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Removing the Stock Oil Cooler, what is needed?

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Bringing this back up.
Just working on what I hope is my last oil cooler mod.
Stock cooler, stock with Ford Racing,FR radiator,eliminate stock cooler and use 172 and -12 with oil thermostat that almost worked if I pulled the grill.
On to a 948,-12 lines,Improved Racing thermostatic sandwich plate,Roush 7 bar grill and Trackspec motorsport hood louvers.
I'm hoping to see 225 max oil temp at Watkins Glen.
 
Hey guys, just came across this thread while looking for oil cooling options. Just wondering, has anyone tried the Setrab sandwich plate? I see people using the mishimoto and moroso units, but not a single person has tried the setrab?

To me, the mishimoto is nice being CNCed, but the o-ring looks like a standard oil filter gasket which isn’t exactly intended to be a forever seal imo, and after reading that not all of the gasket actually makes contact with the block is a bit disconcerting.

The setrab unit is die cast vs CNC, but to my eye it appears to have a better gasket, but that is simply via looking at it in pictures on their website.

My car isn’t a track weapon, I do HPDE events and drive the car on the street, not as my DD, but often enough to warrant a thermostatic plate IMO.

Any suggestions?

Edit- I also just came across the Mocal unit as well. Really not sure whose option is best. The last thing I want is oil leaks...
 
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ArizonaBOSS

Because racecar.
Moderator
8,730
2,734
Arizona, USA
TBH I think the sandwich plate choice is one of the least critical decisions. One is as good as another, IMO. Whatever suits your needs for sensor ports (if any) should be fine. To add another option, I have a Canton plate :)
 

drano38

Wayne
1,130
318
I used the Moroso on mine because I like the AN- fittings for the hoses.
But it does not have ports for oil pressure or temp.
And if you want a thermostat, you'll have to add one down stream.
I installed an Improved Racing thermostat and it works well.
 
6
0
Exp. Type
Drag Strip
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Sydney
Without having to cut vents in the bonnet Will Opening ( cutting a rectangular opening or using a hole saw) the under tray cover, between the radiator and the engine block, help engine cooling and under bonnet temperatures ? I’ve done much research and found nothing on this topic. I’ve found on previous vehicles (with the undertray opening there) that much hot air is extracted below the engine when the fans kick in, aiding cooling I assume
 
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364
sfo
Will Opening ( cutting a rectangular opening or using a hole saw) the under tray cover, between the radiator and the engine block, help engine cooling? I’ve done much research and found nothing on this topic. I’ve found on previous vehicles (without the undertray) that much hot air is extracted below the engine when the fans kick in

If you totally removed the tray yeah probably cooler but the tray is for some aero eventhough the mustang is a brick going through the air. Aero works even on these cars. If on track you need a better than stock cooler. If on street the stock cooler will do fine. Vorshlag proved, and they were right because I do their brake ducting on my race car, that the PP1 splitter undertray tunnels will direct enough air to the brakes that with a modified brake deflector you can cool brakes better than 3" hose duct to the rotors. So those undertrays work.
 
6
0
Exp. Type
Drag Strip
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Sydney
Without having to cut vents in the bonnet Will Opening ( cutting a rectangular opening or using a hole saw) the under tray cover, between the radiator and the engine block, help engine cooling and under bonnet temperatures ? I’ve done much research and found nothing on this topic. I’ve found on previous vehicles (with the undertray opening there) that much hot air is extracted below the engine when the fans kick in, aiding cooling I assume
Looking at any info for better radiator cooling ( by cutting the undertray between the radiator and engine block)
 

JDee

Ancient Racer
1,797
2,001
Exp. Type
W2W Racing
Exp. Level
20+ Years
5 miles from Mosport
Cutting that tray isn't likely going to help. You need to get more air into the rad, and then immediately get that air out of the engine room. Hot air wants to rise, not go down, trying to force it to go down and out is not likely going to help.
Here's what works for most people.
1./Box your radiator in between the rad and the grille, there are threads on here that show how folks have done that. That helps to direct air into the rad very effectively.
2./Put a good racing hood vent in, such as the Race Louvers units, which will draw the exit air up and out of your engine room. Side benefit, a bit of increase in front down force as well.
This has been proven to work many times over and I personally have had zero cooling system problems since venting the hood properly.
 
Hey guys, figured I'd add to this thread rather than creating another. My car is still in pieces pending a gauge install, but the oil cooler is in a "done" enough state that I think I can contribute here. I'll update as the project progresses.

I'm writing this more as a brain dump for my install process rather than a whole how-to. This was the first project I took on for my car where I didn't get a kit and a step-by-step guide on installation. So I'm hoping this helps for those who are trying to wrap their heads around what's involved in adding an oil cooler.

