My M44 oil cooler project: here's the progresses being made

[LPCapital]

Got the instruments installed on the a-pillar and wired up...





Here's the bracket to hold the oil filter...







And got the oil cooler installed (I also added a grill to protect the A/C radiator)





Tonight I'm gonna modify the thermostat sandwitch plate to add the oil temp sender.

I'm waiting for the AN fittings, Aeroquip oil line a take off plate to get deliverd so I can complete the plumbing...

Enjoy!!!

I've go the fittings from BAT INc who is the US importer for Mocal. The hose is Aeroquip FC333. Here's the catoluge of their parts: pretty cool, particularly since it's not the traditional red & blue AN fititngs...

http://97.74.103.94/files/ahosend.pdf

[Edmel89]

Very nice!

[LPCapital]

I couldn't get the elbows on the takeoff plate to hold pressure (I was trying to pair a 1/2" NPT with a 22mm: they are close, but not enough): I decided to go brute force and TIG weld it. That took care of it:







And here's the final result:





I cut out a hole to route the hoses nicely:





I had to modify the alternator bracket a bit to be able to clear the elbows:





The oil filter & thermostat (along with the senders for the instruments) fits tight under the airbox. It also make the replacement of the filter cartridge very accessible.



And of course, a couple of pix of the engine bay which looks... stock...







Enjoy!!!

[Randy Forbes]

Looks nice (especially the TIG work).

Keep an eye on your water temperature, as the location of the oil cooler can have an effect on the air passing through the radiator.

The first oil cooler location on my Healey (visible in the grill opening) caused a negative pressure between the oil and water radiators, and no air was passing through either.

I add an oil cooler and got an overheating engine__WTF?

Moved to its current location and life was good

[LPCapital]

Thanks Randy. The welding is not mine: it's from a friend of mine who does all my welding work (Tho @ Time Machine Racecrafts, here in Oceanside...). It's interesting how the black anodization on the elbows turned brown... I though the whole thing was too "technical" to reanodize it, so I kept it like that...

On the freeway the oil temp stabilize between 180 and 200 and doesn't move. I haven't got a chance to push the car yet, so I don't know how good or bad it works.

Note that the oil temp is measured on the hot side (before the cooler). However this temperature is of course affected by the normal cooling of the oil in the oil pan.

Here's a closeup of the modified thermostat sandwich plate (the filter is a Ford PH8)





A couple more pix of the oil filter bracket prior the installment:

[Robstah]

Why have an oil cooler? I've seen cars run 3 times as much power as a DASC M42/M44 and have yet to add oil coolers. The same cars are being used on many tracks and have yet to have problems. Though it's a really nice setup, I find it to be pretty overkill.

[SamGrant951]

My (stock motor) oil temps were sky high on the track after a few minutes, > 270. Added a small cooler and they sit around 230. The stock oil cooler on my 951 couldnt keep up with a few laps either - it now has a front mount Setrab.

NICE Install!

[JoshS]

I think if your stock-engined car couldn't run on the track for a few minutes without overheating the oil, then you are using the wrong oil.

[LPCapital]

Thanks fellas for the feedback.

Actually I never had a oil temp gauge installed before so I can't say how high the oil would get when the motor is run hard.

However, based one everyone's experience it's safe to say it doesn't run cool. Also consider that although the engine doesn't make "much" power, the power to displacement is higher than the S54 (I'm around 195 at the wheels, so call it 220 at the crack which is about 115hp/liter).

Additinally the DASC is a very inefficient setup: it's a Root and has no intercooler. The M44 also has the piston crown that is oil cooled. Add all this and you have a pretty compelling argument that the oil could get hot (or at least hotter than it should be).

Nonetheless, I wanted to see if it was possible. All and all the project end up costing about $800, so it sure didn't break the bank...

[Randy Forbes]

Why have an oil cooler? I've seen cars run 3 times as much power as a DASC M42/M44 and have yet to add oil coolers. The same cars are being used on many tracks and have yet to have problems. Though it's a really nice setup, I find it to be pretty overkill.

Stock 95 hp MGBs came with them as standard equipment.

[SamGrant951]

I think if your stock-engined car couldn't run on the track for a few minutes without overheating the oil, then you are using the wrong oil.

I ran it for over a year of events with with no problems before I installed one. A "few" minutes might have been exaggerating but halfway through sessions the gauge was always past the 260 mark.

