Xnke Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 It is my intention to fit an oil cooler to my Z in the near future. I have three coolers on the shelf. Two are Long Manufacturing stacked-plate coolers, one is OEM fitment to the 1991 Ford E150 Van Transmission cooler, and the other is OEM fitment to the 1989 Ford E150 Van. Both are 10.5" wide and 1.375 inches thick. The 1991 cooler is slightly larger, and has 5/16" inverted flare fittings. This cooler has been professionally flushed, and when I removed it from service the ATF in the transmission was clean and metal-free. I removed it from a running, driving, perfectly fine truck that was being scrapped out at my employer due to rust. The cooler was about two years old, having been replaced when I replaced the transmission in that truck. The 1989 cooler is smaller, and has integral 5/16" hose barb fittings. This cooler has also been cleaned by a professional service, and when removed from the junkyard van it had very clean engine oil in it...not transmission fluid. It is possible this was fitted by someone other than the factory...although it was a factory fitted part for that year and model. Who knows? This cooler is the same width, but about two inches shorter top to bottom than the above model. The third cooler is also a transmission cooler...this time built by Niagra Fabrication, with a Ford part number on it. This was removed from a Taurus SHO. This cooler has 3/8" hose barbs on each end, and is a bar-and-plate type cooler. It is 4.5" tall, and 18" wide, not counting the end tanks. This cooler has integrated mounting points with clip nuts in it, and I can modify it for any size fitting I want on each end without as much risk of rendering it useless. It is currently filled with lacquer thinner, as I haven't had it flushed yet. It will have to go in the front of the car; but I am running out of room. Not sure if I can use it yet, I'll have to look and see in the daylight. The two stacked-plate cores I could mount in the fenderwell below the headlight, and duct cool air to them via the brake duct holes in the air dam. The long, thin one I am not sure I could do that with; I could mount it to the front of the core support and blow air down through it, but that seems like a less desirable way to go. I would prefer to mount it in the normal manner, but I don't think I have enough room unless I mount it below the core support and duct in air from the brake ducts on each side. Thoughts, ideas, Advice? Where was the stock ZXT oil cooler mounted, and how was airflow directed through it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zgeezer Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 I'm sure any of those three will perform quite well. However, the later Mazda 1980 or so Rx7 have an oil cooler that will fit very nicely between the "horns' of 240z. It also has abuilt in thermostat. Quite often used as upgrade cooler into 944 porsches. Cheap too. Look here.http://www.pbase.com/slidevalve911rsr/for_sale_mazda_rx7_front_oil_cooler_used Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xnke Posted June 7, 2013 Author Share Posted June 7, 2013 I do intend to install a thermostat. The RX-7 cooler is approximately the same size as the Taurus SHO unit; but is a two-pass instead of a single pass...which I can convert the unit I have. I haven't found an RX-7 cooler yet, but i have been looking for one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 Go with the Niagra if only for the larger fittings. 5/16 is pretty small for engine oil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xnke Posted June 8, 2013 Author Share Posted June 8, 2013 I am looking at the feasibility of re-fitting the larger stacked-plate cooler with larger fittings; the guy who scrubs these coolers out says he can get them absolutely clean inside, so metal shavings aren't an issue. I have two of these, and they are 5$ each at the local parts yard...I can ruin a few to figure this out. The Niagra cooler is going to be a cakewalk to modify...I'd do it just like any other salvaged Volvo intercooler core. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xnke Posted June 8, 2013 Author Share Posted June 8, 2013 (edited) So rather than ruin the nice 5/16" inverted flare fittings on the large, 32 row cooler, I chose the smaller, 25 row oil cooler, that had integral 5/16" hose barbs. This one is in good shape, but the black paint on the outside was peeling and this cooler fits better. I sawed off the hose barbs right behind the threaded section; as this threaded section was just a little too small to drill and tap and not quite big enough to fit anything I could find in the local hydraulic shop. I wish it had been; that would have been a better way to go. After removing the hose barb and threaded boss, I discovered that the internal passages are 5/8" diameter...with a 1/4" thick solid top plate. I drilled the top plate to 9/16 and tapped it for 3/8NPT fittings. I have a small stock of 3/8NPT to JIC-8 adaptors here that I then screwed into place, and the cooler is ready to go to the cleaning service. Total cost before cleaning: $7.86 I'll update this thread with the final cleaning cost when I get it back...These were flushed for free the last time, as a favor. Edited June 8, 2013 by Xnke Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xnke Posted June 14, 2013 Author Share Posted June 14, 2013 Got the cooler back from the cleaning shop today. Cost me 25$ to have it internally scrubbed. Good thing too, because the 2" diameter 20 micron filter screen got clogged twice before the black ash quit coming out. Not much metal in there, but a LOT of old oil residue...and this cooler had clean-ish engine oil in it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Bone028 Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 I believe I have an RX7 oil cooler if you were still looking for one...but it sounds like you're well on your way to getting ready to install. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xnke Posted June 18, 2013 Author Share Posted June 18, 2013 I plan to hang this one under the passenger side headlight bucket; and duct air in from the brake duct opening in my air dam. I can keep the whole thing above the oil pan, but only just. I really don't want to have to worry a lot about damaging the cooler and dumping all my oil because I mounted it too low and didn't quite clear the parking curb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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