I ended up going with a pretty common configuration: deleting the stock boss oil cooler and adding a Setrab 948.

Parts used:
  • Setrab thermostatic sandwich plate
  • 06mach1's 9-series oil cooler mount
  • Setrab 948
  • Nomex (??) honeycomb (there seems to be a shortage of this stuff during pandemic. Not sure if it's actually Nomex. I used a 15"x14" sized rectangle to cover the 948, including the end tanks)
  • Derale 13001 Plastic rod mounting kit (these go in the spaces right next to the tanks of the Setrab cooler to mount the honeycomb. No need to bend fins)
  • AL3Z-6890-A (this spud/adapter is what the hollow sandwich plate fastener will thread onto in order to clamp the sandwich plate to the engine's oil filter adapter)
Parts from anhosefittings.com (Raceflux):
  • 82" of their nylon braided hose (though I'd started with 15 feet!)
  • four 90deg hose ends (nice thing about these is that they swivel before tightening, really helpful when mocking up your hose runs)
  • four m22x1.5 to 10an ORB fittings (two for the cooler, two for the sandwich plate)
  • two "P" shaped hose mounting clamps
  • four hose separators (these helped substantially in keeping my hoses well-spaced. see pics.)
Miscellaneous parts/hardware:
  • 1/8" x 1" steel bar stock for lower oil cooler brackets
  • m6 hardware for the lower brackets
  • tons of rubber fender washers for damping vibes on the lower brackets
  • spray-on truck bed liner to make the brackets look nice
  • Tap Magic cutting oil -- prolongs the life of your drill bits!
Job-specific tools:
  • Vibrant performance 2989 hose cutting shears (not necessary, but highly recommended. Saved my from having to tape my cuts, bust out an angle grinder/etc. and made very clean cuts)
  • Earl's 1004ERL Vice Jaws (for holding AN hose securely in your bench vise. Not necessary but highly recommended)
Routing:
PXL_20220312_000607829.jpgPXL_20220312_024312241.jpgPXL_20220319_041320988.jpgPXL_20220319_041339746.jpg

I routed my lines on the driver's side just under where the stock horn location is, with the goal being to reduce the length of hose run. 90deg hose ends on the oil cooler side were a given, but I also ended up using 90deg ends on the sandwich plate side as well. I couldn't see a way to use a gentler angle for that. It just clears the front ARB and the harness that runs along the oil pan by a centimeter or more. I had to make another couple of brackets to hold the lines up close to the horns so that they wouldn't foul on the plastic undertray. I'll need to revisit this once I get the car together, as I'm sure additional cutting will be required.


Things of note on parts
Setrab sandwich plate
PXL_20220308_214526847.jpg

this was before filing. Forgot to take a pic of the finished product.

I was debating the setrab ($100) vs improved racing's sandwich plate ($250!), and ended up going with the cheaper option. I figured that I could buy a whole 'nother replacement setrab plate and still be under the cost of the improved racing plate. Though the setrab unit's thermostat is serviceable, it's a call-in-to-buy part, vs improved racing who have the rebuild kits readily available on their site. The casting is definitely rough (see pics). It seems like they do a bit to deburr the edges but it leaves a lot to be desired. The rough finish probably doesn't take away anything from function, but just to be sure, I filed down the edges for a smoother transition in and out of the sandwich plate.

Also, this sandwich plate does work with the bigger CM-6731-FL820 oil filter. The max diameter of the seating surface is 3", and the max diameter of the filter seal is 3", even though the actual body of the filter extends past the seating surface of the sandwich plate.

Lower cooler brackets
PXL_20220309_040155863.jpg

I copied the mounting that Black Boss had suggested, by drilling holes in the splitter bracket on the 302s bumper bar. One tip for doing the bends on bar-stock: use blocks of wood on each side of the intended bend and bend over a sturdy 90deg angle (such as the edge of the anvil on a bench vise) to get clean bends. No need for a hammer and blowtorch.

Hose brackets
PXL_20220312_051646470.jpg

You can get a nice twist for brackets like these by holding bar stock in a bench vise, and twisting in a uniform motion with pliers.

AN hose fittings
For those who have been putting off an oil cooler because of AN hoses, DON'T! The assembly process is quite straightforward. Just make sure to lubricate the ends/threads of the barbed end of the hose end fitting. It makes assembly much easier and keeps the rubber on the inside of the hose from getting chewed up and compromising the integrity of the hose/end union. Once assembled, make sure your hoses are clear of debris -- this is important if you used a hacksaw or angle grinder to make your cuts. I just ran water through my hoses, and blew out the excess. Small droplets should boil out once the oil gets hot enough.

Resources

That's about it. Hopefully this is helpful for those who are considering adding an oil cooler.

I'll update this post once I get the car buttoned up.
 