Amsoil 5w40 for whats it worth (before and after), 60k miles, everything in good working order. S52's should have coolers from the factory. Great upgrade IMHO.

[Robstah]

Stock 95 hp MGBs came with them as standard equipment.

MGBs were also rubbish (electrical, suspension, brakes, you name it) and the intake and exhaust ports were located on the same side of the head. I could be wrong, but I don't remember seeing an oil cooler on my dad's midget.

[Randy Forbes]

MGBs were also rubbish (electrical, suspension, brakes, you name it) and the intake and exhaust ports were located on the same side of the head. I could be wrong, but I don't remember seeing an oil cooler on my dad's midget.

You don't know what you're talking about. Are they a match for a Z3? No, but they also cost LESS than $4,000.00 BRAND NEW in 1973 (mine was $3949.00 out the door with tax, title and license). And what did a Z3 cost new (mine was a bit over $52k).

MGBs and MG Midgets (re-badged Austin-Healey Sprites with $100 more trim) are completely different cars, though the Spridgets did have provision for an oil cooler if an owner wanted to fit one.

Spridgets rule G & H Production racing classes to this day.

If you're dead-set on calling them rubbish, then you (or your dad) never knew how to properly maintain one. I've had close to twenty (<20) of them, and would not hesitate to own another (proof-positive is the Healey that I'll have owned 32 years on April 1, 2010).

[JoshS]

Spridgets rule G & H Production racing classes to this day.

Well, not quite to this day, since GP has been dead since 2007 (the cars were distributed into FP and HP with attempts to equalize.)

Nonetheless, they are definitely still popular race cars.

[Robstah]

You don't know what you're talking about. Are they a match for a Z3? No, but they also cost LESS than $4,000.00 BRAND NEW in 1973 (mine was $3949.00 out the door with tax, title and license). And what did a Z3 cost new (mine was a bit over $52k).

MGBs and MG Midgets (re-badged Austin-Healey Sprites with $100 more trim) are completely different cars, though the Spridgets did have provision for an oil cooler if an owner wanted to fit one.

Spridgets rule G & H Production racing classes to this day.

If you're dead-set on calling them rubbish, then you (or your dad) never knew how to properly maintain one. I've had close to twenty (<20) of them, and would not hesitate to own another (proof-positive is the Healey that I'll have owned 32 years on April 1, 2010).

So because the new Z3s cost almost 10x as much as a new MGB makes your argument valid? Plus, when has racing been a part of this discussion outside of my track time mentioned? Sure, the spridgets can be an amazing track car, and I pushed my dad in that direction, but they are terrible street going cars. The wiring was terrible in them, the car is extremely small compared to what is on the roads today, and the technology is old compared to everything else. The car lacked efficiency. Hell, most owners would give the "V" sign around here if an MG passed an MG. The ongoing joke was "Hey! You got yours running too!". As mentioned, the intake and exhaust ports were on the same side. That gives perfect reason to run an oil cooler as a band aid to a terrible engine design. BMW, on the other hand, designed our motors efficiently and correctly. Even BMW's example of a motor in the 70s far surpassed MG's example.

It's extremely hard to argue with someone with bias like yourself. Having owned 20 of these things, you are pretty much used to their quirks and lack of engineering. I love a lot of old cars, but I will not sit here and play off their weaknesses or compare them to newer technology. That would just be stupid. I still stand behind my statement that on this application, the oil cooler is overkill.

[Randy Forbes]

... I still stand behind my statement...

So do I.

Do you know how many MGBs were made, and that >80% of them were sold in the US?

Five hundred twenty four thousand four hundred seventy (524,470). You can call it an engineering disaster, that's your opinion, but it was a sales success.

I like them just fine, oil cooler and all.

[1fastcosmo]

To each their own.i dont know much about them.So i cant say.If its british no thank you

[robrez]

You never cease to amaze Luca

[LPCapital]

You never cease to amaze Luca

Thanks Robert...

[MCoupeVet]

holy guacamole batman

[kenndoggy]

Thanks fellas for the feedback.

Actually I never had a oil temp gauge installed before so I can't say how high the oil would get when the motor is run hard.

However, based one everyone's experience it's safe to say it doesn't run cool. Also consider that although the engine doesn't make "much" power, the power to displacement is higher than the S54 (I'm around 195 at the wheels, so call it 220 at the crack which is about 115hp/liter).

