Hey guys I'm about to add a second oil cooler (oem driver mounted on the passenger side) and I just had a fundamental question regarding the oil coolers and the thermostat.

So the thermostat opens when it is above a certain temp. So what happens when the first cooler opens, cools the oil, then goes to the second cooler, but is now below the thermostat temp, and it remains closed? Is there another return line that is not on this dwg?

I know this setup obviously works because so many people are running it, I'm trust trying to fully understand how it works.

 

There is a thermostat in each cooler. All they do is close (when oil is hot enough) a shunt passage in the cooler port block that acts as a bypass when the oil is below temp. When tstat open (oil not hot enough) the oil just flows from one line, through the shunt passage, into the other and exits. It is possible at times that oil is hot enough to close the tstat in the first cooler but not the second.

The thermostat as the oil gets hotter lengthens and a disk on the end of it closes off the bypass. That's all it does.

 

Just purchased all the bits and gibblets to do this!!! Looking forward to making it work!

 

It's a very worthwhile mod especially for your climate.

 

Does anyone here have pics of their dual driver side oil cooler setup?

How did you mount the cooler to the pass side?

 

If you are talking aftermarket coolers, these work great

Banzai Racing Oil Cooler Bracket Kit (93+ RX-7)

 

Remember that in winter you most likely need to totally block one oil cooler to prevent your oil from being too cold!

I have to do this even down here in Houston with the stock R1 coolers.

 

Don't the stock coolers have an integrated T-stat?

For aftermarket, you could devise a multiple T-stat system. I run dual 25's in series off a single 185F T-stat. The oil temps are fairly digital. Once it hit's 185, bam! the temps drop significantly then creep back up to 185 when the process starts all over.

 

Has anyone put an aftermarket cooler on the passanger side and kept the stock cooler on the driver side? I'm debating if i want to get r1 coolers or not. And as much as kits like the banzai kit, Its just too much money for me.

 

^ I havent but used a rx8 oil cooler which is like $75 used and made my own lines. I got ducts for them and they worked great a the last track event.

 

I'd like to tackle this mod over the winter, but I have a question. If you are using an extra drivers side cooler on the passenger side (as shown in the above diagram), wouldn't the input to the PSide cooler be the position numbered #4? and not #3. I didn't see anything definitive in the thread saying you can route the oil through either fitting on the cooler and still have the thermostat function as intended.

Thanks

 

I'm doing this. Howard's pics don't show anymore. Trying to confirm that 18x1.5 steel screws into front conver where oil supply to current cooler is. Then 150 8an attaches to that? Can someone post up a pic or confirm? Also, why not keep the banjo bolt from that fitting and use this and a 45?

 

Switching 3 & 4 would not change anything. The cooler works/flows the same either way. Reversing the pass-side cooler flow in the diagram you posted will not change the oil flow from or to the engine or through the thermostat.

 

Can anyone post of current pics since Coleman's are gone? I have all the fittings and I'm ready to start on this.

 

Anyone with pics?

 

I plan to document what I end up doing, just haven't started yet.

 

I snapped a few pics of my progress. There are no active photographs on this thread showing the stock DS cooler mounted on the PS.

Is what I have done so far pleasing to the eye? No. Is it mounted securely? Yes. I will trim the excess metal on the brackets once I have everything plumbed and tested.

The mounting points on the cooler look to be spot welded on and I wasn't going to chance damaging the cooler or causing a leak by drilling them out to remove the factory brackets. But there is not much else on the cooler to secure new mounts. I do not want to attempt welding to the cooler, but I know others have.

The rear hanger on the back seems to work as is, though the bracket I had was mangled a little before I straightened it out.

I was able to use a 3/4" hole saw to make the holes to use the factory rubber isolators.

I have some additional SS hardware still to incorporate, the self tappers are there just for mock up. So far all the measurements I have taken indicate I am really close to where I need to be. Will put the stock bumper back on this week and check location against the openings. I ordered the R-magic 99 ducts, so I have a few more weeks to wait either way.

 

^^^ Looks good so far. Keep us posted. Thanks for the pics!

 

NJ-JDM,

thanks for helping out on the thread.

Howard

 

No problem. Just trying to give back for all of the information I have absorbed over the last two years.

 

thank you for keeping this alive! and here's to 10 years of this thread

 

For anyone out there who has gone the route of adding S/S screen mentioned in the first couple of pages, how did you keep it in place? Did you safety wire it directly to the cooler? Or maybe to the bumper cover?

I am going to be running a 99 bumper and I have R-magic cooler ducts that will be bolted to the coolers. I am considering forming it over the end of the duct and using epoxy to affix the screen to the fiberglass duct. Another way to go would be to cut 'slots' in the screen and slip it over the tabs on the cooler that the ducts attach to. But I think not having it float or rub against the cooler directly is prob a better way to go.

Will post some pics and other updates very soon.

 

For track days, or similar use, has anyone here just gotten a small diameter fan on the single stock oil cooler? I'm planning on doing exactly that.

 

I'll just start off with this. For whatever reason, I thought I needed to pull the AC/PS bracket in order to get enough clearance to pull the banjo fitting off the front cover. I pulled the PS pump and had the AC comp loose before I even tried to unbolt the banjo. Guess what, it came right out. I have read this and other cooler threads over and over, not sure why I even thought that was necessary. The learning curve is so steep on these cars, like nothing else I have ever owned.

My order came in from BAT. Cost was roughly $190 shipped. 8 ft of line. I had them install two of the fittings on the full 8ft. Then I cut it to length and installed the last two.






The stainless screen. It is pretty stiff and not that easy to work with. You need tin snips. I got them sized right and I have them cut down so they just fit snugly between the duct tabs. With the R-magic ducts bolted on, it all fits together pretty nicely.






Now, the 90 degree fitting coming off the front cover. I am not likely this approach, maybe others have just gone with it. At this angle, the AN line needs to run behind the lower rad hose and over the hardline on the steering rack. I was hoping it was going to fall under the cross brace which is where I was going to run the line from the left cooler to the right. I am considering getting a 45 degree fitting, that would get it heading in the right direction and then I could just use the line to complete the turn.



Front bumper skin mock up. The OEM piece fits well so far. I have no doubt the body shop will be able to get all the gaps just right.