hey guys,

could someone shed some light on this for me
i did some searching but i couldn't really get a rock solid answer

i need to put dual oil coolers on my car
but (and please correct me if I'm wrong) i noticed that the R1 dual oil coolers don't have a thermostat

is it absolutely necessary to put a thermostat if i put aftermarket oil coolers?
please keep in mind that i live in Miami, Florida...so its hot down here most of the year if that makes any difference

can anyone shed some light on this for me

oh and i was planning on running 2x 19 row oil coolers on either side of the car with -10AN lines

thanks,
VJ

 

the factory oil coolers have a built in oil thermostat. If you are using two factory oil coolers, you don't need an additional thermostat.

If you are using two aftermarket oil coolers (ie mocal), you will need a thermostat.

 

damn! more money!


i'd like to know however...why is it required?

is it only for quicker warm up times?

 

I would like to know this as well as I am piecing mine together the same way

 

To put it simply: Yes you need an oil thermostat when running oil coolers period.

If you do not use an oil thermostat you risk engine damage. Spend $150 on an oil thermostat now or possibly more later repairing the damaged you caused by trying to save a few dollars.

Question: Would you run your car without a thermostat for the coolant?
Answer: No. Why? Because the engine would never reach proper operating temperatures. The same thing goes for running oil coolers without a thermostat. I'm not talking about driving in traffic either, you shouldn't need upgraded dual oil coolers for sitting in traffic.


-Dan

PS, the stock oil coolers have a thermostat built into them...That silver thing on the bottom isn't just a drain plug.

 

Depending on how you plumb them, you need only use one stat.

Many people make the mistake of running their oil too cool. It should be in the range of 180* to 200* at operating temp, and sometimes warmer.

 

There's a vendor on a different board that I'm a member of selling aftermarket Mocal oil cooler kits with no thermostat for a car that comes from the factory with a sandwich oil cooler. I tried asking them these questions and the response I got was "Bigger is better!"

 

Thermostats are designed to prevent flow of engine oil through out the cooler until a desired temperature is reached. Prolonged use of an engine in conditions where the oil cannot reach its correct temperature will cause sludge formation and crankcase oil dilution

 

Other vendor


Such a wide gap in technical knowledge between the communities.

 

The stock oil cooler thermostat opens at 150F/65C

 

ok cool

so is this thermostat good enough to use? its a bit cheaper than the $150 Mocal unit, and amazon has a sale on it right now

http://www.amazon.com/Derale-25719-F...7134157&sr=1-5

 

Just my opinion mind you, but the oil tstat is not a place to go cheap to save a few bucks.

 

Be careful with the port sizes on the cheap ones, I previously had one very similar to that Derale unit and by the time you put the NPT to AN adapters in you have quite a small path for the oil.

I agree with the other comment, spend money on a good thermostat if you're going to use one.

Richard

 

alright

going for the moral unit then

thanks for all the advice guys

check out my build thread to see the progress!!

https://www.rx7club.com/build-threads-292/my-cars-build-thread-project-roxy-959587/

 

To clarify, even the stock SINGLE oil cooler has a thermostat?

So when a base or PEP model upgrades to R1 oil coolers, how does one ensure that they have the thermostat installed? Pictures anyone?

 

The OEM single and dual (R1) both have internal thermostats.

 

Although i dont know about the oil thermostat, thats not true for the thermostat for the coolant. I know back in the day (one of my older friends had a 7 and they ran no thermostats) as well as people in japan run without thermostats. not saying you shouldnt run one on a DD car, but they are cars who do run w/o a thermostat.

to double clarify, (probably a dumb question) do the dual oil coolers have one thermostat or two? (one built in each cooler?)

 

I wouldn't really use what people do in Japan as a justification for anything. The price of a new engine is the same as a set of tires, and you pay more for shaken every two years than the engine is probably worth, and finally the cost of parking each year is probably at least double the price of an engine. Once you add up the costs of owning an FD in Japan an engine is right next to an air freshener on the list. They just don't care what happens to the engine, they pay other people to work on it anyway so it really doesn't matter because they didn't invest blood sweat and tears into the build. The Japanese people who do pick up a wrench most often don't get past simple maintenance like spark plugs and if they try to go further it usually ends very very badly. Being a mechanic here is something along the lines of being a dentist in a western country. It's someone you pay tons of money to and you hate them all the same but there is a respect for their dark mysterious art. Your typical American housewife probably has more mechanical skills than your typical Japanese drifter. It's just something you don't do here. You either drive cars, or you work on them.

 

That is interesting insight.

 

Let me make this as crystal clear as possible since it's so difficult to grasp. If you have two oem oil coolers you have two of these bypass valves on your car. If you have one oil cooler you have one bypass valve on your car.

OEM oil cooler bypass valve

 

That pic made my LOL, that was awesome.

Good info to know, about to go dual on my 94 with 2 oem coolers.

 

Yep, what Dan said. On a side note, I'm a firm believer that street driven FD's don't need larger/aftermarket oil coolers.

 

+1

It has been noted that stock oil coolers are good for up to 500HP motors... Going with aftermarket are mainly for those owners that track them... otherwise it's an appearance thing..

Love that pic Dan LMAO

 

I didnt know the R1 had two thermostats, one in each cooler?
isn't that less efficient?

 

my car will be spending a lot of time at track days
not really much of a look thing for me