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So I finally got to do some street driving last weekend after getting the car buttoned up. During my drive --this was in 70-77f ambient, sea level-- I was seeing very high oil pressures at steady-state highway speeds (90psi at 70-80mph stock gearing), and oil temps quite a bit lower than I was hoping to see for street driving (130-135f). In actual canyon driving and around town, oil temps were typically around 145-160f and would quickly drop back down with any speed. Additionally, higher revs and heavy throttle would often peg my oil pressure at the 100psi max when oil temps were under about 150f. It was very frustrating to have to slowly work some temp into the oil before revving the car out between twisty sections.

At this point, I wanted to try some harder driving to see if I could get some heat in the oil. In about 70-75f ambient, on a tight, 2nd-3rd gear stretch of road (read: relatively slower speeds), I was able to -- with much work -- achieve a peak oil temp of about 170f and no higher.

I bent over ($250!) and ordered the Improved Racing (IR) sandwich plate with a 212f thermostat immediately after I got home. My hypothesis was that the Setrab sandwich plate was not bypassing enough oil past the cooler, and that the 170f "ceiling" that I was hitting in my stress-test run was caused by the thermostat starting to open and thus reducing oil cooler bypass even more. IR advertised a flow rate of 2-4% to the oil cooler when the thermostat is closed, so I was banking on a higher rate of bypass with the IR unit over the Setrab.

Well, today I got the IR sandwich plate in the mail and immediately swapped it in. On my test drive, oil temps were much better. In similar ambient temps (70-78f), I saw 160f oil temps at steady-state highway speeds, and was seeing about 170f oil temps after just mildly spirited canyon driving on a different, slightly faster road (mostly 3rd gear). Oil pressures were mostly lower, including right after startup. For example, my cold idle temp was about 90psi right after startup; and with the IR unit, about 85psi. Warm idle temp was about 38psi at 165f with the Setrab unit, and now is about 30psi at 170f.

The higher temps and higher heat retention that I saw with the IR unit seems to confirm my hypothesis. It seems like oil pressure is lower as well, indicating that the IR unit might be flowing a bit better, but I'm not data-logging so I can't be sure about that. If I were at higher elevations or saw higher average temperatures I'd probably stick with the Setrab unit, but being in the Bay Area with its mild-weather, it seems like the IR unit is the better choice for my use case.

Will update again after I run a trackday or two.



For reference, I'm using Autometer digital gauges. Oil temp is taken from the pan, so that'd be close to max temp; and oil pressure is taken from a remote mounted sender that's tee'd from the stock oil pressure sensor.


PXL_20220407_001204498.jpg

PXL_20220407_170107666.jpg

PXL_20220407_170128050.jpg
 
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Last update on my oil cooler install.

I've done three cooler Spring Sonoma and Laguna days without any heat issues. If I recall correctly, these days were no warmer than 75 or 80F.

I just got back from running Thunderhill West last Saturday. Ambient temps hit a peak of 108F, so perfect weather for stress testing the oil cooler. In my first three sessions, which were below 91F, I was able to wind the motor out to or near 7500rpm for the whole 20m session duration. Oil temp never went above 250F the whole day, but hit 250F peak towards the end of my first three sessions. Granted, this was my first time at the West track (super fun!) so I was still learning the track throughout the day.

My last two sessions saw ambient temps of 100-108F, and this was when I had to start short-shifting at 6k. I could make it about 10m in each of these >100F sessions shifting at or near redline before I hit 250F. Oil temps weren't the only issue, the heat was getting to me and I wanted to leave some margin of safety as I found my concentration slipping. Short shifting at 6k rpm, I was able to run a 25m stint with oil temps stable at ~230F after hitting 250F peak. This was acceptable for me, as my car now currently has more heat endurance than I have.

For reference:
  • Thill West is a short, technical track with speeds not much higher than 100mph in a stock-powered Boss
  • Coolant temps (measured from a tee at the stock oil pressure sensor location an NPT adapter in place of the stock freeze plug near the oil filter adapter) were no higher than 240F all day
  • My car still has its a/c condenser, which hurts cooling
  • my car has a trackspec center hood vent, which should help with cooling
  • pace wise, my fastest lap at thill west was 1:27.32 and by the end of the day I was running 28-29 most laps while short-shifting and driving at about 8/10th
  • Thunderhill is at about sea-level in terms of elevation

Overall, I'm very happy with my oil cooler setup. It's given my car a whole lot more temperature endurance over the stock oil/water cooler. If anybody has questions, just ask!
 
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Very nice!


Do you recall what your cylinder head temps were at 250°/oil - 240° coolant?
Unfortunately not. I'd gotten out of the habit of looking at the screen for CHT. I only really use it for intake air temp now, since I have the gauge pod. Next time I'm at the track I'll check.
 

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