ALFAGTV6.COM

[matt]

What do you look for in a good oil cooler for 4 cylinder alfa.
What size, 13 row minumum?or go for a surface area size?, i've seen long 9 row ones cheap, i think off early mazda RX-7's.
What about transmisson coolers used as an oil cooler? are they up for the high engine oil pressure? Hell could you even use a small aircon condenser?

questions questions questions........

Thanks Matt

[RicoGTV]

On my GTV 2.0 I put a Milano Turbo oil cooler.

The topic is here :

http://6400.alloforum.com/sujet-6400-0- ... 013-1.html




It's a very good and simple modification for just 100$.

Eric.

[SydneyJules]

Yeah Matt- looks like you've got the Serck 16 row oil cooler like I have on my car.

Cools it plenty- never have issues with it- I only have the factory presure gauge to go by, but in contrast, my mechanic had a series 5 Turbo RX7 cooler on his Alfetta with my engine, and said that it cooled the oil too much on the freeway...

[MD]

matt,

I gotta ask the question. Are we talking street application for a standard engine or is it the case that its a nuclear configured motor for track use?

[Barry]

Whatever cooler you decide on,the most important thing here is to use a THERMOSTATIC CONTROLLED bypass or filter adaptor plate..
Its worse for the engine to just pump all the oil thru the cooler at all times.

I would in this case use the second pic coller..

[matt]

Thanks guys!

Heres what i've got sounds like i need a oil temp valve like you've got Rico! I thought the oil adaptor plate i 've got was from a 75 turbo but maybe not so...?

and Damn it!

it doesn't have one! its got a spring loaded ball bearing within the housing but it must be just to stop back flow etc nowhere near as big as the valve on Ricos oil adapter plate

Can you get/use an inline valve to solve this?

MD this is for my 2.0 GTV with the turbodelta kit...........no nuclear powered race engine here just trying to protect it from ever running too hot! I've got a pair of DHLA45's and 75 turbo intercooler(to be sealed up & use as water to air) with bilge pump+radiator for later......
but to be honest i'm going to have to get this all past the RTA but least the front brakes are upgraded etc and i still um & R if my GTV shell is worth the mechanical up grades having had some rust repairs during its life? I don't know if i could justify a respray $$$, find a rust free shell, or gut it and keep as a club plates track/event car for heaps of fun! The 75 is my daily driver now....
I've been so slack i haven't done anything with it for 6 weeks! I'd better get back to it

[ar4me]

I installed a Mocal unit on my milano/75 and used a Mocal sandwich plate with build-in thermostat as barry mentioned. Though, this was on a 3 liter V6, but the cooler fits nicely in front of the radiator - this was mainly to better control temperatures on the tracks around here in the SoCal desert.
Cooler
Sandwich plate with thermostat (lower half of page)
Jes

[matt]

Okay i need one of these

Thanks Jes

[Mats]

mmmm. Laminova....

[RicoGTV]

The Milano Turbo has a temp valve :



And a by-pass system if you a have a too heavy pressure in the oil cooler. This plate is very "intelligent" like ET

For your information on "road use" my oil cooler temp valve is never open if I don't put the tacho over 5000 rpm.

The system need aproxymatly 25min track to open.

I'm very happy to have put 100$ in this very simple adaptation.



sorry for my english I'm tired !

ask question if you want.

[MD]

Yeah, matt makes more sense now.

Some of the things overlooked sometimes is just how much oil capacity an alfa 4 cylinder actually has 6.6 litres with filter change. Often this is a much larger volume than most 6 & 8 cylinder engines and certainly more than most rice burners that I am aware of. All this oil absorbs a lot of heat.
Secondly, the Alfa has a fully heat sinked aluminium sump that has bags of air flow around it to dump the heat from the oil unlike those crappy tin sumps. So in essence, if you have a road going Alfa and you make a wise choice of a quality oil, there is absolutely no need for any oil cooler whatsoever for the engine.
Now if you have a worked engine and you intend to use it as such well, that's another story...
I just wanted to sort out the poohbah from reality because a lot of first time Alfa owners who read these post might think you need an oil cooler for your regular daily driver and the fact is you don't.

[matt]

I was thinking a non intercooled blow thru turbo set up and some "spirited" driving would be asking for trouble, especially on a hot day because theres no protection against detonation here. Nord + carbies + turbo = no knock sensor, no efi, ignition retard etc if its good enough for the 75 turbo with all this protection i should use one.
I need put things more in my favour by using, oil cooler, PULP+ and later a water air intercooler. MSD make some boost ignition retard but i think an adjustable waste gate would be better?
I just trying to be safe as possible, i still can't believe i got this turbo kit and the last thing i want to do is damage it because of detonation etc that could have been prevented.

[Barry]

Mike,I tend to dissagree with you on the no cooler thing..Ozz has temps that rival ours here in S.A.
An oil cooler on a turbo 2.0l is essential in mu opinion..

I would Not not fit one to an engine of mine...

What say you Mats in freezer land??

[ar4me]

A lot of cars in Mats-land don't have oil coolers, they have engine heaters
Jes

[Micke]

Jes is very right.

Like our western Matsland we also use heaters we plug to wall outlets. Warms the engine before start (and cabin too).

My experience about oil coolers is that stock Alfas don't need them unless raced hard (but then you don't want to keep it stock - do you)

My 4-banger does not get around at all without oil cooling. Oil waqs about 120 deg with cooler. For racing I don't use athermostat, for street I would.

After making the front bottom flat preventig air cooling of the sump the oil jumped to 140 deg even with a 25 (from memory) row cooler. Now, I need to rearrange for air to the sump.