how hard is it to change oil cooler to a aluminum one?

[Pat OBryant]

Changing my oil cooler to the aluminum one. Ran at 230-250 in a short time so after pulling the engine I see why....original oil cooler absolutely full of sludge and some corrosion. Looking forward to a new ride when its finished!
Pics are my car in the shop and what the motor looked like before the disassembly.

[Thomas Sottile]

Make sure you heater flaps are in the open position, check under the car.

[Pat OBryant]

The new aluminum cooler and the "nickies' I bought....86mm. Got a diferent cam called a "torquer" from L&N. new springs,valves etc....looking forward to a new car!

[John Lindstrom]

Should cleaning our oil coolers be considered a standard maintenance item?

[Jacques Lefriant]

Hi Pat
that looks like a C 912 Behr silver paint?

[Wes Bender]

Should cleaning our oil coolers be considered a standard maintenance item?

If you mean cleaning the interior of the oil cooler, no. It gets cleaned upon engine rebuild.

If you mean cleaning the exterior of the oil cooler, the answer depends upon how many oil leaks you have in/on the engine. Oil leaks cause a light mist of oil to be drawn into the cooling fan and then deposited on the oil cooler, turning it into a very effective oil-bath air cleaner. The dust and debris that collects there will eventually plug the fins. You can inspect the cleanliness of the exterior of the oil cooler if you pull the generator/fan.

If you find it dirty, you can get it somewhat clean by blasting it with WD40 and compressed air.

(Then fix those oil leaks.....)

[Mervyn Hyde]

I had a similar issue and did what many have recommended here. Checked and thoroughly cleaned the contacts on the temperature sender, tested the sender by immersing it in boiling water and then very hot oil. Marked both positions on the gauge with a marker pen. It was working fine. Then pulled the fan and thoroughly cleaned the oil cooler vanes. Checked valve clearances, timing, fuel mixture and made and fitted a heat shield between the muffler and engine. Cleaned the filter canister and sump plate mesh. I also decided to drop the motor out -easy job- and did the oil cooler vanes again,both ways, with an air hose. I spent a long time reshaping the tinware to get rid of all the bent and ill fitting sections and holes.

I was going to replace the oil cooler for an ally one, but put the motor in to see if I had cured the problem. I now runs noticeably cooler, with no leaks.

[John Lindstrom]

Took me 2 days so far, yesterday I took everything apart and cleaned parts like crazy. Today I put everything back together, ready to put back in the car. Next weekend I’ll get her back on the road and check for oil leaks, etc.

[Greg Bryan]

Taking the time to clean years of grime out of the motor is time will spent. I had a 912 with a lot of miles on it and after I pulled the sheet metal to powder coat and clean the accumulated grime out of the cylinder and head fins, and clean the oil cooler, it ran noticeably cooler on the gauge.
And I felt better too ...

[Neil Bardsley]

I started to mostly ignore my temp gauge. I took the car out for a 30 mins drive after 8pm (so not warm here in the UK). After about 10-15 mins of spirited driving the temp gauged claimed 220! Much higher than normal after that kind of a drive. On the way back to I pushed the engine too and the gauge read about 195/200 as I pulled into the garage. I touched the fan house and top of the dipstick and the engine wasn't warm at all. The oil pressure was in the 55/65 range for entire drive. I've read/been told that most of the damage to the engine is caused by starting in cold and driving. Not many engines fail from over heating and if they do it's when you stop and let the hot oil drain into the slump. Then damage can be caused. Therefore living in a cold country I'm tempted not to worry about the gauge too much. Mind you the engine is due a tune up.

[Dan Epperly]

I started to mostly ignore my temp gauge. I took the car out for a 30 mins drive after 8pm (so not warm here in the UK). After about 10-15 mins of spirited driving the temp gauged claimed 220! Much higher than normal after that kind of a drive. On the way back to I pushed the engine too and the gauge read about 195/200 as I pulled into the garage. I touched the fan house and top of the dipstick and the engine wasn't warm at all. The oil pressure was in the 55/65 range for entire drive. I've read/been told that most of the damage to the engine is caused by starting in cold and driving. Not many engines fail from over heating and if they do it's when you stop and let the hot oil drain into the slump. Then damage can be caused. Therefore living in a cold country I'm tempted not to worry about the gauge too much. Mind you the engine is due a tune up.

One of my Bs has a temp gauge that when I turn the key it jumps up to the end of the white zone on th left and then after driving on a warm day around 80mph it gets close to the red zone. Like with yours when I touch the engine and dipstick it's not hot.

[Al Zim]

I have just read all the posts! Has no one tried the basics? You drive your car and get the engine warm/hot. Pull the car off the road and open the engine compartment SPIT on the engine case. If it bubbles they you are above 212 degrees if it does not you are below. Through the oil cooler the oil will drop at least 20 degrees Fahrenheit which will be far below the 250 degree temperature that will cause the oil to deteriorate. OIL FILTRATION: There are numerous posts on this one conclusion is that 4% or less is filtered at any given time. On the C/SC/912, the orifice to flow the oil to the filter is less than 4MM in diameter. Zim's has concluded that it will take nearly an hour to filter all the oil once. The bypass filter was a sales device. Cleaning the oil cooler: With the engine at an idle spray a kerosene based engine cleaner like gunk into the fan. (CARBURETOR CLEANER IS VERY FLAMMABLE) Let it sit for a while then wash off with water. This can make your driveway dirty. VALVE ADJUSTMENT: Our experience shows that some combinations of pushrods and cylinders expand beyond the design of the engine causing the valves to stay open. It is HOT in Texas! We set the exhaust at .008 and the intake at .006. YOU SHOULD FEEL A DRAG ON THE PUSHROD WITH THE FEELER GAUGE INSTALLED. It was disappointing to me to see that the C/SC/912 engine did not have the oil cooler pedestal reinforced. al zim I started in 1962

[John Lindstrom]

56 years of experience and you learn a thing or two.