Ford Windsor Forums

Recently installed an engine oil cooler because my oil temp are running in the 240*+ range, my oil pressure dropped by 10 to 15 degrees all throught the rpm range. the pump i put in when i rebuilt was standard pressure and volume. I am running from remote oil filter block on side of the block,  to the cooler and then to the inlet side of remote filter and back to block on engine. I am using flexable 1/2" ruber lines throughout with -8 AN fittings, no sharp bends or elbow fittings. the total run is 3' to cooler, in front of radiator,  8" to filter and 3' back to engine. why is my pressure so low (25 psi cold at idle) Would using  stainless lines help, or does everything need to be closer together. I can not put filter on engine as it hits frame rail. Help, I dont like 15 to 20 psi

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William Cunningham
slyhog22056@tx.rr.com
Grand Prairie, TX 75050

Normally oil lines are -10 or -12 The -8 might be constricting your oil flow. 1/2inch rubber lines wont help since the choke point will be at the -8 fittings. I would recommend getting braided lines as hot oil may degrade the rubber over time (depending on what sort you are using).

You might have very high pressure up to the oil cooler and then low pressure past that point.

When I ran dual remote filters with -10 I had no trouble with pressure at all

 

One final point - are you sure that 240deg oil is hot enough for it to be an issue? Maybe you dont really need a cooler? I am not too familiar with cooling engine oil.

The remote filter kit i got has 1/2 npt with -8 fittings with it and the hose is marked for high temp, high pressure oil resistant 1/2" inside diameter. the cooler has 1/2" copper tubing through it, single pass. tried to put new shorty filter directly on engine last night, had 60 psi  at idle, but within 10 miles pressure had dropped to 15 psi at idle and 20 psi at 1500 rpm, and was running 280* with outside temp at 102*. So the direct filter isnt going to work for me. I guess today i will try to get 5/8 od copper tubing and just plumb in the filter again, Are those sandwich type adapters any good that allow you to put a cooler between engine and filter any good??? May be i need to cut down on total run of tubing and mount the filter outside "frame " inside wheel well instead of running 3 feet to the front of radiator....dunno just guessing here for now got to do something.  having only 15 to 20 psi at idle scares me. If I didnt have to pull the motor to change the oil pump i would put in a high volume pump instead of factory pump.

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William Cunningham
slyhog22056@tx.rr.com
Grand Prairie, TX 75050

1. Do you know what your bearing clearances are like? If not how old is the motor?
   
2. What weight oil are you running? 
3. Were you still running the oil cooler setup with the shorty filter?
   

Its really weird that they would use -8 with 1/2in. My remote filter kit had -10 or -12. I noticed on summit there are some 3/8 things, I would avoid those.

The sandwhich adapters should be ok if the fittings are suitably large. If you have a remote filter kit you could just plumb the cooler in the return line of the filter. I would go with something like this that has nice big inlets/outlets.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/EAR-502ERL/

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/FLX-3961/

all main clearances are .002, con rods .015, new cam bearings and the motor has 1700 miles on it. running 15w 40

i was running standard ph8a full size filter with remote and the cooler, before cooler i had 40 psi cold and 30 psi hot on the remote filter, the remote filter put the filter in front of radiator, drivers side.

havent heard anything bad about them so i guess i will get one and try it with small filter and mount cooler on bottom or outside of frame. cant hurt to try. yesterday it was 104 with heat index of 107, started at 5 pm with 60 psi and by the time i got home (16 mi). i had about 12 psi at idle in neutral and 5 in gear.

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William Cunningham
slyhog22056@tx.rr.com
Grand Prairie, TX 75050

That really doesnt sound good. I run 70psi cold 30-40psi hot in similar weather with the same weight oil. I dont have an oil cooler or external filters, but I would be surprised if they could be responsible for that much of a drop.

I would be putting some 20w50 in there to get the pressure up before driving it much more, and changing the oil to see if there is any copper bearing material in it.

Changed oil at 1500 miles and sent it off to be checked, was nothing wrong other than what is to be expected from breaking in a new motor. Changed to 20W-50 with 1 qt of lucas this weekend and will see how that does. Definetly not going to put that Z max crap back in there. when i did put it in ther my oil was really thin. Have heard too many horror stories about that stuff and wish i had heard them before i used it.

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William Cunningham
slyhog22056@tx.rr.com
Grand Prairie, TX 75050

What's this z max stuff you mentioned? Some brand of oil?

 

I run a 10w40 synthetic in mine FYI, but maybe you need a little extra or that other oil was no good. Interesting to see how you go with the 20w50.

Z-max is an additive that "soaks into engine parts" maybe so, but it is like putting water in your oil, thins it ou bad, changed to 20-50 and so far pressures are stayting above 40 psi all the time now, but then again it has only been in the upper 90s

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William Cunningham
slyhog22056@tx.rr.com
Grand Prairie, TX 75050

Good to hear you got it going properly again. Sounds like with a 10-40 or 15-40 youd be ok as long as you dont put that junk in it again.

I'd steer clear of 20-50 unless you really need it.

Yeah it is working great now, talked to a few people i race with and the all told me the same thing, a remote filter is great as long as it is plumbed with either hard lines or braided lines and not 3' away like i had mine and definetly dont put a cooler and remote filter that far away either. guess i will stick with the shorty filter and 15W-40. Even when it was over 104* here it didnt drop below 30 psi even at idle. and temp stayed around 240*, high but i can live with that.

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William Cunningham
slyhog22056@tx.rr.com
Grand Prairie, TX 75050