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Help me decide (Oil Cooler)

AJ85WA

Well Known Member
Hi Guys

Firstly i am running a 160Hp O-320 E2d on my RV6. The engine has a custom cooling plenum already fitted instead of baffles, So mounting on the firewall is the go.
Temps over here are between 70F and 100F

My Question to all you engine nuts out there.
With my engine purchased I received the larger Positech 20004c cooler, I also have the smaller Vans supplied cooler 20002A with my FWF kit.
oilcooler.jpg


I need some help selecting which one to use....

Using the smaller one
1. would make my install so much easier as i already have a firewall mounting kit for it
2. and weighs about half the amount

The positech is obviously a lot better quality and bigger to provide more efficient cooling but is that a good thing ...... I would obviously have to install a vent to adjust if it overcools, is it all worth the effort or should i just stick with the vans supplied one?:confused:
 
Normally I'm the guy who's always preaching that you can never have too big of an oil cooler on an RV, but the stock Van's-supplied NDM (Niagara) 7-row cooler generally works fine on a 160hp carbureted O-320 here in the Texas summer heat (over 100 deg F). Mine is mounted on the back of the cylinder #4 baffle. Since you're going to firewall-mount it, the SCAT duct you use to feed air to it might not be able to flow quite as much air as a direct baffle mount would, so you still might consider using the larger cooler if it's not going to present too much of an installation hassle. There's still some merit to having a surplus of oil cooler capacity, and you can always block off some of the airflow if it overcools.

If I were in your shoes, I'd probably try the smaller cooler first, but reserve enough room around it with your firewall mount to be able to upgrade to the larger cooler if it proves to be necessary later on.

Now if you had a fuel injected IO-360 instead, especially if it was equipped with piston oil squirter nozzles and/or ECI cylinders, I'd say the bigger oil cooler would be absolutely needed... maybe even one with a couple more rows than the one in your picture.
 
Bigger...

Install the larger one and create provisions to install blanking plates of varying air flows.
 
Small One

I Have the small one on a IO-360 (200hp) and it works fine in north Texas. Gives 195deg. oil temps on 100deg. days. Mounted on left rear baffle with a 3/4" spacer between cooler and baffle and the hole in the baffle is 1/2 the size of the cooler. If you have to mount it on the firewall, try to mount it vertically with the hose coming from the lower fitting on the engine going to the lower fitting on the cooler. Try to use a 4" duct to the cooler.
 
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Oil Cooler

I have a large cooler mounted on the baffle of my o-320 e3d. I have half of the engine side blocked plus an adjustable door on the back. No problems in Oklahoma which is HOT in the summer, but in the winter I shut the door and it's still hard to get the temp over 150. I would use the smaller cooler.
 
I have the standard cooler on an IO-360 M1B and it runs cool. In Ohio summer it runs 160~170 so I restrict airflow to get it above 180. In the winter I have it mostly shut off. I have not calibrated the sender but it is spot on with hangar temp so it is very accurate at least on the low end. If I ever have to pull it I will test it on the high end just to be sure
 
Smaller one it is

Hi guys

Thanks for all the input. I'm going to install the small one and see how things check out.

Thanks again
 
good decision, IMHO

Good choice - I've run the normal Van's one on my O-360 in North Carolina, Idaho, and Nevada (pretty wide variation in climates) and its worked well in all of them. At the extremes, you have to be a little careful. I'll see >200 temps in the height of the summer until I get up to cruising speeds, and I had to put a plate on the back in the winter in Idaho to keep the temps up.

-Jordan
 
large one might be overkill

I have the larger one my O-360 and have over half of it blocked off to get the oil temps over 180. I live in the south and the engine chts will get pretty hot 420+ on a heat soaked takeoff in 100 degree heat but the oil temp has never been above 200.

I would use the smaller one if I had it to do again.

Bill S
7a Ark
Got the Grin :)
 
The smaller one will probably work well on a 0-320, but if was the larger engine I would use the larger cooler, I have been flying a RV-7 with IO-360 180HP for 5 years in Victoria and changed Vans standard cooler to a larger one after the second summer. Temps up at 100°C (212°F) was too hot for me.
 
I have an IO-320 with a Sam James plenum and the stock Vans oil cooler. Beginning in mid-august, I never saw oil temps above 180, most of the time 170 - 175. Now that fall is here, it's clear I'll have to restrict the airflow in cool weather to get oil temps up. A few days ago, my oil temp never got above 150 with the O.A. at 32F.

Plenty of cooling ...
 
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