Additinally the DASC is a very inefficient setup: it's a Root and has no intercooler. The M44 also has the piston crown that is oil cooled. Add all this and you have a pretty compelling argument that the oil could get hot (or at least hotter than it should be).

Nonetheless, I wanted to see if it was possible. All and all the project end up costing about $800, so it sure didn't break the bank...

So, with no oil temp gauge beforehand, you have no idea what you were actually running for oil temps before? Seems to me the correct method for deciding if this was necessary would have been to install the gauge you were purchasing anyways to see what oil temps you were running pre-cooler. From there, you could make a more informed decision as to whether or not a cooler is actually necessary. I'm not super familiar with the M44, but I know the M50 based engines rarely need a cooler, even in FI applications.

Also, do you have a thermostat plumbed inline with your cooler setup? If not, you'll be doing far more damage than good. Your oil will NEVER get up to temp, you'll have a significant increase in internal engine wear.

[LPCapital]

Also, do you have a thermostat plumbed inline with your cooler setup? If not, you'll be doing far more damage than good. Your oil will NEVER get up to temp, you'll have a significant increase in internal engine wear.

Ufff... Then people ask me why I don't post here that much... Did you even read the thread?

And I could care less what the temperature actually was: it for sure wasn't within the range that BMW originally intended it to be, whatever that was... Also an oil cooler won't hurt, that's for sure. BMW itself now equip even their NA motors an oil cooler (hard to spot, but it's there... Oil to water, nice design...). Lastly, I was bored and needed something to play with...

[kenndoggy]

Ufff... Then people ask me why I don't post here that much... Did you even read the thread?

And I could care less what the temperature actually was: it for sure wasn't within the range that BMW originally intended it to be, whatever that was... Also an oil cooler won't hurt the car, that's for sure. BMW itself now equip even their NA motors an oil cooler (hard to spot, but it's there... Oil to water, nice design...).

Sorry, I didn't see the one line of writing between pictures. So, thermostat - check. Good. Oil temps should be in the range specified for the oil used, not what BMW specs. Unless you're using factory BMW oil, which most do not, and honestly, I wouldn't recommend unless it's TWS 10W-60, then you should be checking for tech specs on the oil you're running, and getting a UOA of your current oil to see how much it's sheering.

I still say a temp gauge getting readings beforehand is the right way to do this. As seen from others posts, not all engines are created equal. I've seen plenty of M50's run 20+ minutes at the track full-out and never seeing 260*F, even FI cars (which is completely acceptable with a proper oil, Amsoil, Redline, Rotella Syn, etc.). The you see others that for some reason, run sky-high temps. I'm just not a fan of unnecessary crap. My m50 doesn't have a cooler, and makes ~200 to the wheels. My 11.5:1 3.1l I'm building won't have an oil cooler either, and I'm expecting ~260-270 to the wheels out of it.

And FYI - M20 325i's had oil coolers, and they took them away for the E36. Something tells me if wasn't necessary.

[Randy Forbes]

If the Downing s/c uses the engine oil source for its lubrication, he was wise to install the oil cooler.

When the 335i came out, it was sans an oil cooler, and they ran hot__too hot on the track. The 535i (535ix in our case) came with the oil cooler standard. So does the 335i now.

I fit an S-54 oil cooler to my S-52, using the integrated thermostat in the S-54 filter housing, and I appreciate that my low-load freeway oil temperatures dropped from an average of 235*F to 210-215*F. Just a quick romp of several minutes above 80 MPH would push the temps up close to 260*F. I installed the oil cooler as I installed a Vortech S/C, and I recommend anyone else to do the same. The S/C is now off, but the oil cooler will remain.

[kenndoggy]

If the Downing s/c uses the engine oil source for its lubrication, he was wise to install the oil cooler.

When the 335i came out, it was sans an oil cooler, and they ran hot__too hot on the track. The 535i (535ix in our case) came with the oil cooler standard. So does the 335i now.

I fit an S-54 oil cooler to my S-52, using the integrated thermostat in the S-54 filter housing, and I appreciate that my low-load freeway oil temperatures dropped from an average of 235*F to 210-215*F. Just a quick romp of several minutes above 80 MPH would push the temps up close to 260*F. I installed the oil cooler as I installed a Vortech S/C, and I recommend anyone else to do the same. The S/C is now off, but the oil cooler will remain.

The eatons have their own oil, they do not use the engines oil.And yes, it's very well known the N54 is an oil cooker. Different engines.