Can an oil cooler effect oil pressure? Low(er) oil pressure issue
#1
Thread Starter
Can an oil cooler effect oil pressure? Low(er) oil pressure issue
I posted this in the FI section (as that's where I normally hang out), but a fellow member suggested that I post up here for more info....
I recently switched my oil cooler setup. I ditched my Setrab oil cooler in favor of the Jackson Racing radiator/oil cooler combo, now I'm seeing lower oil pressure than before.
Cold start oil pressure is ~60psi
Warm idle pressure is 18-22psi
Both of those readings seem normal/good to me. Where I'm seeing a difference is cruising and under load oil pressure
Cruising oil pressure 60-75psi
Under load/Vtec crossover ~40psi
With the Setrab setup I was seeing 80-95psi cruising
So my big question is....can switching from a bar and plate cooler to a flow thru cooler lower my oil pressure?
On the plus side, my oil temps are staying lower/more consistant
Scott-
I recently switched my oil cooler setup. I ditched my Setrab oil cooler in favor of the Jackson Racing radiator/oil cooler combo, now I'm seeing lower oil pressure than before.
Cold start oil pressure is ~60psi
Warm idle pressure is 18-22psi
Both of those readings seem normal/good to me. Where I'm seeing a difference is cruising and under load oil pressure
Cruising oil pressure 60-75psi
Under load/Vtec crossover ~40psi
With the Setrab setup I was seeing 80-95psi cruising
So my big question is....can switching from a bar and plate cooler to a flow thru cooler lower my oil pressure?
On the plus side, my oil temps are staying lower/more consistant
Scott-
#3
Not surprising to see that result. Notice any difference in your coolant temps so far? Why did you switch from the Setrab setup?
Last edited by sirbikealot7; 01-18-2017 at 03:22 PM.
#5
Thread Starter
My Setrab setup wasn't mounted in an ideal spot, so it wasn't getting much airflow over/thru it (so I was seeing higher oil temps than I was comfortable with). Instead of trying to build air ducts or mount fans on the Setrab unit, I decided to try the JR unit. My car is a weekend cruiser/show car, so keeping the engine compartment clean and uncluttered was a priority.
#6
I haven't noticed much difference in coolant temps, but I did not have an issue with coolant temps prior to switching to the JR radiator (I was running a Koyo)
My Setrab setup wasn't mounted in an ideal spot, so it wasn't getting much airflow over/thru it (so I was seeing higher oil temps than I was comfortable with). Instead of trying to build air ducts or mount fans on the Setrab unit, I decided to try the JR unit. My car is a weekend cruiser/show car, so keeping the engine compartment clean and uncluttered was a priority.
My Setrab setup wasn't mounted in an ideal spot, so it wasn't getting much airflow over/thru it (so I was seeing higher oil temps than I was comfortable with). Instead of trying to build air ducts or mount fans on the Setrab unit, I decided to try the JR unit. My car is a weekend cruiser/show car, so keeping the engine compartment clean and uncluttered was a priority.
I'd also suggest sending an oil sample into blackstone. I had quite a bit more oil pressure then you've got and blackstone came back with a bunch of bearing material in the oil. Mine is a K series (but the oil systems are similar), and I was ~90psi at cold start, 50psi at hot idle and 90psi anything over 2k rpm.
Last edited by Mrsideways; 01-19-2017 at 10:28 AM.
#7
Thread Starter
You were seeing oil temps you weren't happy with on a street car..... What exactly were these oil temps you were seeing? Setrab makes a really nice cooler, I don't know what kinda core the JR unit uses, but if your getting an oil pressure drop over a setrab it would concern me a bit.
Trending Topics
#9
Yeah isn't 280F when most syn oils start to break down some? 200F is like the min heat you want just to safely run the motor through its paces. 235-250F would seem right in the middle of the good range. But I'm no oil expert.
#10
Thread Starter