stock oil heat exchanger from NA8/NB effectiveness?
#1
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stock oil heat exchanger from NA8/NB effectiveness?
I've been getting some really bad oil heat issues on my turbo NA1.6 in the summer. While I have it in the garage for the winter I'm doing some necessary upgrades and I want to address this. I plan on getting an oil cooler and an aluminum radiator, but before I put out 500+ on a fancy track-rated oil cooling system, I'm wondering if the stock heat exchanger from an NA8/NB is sufficient in keeping temps under control on a street setup. It would be a lot easier on my hands and wallet to be able to pick up a used exchanger if its enough to do the job.
Would a turbo add too much heat for it? I don't plan on ever tracking the car, and I'm aware of the added cooling system impact, all I want is to keep the oil temps down on a hot day.
Would a turbo add too much heat for it? I don't plan on ever tracking the car, and I'm aware of the added cooling system impact, all I want is to keep the oil temps down on a hot day.
#9
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It does work both ways. If the water temp is higher, it warms the oil. If the water temp is lower, it cools the oil. So in theory, a better radiator will help cool the oil a little more by providing a higher temperature delta. The MSM also had a slightly larger water/oil heat exchanger for its higher heat load. As for being "enough" for a street car, that's really something you have to test on your own for you're version of a "street" car.
#10
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It does work both ways. If the water temp is higher, it warms the oil. If the water temp is lower, it cools the oil. So in theory, a better radiator will help cool the oil a little more by providing a higher temperature delta. The MSM also had a slightly larger water/oil heat exchanger for its higher heat load. As for being "enough" for a street car, that's really something you have to test on your own for you're version of a "street" car.
#16
Can you help us understand your situation by answering the following?
* What oil brand and weight are you running?
* If you've been measuring temperature, what temperatures are you seeing, when, and for how long?
#17
Just from a theory perspective, the coolant lines to and from the heat exchanger we're discussing are approximately 1/4" inside diameter, IIRC. There's no way those little lines are going to flow enough volume to efficiently transfer the heat away from your oil and into your coolant. You have a ****-ton of oil flowing through the heat exchanger - to strip away heat, you'd need ****-tons of water flowing through too. That is not going to happen.
Which is a long way of saying what's already been said - no, a 1.8L heat exchanger isn't going to do anything for you except add to your misery as you try and plumb it in, and add potential failure points where you made the mods to make it work.
But in the interest of helping you out - please consider answering my questions in the post above.
Which is a long way of saying what's already been said - no, a 1.8L heat exchanger isn't going to do anything for you except add to your misery as you try and plumb it in, and add potential failure points where you made the mods to make it work.
But in the interest of helping you out - please consider answering my questions in the post above.
#18
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Which is a long way of saying what's already been said - no, a 1.8L heat exchanger isn't going to do anything for you except add to your misery as you try and plumb it in, and add potential failure points where you made the mods to make it work.
But in the interest of helping you out - please consider answering my questions in the post above.
But in the interest of helping you out - please consider answering my questions in the post above.
I'm using T6, not taking measurements but I have excessive degradation and lower than normal pressure in the summer, both of which are not issues during the rest of the year.
This is absolutely not a permanent solution, I do plan on getting an independent cooler, but I've decided that I'm too curious about this to not get one and see what it does. I agree that its not going to perfect, it was more just a curiosity and gathering research. I see a lot of stuff about removing it and questioning its effectiveness, but I cant find anything on purposefully adding it to a motor that never had it to begin with. I wanted to start this thread because I know I wont be the only one with this in mind. For science, if you will.
Besides, I wouldn't mind the oil warming up a little quicker on a cold day.
#19
I'll let some of the more turbo-knowledgeable folks jump on that.
How are you determining "excessive degradation"?
What turbo are you running?
What engine management are you running?
How was the engine tuned?
What mileage is on the engine?
#20
On my current build I chose not to use the factory heat exchanger because the coolant lines are a liability. Instead, I'm using the FM/Setrab cooler. I also installed the small GM temp sensor in the pan so I can log the oil temps. What I have found is that the oil comes up to temp fairly quickly. Nearly as quick as the coolant so there is not much benefit from the heat exchanger in that regard on a turbo application. The factory unit is probably engineered correctly as far as the ratio of water to oil volume since the heat transfer rate of the coolant is much higher then the oil. I would save up for an oil cooler instead of running the factory exchanger.