Oil cooler
- Thread starter pierodn
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baz
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Yes I think if you really want an oil cooler I would fit it in the return line with a thermostat Norman Hyde used to sell these,I always found it strange that back in the day Yamaha sold the xs1100 fitted with and oil cooler to the uk but without one to the us! I removed the cooler from my xs11 and it made no difference at all and I thrashed that bike every where I don't own it anymore but its still running strong cheers,,,,
ashman
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Being pragmatic, unless there is something extraordinary here, you do not need an oil cooler and an oil cooler (without a thermostat) will do more harm than good.[/quote]
Well after 40 year of running oil coolers on all my british bikes (40 years on the Norton) without a thermostat and I have had no problems at all even riding in our winters here and I have had long reliablity from my motors, so myself can't see what harm it will do, to me having very hot oil returning to a already hot motor is not good and remember the oil is still up to temp even running through a cooler but not as hot.
But like anything, everone has a opinion, if you think running a oil cooler is not for you then its so simple don't run one, but for me I know my Norton and know that it runs so much better with a oil cooler and the same with my old Triumphs when I had them and even my 2013 Thruxton has a very large oil cooler.
Ashley
Well after 40 year of running oil coolers on all my british bikes (40 years on the Norton) without a thermostat and I have had no problems at all even riding in our winters here and I have had long reliablity from my motors, so myself can't see what harm it will do, to me having very hot oil returning to a already hot motor is not good and remember the oil is still up to temp even running through a cooler but not as hot.
But like anything, everone has a opinion, if you think running a oil cooler is not for you then its so simple don't run one, but for me I know my Norton and know that it runs so much better with a oil cooler and the same with my old Triumphs when I had them and even my 2013 Thruxton has a very large oil cooler.
Ashley
Craig
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I guess my interest is based on .... observed better running , more lively Commando in the early spring and early fall when it is cooler around here .... makes me think with a oil cooler maybe I get that sensation all the time ... I know my buddies running air cooled Ducs claim the same experience , runs better in cold air .... I believe the Ducatis do have oil coolers , mine does and it is liquid cooled as well ...
Craig
Craig
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Fullauto said:
We need an air cooler.
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I have an original Lockhart oil cooler on my 73 - 750, here in coastal South Carolina. In addition to the cooler I installed a thermostatically controlled valve that will not allow oil to flow to the cooler until up to temperature.
WTF happend here. Now are we talking about after coolers for the intake. Stay on topic!
I had an oil cooler on for a while with the inline thermostat. I felt it was a bit redundant. First of all there is the disruption and/or blocking of natural airflow over the fins. Second is the added restriction in the return side that was never intended to be. This thinking even made me think about removing the oil filter but on second thought, the oil filter is a very good thing, as long it is a free flow/low bypass type.
As far as running in cold weather, my bike doesn't run at its optimum until good and hot. As it is, it take a good fifteen minute of highway speed to get the oil up to temp. All the oil cooler did was block air flow to get the motor hotter sooner. It makes little sense to warm the oil by allowing the motor to overheat to do so. Only when the bypass opened did the cooler start to function, or not, I really couldn't tell the difference.
I think an oil cooler is a bit of a fad for Nortons and should be used only when extreme condition dictate.
All that being said and for the sake of arguments mentioned earlier, if it's cool out and I will run better in cooler weather than I sure don't need an oil cooler.
fiatfan said:
Wrong, Tommy - the composition of air doesn't change with temperature, unless the gases becomes liquides at cryogenic temperatures. You are probably thinking of the mass of oxygen inducted by the engine. This mass is indeed somewhat larger as temperature drops.
Reverting to your initial statement of humidity displacing oxygen, you are actually right. Very humid air as found in continents with a tropic climate will displace oxygen somewhat. Under unfavourable conditions, humidity may be as high as 50 000 ppm. O2 is usually approx. 21% by volume, or ~210 000 ppm and is quoted for dry air. The humidity will now displace 21/20th of the oxygen, reducing the real gas content to about 20% O2 by volume. The reduction of the air's N2 content will be 78/20 = ~4%. Maintaining a stochiometric relationship for a tuned carburettor, the expected power loss will be about 5%, i.e., hardly noticeable.
-Knut
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An oil cooler (with a thermostat) is a good thing, especially for a motor with raised compression, hotter cam etc. Anyone who has had a Trident apart knows that even with the factory oil cooler, the center cylinder and piston wears out first, while the outside pistons remain within spec. It would probably go to hell even quicker without the cooler, although I've never heard of anyone removing it to compare. Consider that the weather in Old Blighty (where these things were designed and proven) isn't nearly as warm as it is here in the colonies.
lcrken
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After racing my PR for a couple years without an oil cooler, I started checking oil temperatures at the track. I don't recall the exact temperatures, but they were high enough that the Red Line engineer recommended I fit a cooler. It did reduce the oil temperature in the tank significantly. Over the bike's racing liftime, I tried three different types of oil cooler, settling at the end for a Lockhart. These pictures show the location on the bike. I worried a bit about impact from gravel thrown up by the front wheel, but never had a problem. I did fit a debris screen over the Lockhart, just because it seemed like a good idea. A higher location would probably be better
This is the cooler I ran in one of the earliest incarnations of the bike, probably somewhere around 1975. I don't recall the brand.
This is the Lockhart cooler in the final form of the bike, when it was in AMA Pro-Twins configuration. Running the oil lines below the engine helped keep the system reasonably simple. The flow was from return port on the engine, to the cooler, to the filter, and back to the tank.
I don't normally run an oil cooler on my street bikes, but in my climate, where temperatures can easily get over 100F, it's probably not a bad idea.
Ken
This is the cooler I ran in one of the earliest incarnations of the bike, probably somewhere around 1975. I don't recall the brand.
This is the Lockhart cooler in the final form of the bike, when it was in AMA Pro-Twins configuration. Running the oil lines below the engine helped keep the system reasonably simple. The flow was from return port on the engine, to the cooler, to the filter, and back to the tank.
I don't normally run an oil cooler on my street bikes, but in my climate, where temperatures can easily get over 100F, it's probably not a bad idea.
Ken
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