thetech

iTrader: (1)

Summitracing.com has everything you need. Usually the cooler will have barbs which are actually a 3/8" NPT pipe or 1/8" NPT or whatever size - you can usually just unscrew these and replace with an NPT -> AN adapter and proceed from there.

danegerous

iTrader: (10)

Summitracing.com

and thetech, thank you! I didn't know that, from the picture it looks like it was seriously just a barbed end nothing more.

danegerous

iTrader: (10)

Just got my Jeg's catalog in the mail...time to do a little price comparing to summit! Stay tuned!

I plan to have everything priced out, including the lines (more than likely going to be estimates from a local hose shop) the only hands on I'm going to need is actually picking a spot to mock it up and mount it. If someone for some crazy reason has an underchassis photograph that'd be awesome! But more than likely it will just be on hold until I get home in Jan and get the fc on the lift.

If any of you gents happen to reside in socal, when I get back I'd love to meet up and maybe learn a thing or two about some different aspects of the car. Hanging with the drift crowd leaves a lot of aspects of the game out

danegerous

iTrader: (10)

Update if anyones subscribed to this haha...I've got some more important issues at hand with the car aside from this but lately I've been thinking about this project too. Maybe cutting out the square where the license plate goes and mounting the cooler on the inside of the car. That way theres no obstruction what so ever to the cooler and it's protected from sliding off track. Only question is would you want the fan to pull air into or out of the cabin? probably out to keep from sucking in exhaust fumes I guess

HotRodMex

iTrader: (3)

If you got a chance to look at one of the IMSA RX7s at sevenstock, you'd see that this is what they did.. Theirs actually had two coolers angled toward the center of the car. Probably one diff and one trans.

Either way, airflow should be out the back. The airflow creates a vacuum at the rear of the car, so air would get drawn through it if you either made a duct that went to under the car, or did like the racecar and used NACA ducts on the side of the car.

I may have pics of this setup if you want.

danegerous

iTrader: (10)

Yes please I would like to see what you have. I'm confused as to where the ducting would go

LargeOrangeFont

iTrader: (7)

Not to restate the obvious here but how do you know the diff is getting too hot? Is it puking fluid out the breather? Are you monitoring diff temps?


Since you have a fan, you could just mount the entire cooler in the car and not worry about it. Not sure if this is a full race car or not so this may not be practical.

You could mount it in the rear bumper and drill a couple holes for air to exit. It does not need a huge amount of air to keep the diff temps in check.

If it is a street car, put the pump on a switch at minimum. The fluid pump will be noisy, and not needed for everyday driving.

Also, use headerwrap on your exhaust where it passes near the diff. I saw a 20 degree decrease in diff temp just from doing that.

danegerous

iTrader: (10)

To be honest I don't know for sure, I just have a few indicators and the kaaz engineer told me that I would lose fluid through that breather. When the diff gets hot it gets a lot more noisier. If I do run the cooler I will monitor temps on it. My car is fully gutted and the only obstruction I have aft of the car is the stock gas tank...which I still use for now. I don't have paint on this stupid mac but I have an idea how I'd set it up. run the lines through the floor board and mount the cooler with brackets that run from the hatch lock area above the taillights and bolt down to the floor. The cooler would likely be angled.


Since you monitor diff temps are you running a cooler?

LargeOrangeFont

iTrader: (7)

If you aren't puking fluid, my guess is that it is not getting really hot. Others would have also had this problem, and I just dont see that many people saying they are burning up diffs.

I don't currently monitor diff temp in my RX7 (I plan to because I am curious), but I do in my Cobra with an IRS. After monitoring temps I realized that I only really cook the diff every once in awhile (over 280F) and I just replace the fluid after the event when that happens. The headache of the diff cooler was just not worth it.

Instead of going down this path of a diff cooler, just get a gauge and monitor temps first, and go from there. That way if it is truly hot, you can go ahead and put in the diff cooler. If not, you saved some time, money, weight and headache worrying about another thing that holds fluid and can break or fail at an event.

You can get an Autometer gauge for under $60. Like I said, On my Cobra I noticed a drop just from wrapping the exhaust.

danegerous

iTrader: (10)

Some good advice there and thank you however, when I'm drifting the differential is constantly engaged...versus auto x where it's on off on off type situation. I could be entirely wrong but the signs are there that it's getting very hot.

Believe it or not this hasn't been a headache haha this might be the most successful project I've attempted in my car. It seems straight forward and that it won't much but some creativity to set it up. And for probably around $400, not too bad. Kaaz oil is over $100 per flush

LargeOrangeFont

iTrader: (7)

When the diff is locked, it creates less heat, not more. It is locked, and doing nothing. When the diff slips it creates more friction and heat. Spinning the tires loads the diff much less than when you have traction.

