Hayabusa Oil Cooler

[cleppla]

I was reading an ebay auction for oil block off plates.(hayabusa motor)  "We do not use and have found no benefit from using an oil cooler on a sand car.  If the oil cooler is not used, the restrictor plug under the oil filter must be removed"

 Are oil coolers needed for a Barracuda Buggy?

[Lance-W]

Damn good question.  I'm very interested in the answer!

[cleppla]

Doh, Wrong section.

[Doug Heim]

I do have the block off plates available for purchase is anyone is intrested. I too wonder what the benefit of not using a oil cooler is. I dont see it although alot of people eliminate them.

[Yoshi]

I do have the block off plates available for purchase is anyone is intrested. I too wonder what the benefit of not using a oil cooler is. I dont see it although alot of people eliminate them.

If there is no airflow to the cooler, since they are usually blocked by the seats, having an oil cooler can actually get the oil hotter since it acts like a heat sink and just soaks up all the heat from the exhaust.  I either block them off and remove the alan behind the filter, or run the cooler in front of the radiator about 4 foot away in direct flow with a high flow fan...

[artie on edge]

This is just my opinion so dont shoot me......

The oil cooler assists the radiator in cooling the engine. The theory is that if your cooling system is adequate then the oil cooler does little. Remember that in the bike chassis it had very small radiators. Not so in the car chassis. Some of these cars have very much excess radiator cooling.

The oil cooler, like a radiator, is only effective if it has airflow, either by RAM effect or by fan. Many guys mount them in out of the way areas with little or no airflow. If thats the case, yeah take em off. But if you mount them WITH airflow, they do heaps. And not just in engine cooling but also in keeping the oil itself in tip top condition.

IMO, the oil cooler CANT HURT. Leave it on and make it work by directing air over it. Also keep it AWAY from your exhaust tubing, if it can efficiently dissapate heat it can certainly efficiently ABSORB heat.

If you think it looks messy, bling it up with some braided lines and fittings from Earls...

 

[artie on edge]

beat me by seconds Yoshi...

[Enemy]

This is just my opinion so dont shoot me......

The oil cooler assists the radiator in cooling the engine. The theory is that if your cooling system is adequate then the oil cooler does little. Remember that in the bike chassis it had very small radiators. Not so in the car chassis. Some of these cars have very much excess radiator cooling.

The oil cooler, like a radiator, is only effective if it has airflow, either by RAM effect or by fan. Many guys mount them in out of the way areas with little or no airflow. If thats the case, yeah take em off. But if you mount them WITH airflow, they do heaps. And not just in engine cooling but also in keeping the oil itself in tip top condition.

IMO, the oil cooler CANT HURT. Leave it on and make it work by directing air over it. Also keep it AWAY from your exhaust tubing, if it can efficiently dissapate heat it can certainly efficiently ABSORB heat.

If you think it looks messy, bling it up with some braided lines and fittings from Earls...

 

Artie's absolutely right. Run it if ya can. I went without the cooler for a while before getting the car powdercoated. Got the frame back and installed a cooler and noticed 5-10 degree cooler temps on the gauge. If ya need more proof oil coolers are highly effective (with good airflow.. ), run without one for 100 hours, dump your oil and note the color difference between it and oil ran WITH a cooler for 100 hours. BIG difference!

****If you run block off plates, you need to remove the restriction plug behind the oil filter!!!!****
http://www.suzukihayabusa.org/forum/index.php?topic=133730.msg1258930#msg1258930
 

[455bird]

[Lance-W]

Agreed, IF you're gonna run one you have to get it in the airflow.  I was planning on putting it in front of the radiator just like you would find one on a full size car.  Then you get the advantage of the CPU controlled fan pulling air thru it too.  It would simply be a matter of buying some block off plates and tapping a hole in the middle of them for an AN fitting.  Then put it anywhere you want and just run the hoses to it.

[fabr]

Bottom line is that there are correct temperature ranges for oil and water for all engines. Too high and the engine suffers in both longevity and performance. Same goes for too cool. I'm betting that those that eliminate the oil cooler have never checked oil temps. Engines,IMO and most of the engine gurus,are basically divided into upper and lower cooling regions. The upper is water cooled and is in the area of the cylinder and head. You know -where the coolant flows. Then you have the lower cooling region-the crank,rods,pistons(also upper items like the valve guides and rocker arms/lifters) etc. that are oil cooled. If the engine had an oil cooler in its' former life then I say it is likely a needed item. If it did not come with one then verifying oil temps will decide whether it needs one in your usage of the engine. Any statement of it's needed or not when there has been no monitoring of the oil temp is at best a  guess and at worst very detrimental to the engine. COntrary to many beliefs the oil does a major amount of engine cooling and if allowed to run too high oil temps it will make it difficult for the coolant system to manage overall engine temps. At any rate the only way to answer the question of cooler/no cooler is to verify the oil temps and act accordingly.

[Bugpac]

Some guys are even machining oil pans that run coolant thru them on these mini sprints, and they run for short periods of time, are 1/2 the weight, #1 cause of engine failure is hot oil... Not only does the oil cool the crank etc, but it also cools the transmission and every other moving part in the lower end...

[fabr]

THat is spot on !