temp the more heat flow there is to it (a good thing to have)
cylinder wall temps are affected by frictional heating again the viscoscity of the oil and its film thickness have an impact here,also bear in mind increasing the boost pressure increases the blow by on rings making the piston ring temps and seal more critical -cooler oil helps.
piston crown temps also reduced that 5 degrees saving may save your engine from det!!
Oil pressure varies with the temp and viscosity of the oil ,the pressure itself is less important than the flow of oil ,this is one area that thinner oil has a benefit ,the oil pump flows better with thinner oil ,which is why the oil heater was fitted in the first place,modern fully synthetic oils are by nature "thinner" and this reduces the need for the heater,as long as the oil gets hot enough to boil off any moisture.
How many owners spend $1000,S on tuning parts and increased power levels and boost pressures and still do not run an oil cooler?
Since the very start of engine tuning oil coolers have been used,they worked then and they work now,they are not expensive and form a cheap insurance
my.002c

 

BUMP

 

Anyone seen a kit that includes a thermostat? Anyone used the OEM oil cooler for that CVT MINI's transmission to cool the engine oil?

 

Just curious, why the interest in a thermostat setup? Prior to my install I saw pressures under load of around 80-90 and 22 at idle. With it installed I have noticed no difference. I do need about 1/2-2/3 quarts more oil to fill the extra volume but other than that......I just don't see an advantage to having it triggered by a thermostat...... Probably why no one offers one too......

Onasled, hopefully that helps answer some of your question to Herbie, though, obviously I am not him

 

Very good points and something I try to get my fellow turbo conversion folks to listen to. Kalvin are you out there???? I can help you fit it even, if you go ahead and get one......but get the AFR gauge first!

 

Well he had stated that the pressure sensor was now located on the return and he saw lower PSI.

 

The main reason for the thermostat would be for people who live in colder climates. Your in AZ so it's not as big a deal as it would be for someone in the northeast. Running an oil cooler when it's below freezing is probably going to hurt the engine a lot more than help it. Yeah, you could throw a blanket on it but a thermostat setup would be much more ideal. Even in hotter climates, a thermostat would allow the oil to get up to operating temp much quicker. The main drawback that I see to the thermostat would be the added pumping losses depending on the size of the opening.

 

He and I have the same setup i think. I really didn't notice a drop across the cooler core in regards to pressure after installing it. I do notice about a 30 degreee delta in temps though

 

the thermostat helped my oil warm up quicker in winter driving. once the temp starts to move so do i , but slowly . once it's up to about 160 -170 it's okay to get on it . the pressure is at about 13psi at idle and 45 at 3000 rpm . i am running a bigger setrab than offered by mm . just was new to push on hoses , that's what got me in trouble . mounted right to the underside of the bumper .

 

I was interested in a thermostat so the heat exchanger can still heat up the oil when you first start up, and during winter conditions as stated above.

 

well , if you go with a madness cooler,their adapter plate goes in place of the oem exchanger. so for winter either get a therm. stat or use an oil warmer. however if you're in a garage ; you're all set . a car cover outside would help a bit . the thermostat is really very easy to install . i guess i'm gonna have to post some pics . i should have the front end off this weekend .

 

No garage I'm afraid. Not really practical to use a cover either, as some toerag would nick it. It can get quite cold in England during the winter.

Some pictures would be awesome.

 

hey cool ; are you near Corby? my mothers' family is in corby .

 

I have no idea! I dont know the names of half the villages within 5 miles of my town, and I have lived here on and off for the past 30 years.