If the diff is filled properly and you are not spitting out fluid, it is probably not overheating.

wrankin

You can also search around and find the heat-sensitive tape and/or paint. The tapes I have seen are single use and will change color with respect to the maximum temps they see. Just slap the tape on the diff, go out and abuse it on the track and when you come back into the pits you will have a record of how hot your diff got. Also great for monitoring brake temps to see if you have enough ducting.

-bill

LargeOrangeFont

iTrader: (7)

Good call. I didnt think of that.

danegerous

iTrader: (10)

Good stuffs with that, but to be honest I'm planning on doing this project eventually anyway. I didn't think to run a gauge in the very beginning but it can't hurt to run one either.

Largeorangefont- I can't tell if I'm losing fluid or not, the engineer told me I would eventually though. A catch can is required per FD rules so I assume there is atleast a chance of that happening during an event. Just want to be prepared It'd be cool if my car had over 200hp ofcourse too.

gracer7-rx7

iTrader: (16)

I would definitely do it for a drift car. I've seen a Pettit built FD race car and they built it with a diff cooler. Very cool setup.

LargeOrangeFont

iTrader: (7)

You would see and smell the fluid if you were losing it.

Well if you aren't overheating the fluid, you dont really need the cooler. Keep in mind you don't want the gear lube too cool either. It has to get up to operating temp.

I assume that this is for when you are praticing? All the drifting runs I have ever seen have only lasted a couple minutes if that, I know there are drift days on some of the local roadcourses, and those sessions last a little while. It would take many minutes of hard use to even get the diff up to temp let alone overheat it. At your power level I think it would be hard to get the diff to overheat in a 20 minute continuous session.

danegerous

iTrader: (10)

Largeorangefont- It depends on the venue to be honest, a big track like Horse Theif Mile you will hotlap it simply because it's so big. I don't compete and I don't really plan to I just like driving and that would suck to cut into your seat time because you didn't have your machine set up properly. I want to finish planning this project out but I will heed your advice. I'll look into spec miatas and see what their concerns are with the diff cooling and maybe make a decision based off that. The NA fc is shares the same diff with a 1.8 Miata, so that would be my closest guess to a similar set up.

gracer7-rx7

iTrader: (16)

Hmm... so you don't compete? If it isn't a purpose built drift car, then a diff cooler will probably be a waste.

LargeOrangeFont

iTrader: (7)

I disagree. Having a "purpose built" drift car I would argue you have even less need for a diff cooler. Drift courses are just not that long, and you are not doing that many sessions in a competition scenario.

If he is out there hot lapping, drifting lap after lap on an actual 1 mile long track, he might have a need for a cooler. I still don't think he will really need one, but it is more of a possibility.

LargeOrangeFont

iTrader: (7)

I hear you and feel the same way about my car. I dont drift with it but do track events and want the car as reliable as possible. Continue to plan, but make sure you really need one before you waste the time. Honestly, just monitor the temps next time you go to a drift day, and decide if you need a cooler or not. You have a few options to do that -

1 - temp tape - cheapest, but a little work to apply and read the temps
2- temp gun - easiest, and you are buying a tool you can use for other things
3- diff temp gauge - most complicated, some work involved, but is cool to look at

I'd actually just buy an infared temp gun with a laser pointer and check the diff temperatures for a week or so and record your results. Take the temp off the drain plug after driving the car in traffic, on the freeway, etc so you know what it temp the diff runs under normal driving conditions. Then take temps after your drift session. At least you can use it for taking tire and brake temps too. It is good to have in your pit box.

Harbor Freight has one on sale now until the 21st for $27. Here is the coupon. I can vouch that it is accurate. My friend has this one and we tested it against my Raytek and my Exergyn temp guns. It has a very high range too, up to 968 F.

http://www.harborfreightusa.com/usa/...0&keycode=0000

I'll check my diff temps at my next track day since you got me thinking about it. I think we are putting down around the same amount of power from the sound of it. I am running an S4 NA clutch LSD in my car.

danegerous

iTrader: (10)

A little side tracked with other more pressing issues right now but I did a custom power steering cooler and it was fairly straight forward so I would expect the diff to be the same. I will keep this alive! I'll probably start the shopping list in a few weeks.

MRJACK$ON

iTrader: (1)

You can get everything you need from Summit Racing!!!! oops late post didnt read pg2 question was ansered

wickedrx2

i have a differential oil cooler pump is made by a company name johnsons it was on a 9" ford pumkin it hooks up to the side of the pumkin and runs a belt to the pumkin center section . so if u can use it let me know just pm me

danegerous

iTrader: (10)

Not quite sure I follow what you're saying as to how it works...would you mind filling me in?

HotRodMex

iTrader: (3)

The pump is driven off the driveshaft/pinion, instead of being electric.