Oil cooler question

[Thirteenhundred]

My X has a small oil cooler so I'd like to install a larger one.  I have a good sized (approx 8"x8"x2" having trouble with pictures) cooler from a CNC mill.  My question is will a cooler designed for a machine tool stand up to the vibration and general jostling encountered on a motorcycle?  I'm worried that the cooler will crack at the mounts and leak large amounts of oil.  I welcome any opinions and will continue to try to get some pics.  Thanks! Justin.

[wytfut]

Justin,
I have no idea what a machining oil cooler can take for a beating... so I can't answer that...

Jamie/Marty at Atlantic EH.... their cooler is mounted in rubber grommets..   and does very well.

I've only seen the east coast "Not for profit" cooler a couple of times (its much bigger than Atlantic EH's) but I would assume it is also rubber mounted.

Get some pix of your existing cooler on here.... and possibly I can help more. I'm sure you'll also get some more advice as we roll along. ...

Bruce

[Thirteenhundred]

At long last a photo

[Jumper]

What the heck is that??! Geez!, That looks like 50 pounds of weight! There are smaller and lighter solutions out here. The East Coast Cooler is a good choice. I prefer the NFP which is larger. Both provide good results. The one in your picture looks rather large and built to withstand severe off roading.
But then again, I bet it adds to your oil capacity, which never hurts!
I'd suggest researching this issue a bit and find a good mounted cooler that will work better. Make sure your fittings and hoses are fresh too! Oh! And a FAN!!

Jumper 

[blackheart]

Not sure what you mean you now have a small one now.  Mine had the factory one and unless relocated most airflow is blocked by the massive fender.  I chose to keep it and mount a 10 row jagg vertical cooler on the right frame rail plumbing it in series with the factory one.  I figure since i don't usually ride in traffic, i did not need a fan.  For robustness you cant beat the embossed sandwiched plate design.  B&M transmission coolers are like this and I think ive heard Atlantic EH uses their cooler.  Jegs has an equivelant cooler for a lot less money.  Jegs.com, $50 for an 11" x 6".  I want to mount a temp gauge to get an idea where im at on oil temp.  I feel we should run these on the cold side @ 180F as there just isnt any way to get cooling otherwise as only the left side has any fins to speak of.  I may be a bit biased as mine has scuffed pistons from overheating in less than 6300 miles and it had a factory cooler

[blackheart]

Update... its 87 F here today, not much wind.  Took 307 out and ran it 65 mph for 15 miles.  With the two coolers i measured 205 F in the sump via a mechanical water temp gauge stuck down the oil fill tube and in the oil with engine off of course. Personally Id like it a little cooler but thats better than i thought.  For those of you who have temp gauges, where did you mount the sending unit?  Best place I see is oil flow back to sump (the horizontal tap - but i may be incorrect that may be oil to the coolers) unless of course one breaks the oil feed hose to the cooler.

[wytfut]

Rich,
I'd like to see the same test in stop and go traffic...
Bruce

[blackheart]

Thats why they make fans!

[wytfut]

Lol....
Got it ok

[2CoolWheels]

When I installed a temp gauge, I didn't want to drill any holes in my engine to put in a temperature sending unit. So, I modified an off-the-shelf drain plug. My oil temp gets up to around 275 on a hot day, hotter than I would like, but not bad for an air/oil cooled engine.

Here's a write up on my installation FYI:
http://www.ehforums.com/ehwebsite/forums/index.php?topic=803.msg2076#msg2076

[2CoolWheels]

I also installed some small forced-air fans on my oil coolers. I happened to see a couple of computer fans for sale cheap at the local computer shop. They also operate at 12VDC, so I gave them a try. I used plastic spacers and zip ties to attach them to the cooler to avoid damage to the cooling fins. I did this close to 5 years ago, and even after 20K + miles in dust, dirt and rain, they still come right on with key up! I am surprised these have lasted as long as they have, at only $3 each!!
 

[blackheart]

My....  thats pretty hot.  As an update on my situation today is 90 F road home 25 mi at about 60 mph, last 5 in town.  Sat at a stoplight for a while.  Took temp it was 240 F, no doubt it would climb higher if continued traffic duty had been part of thr equation.   I suspect on my shorter drive the other day i may have still been heating oil up.  I personally would still like to see oil at 180, no more knowing there is little other way to shed heat.  Im somewhat convinced it might not be possible to have those temps along with a reasonably sized cooler.

[Thirteenhundred]

What the heck is that??! Geez!, That looks like 50 pounds of weight! There are smaller and lighter solutions out here. The East Coast Cooler is a good choice. I prefer the NFP which is larger. Both provide good results. The one in your picture looks rather large and built to withstand severe off roading.
But then again, I bet it adds to your oil capacity, which never hurts!
I'd suggest researching this issue a bit and find a good mounted cooler that will work better. Make sure your fittings and hoses are fresh too! Oh! And a FAN!!

Jumper 

LOL it's really not that heavy, somewhere between 5-10lbs. by my uncalibrated arm, it measures about 8"x8" by 2" thick.  Part of the idea was to add some oil capacity; figure more will take longer to get hot.  It has a fan shroud too!(not pictured)
Here's what I mean by a small cooler (see pic) I'm not sure if it is the factory option or not

[wytfut]

I don't know if I've ever seen the OEM cooler....
But this one looks like Bobbie Baldwin's (Xman)...
We one that looked just like that from Bobbie

Jamie/Marty's is realitively the same size...... Plus the fan