Fitting an oil cooler to a 2.1 (was 1.9 early cooling)

[hightop ratty]

Hi Guys
Van has gone off to the engine rebuilder - 10 months after the big bang

My van is a cross over late 83 van which used to have a 1.9 wbx engine (we fitted a 2.1 about 8 - 9 years ago).

Didn't know the 2.1 had an oil cooler (until over the winter looking stuff up).

As I had the early cooling system, I assume my mate who was supplying & fitting the engine didn't want to fit (or probably didn't have) the oil cooler, therefore the engine was running without it.

Now i'm having the rebuild i'd rather have the oil cooler in place & working (every little helps), as I guess VW added it for a reason.

How hard is it to add the oil cooler to the old cooling pipes ? Or would it be an idea to add an after market (classic car type) which fits by the oil filter ? (assuming this is possible).

I can see that fitting a vw oil cooler will involve a different water pump, thermostat housing & cover, oil cooler pipes & oil cooler.
Is there anything else I have missed ?, or has someone come up with a fix ?
Also hoping to fit oil pressure & oil temperature guage (to keep an eye on things).

[ajsimmo]

Have a look at this Mocal unit. I fitted it to a DJ in an early van, and it works a treat.

https://m.facebook.com/groups/197865313 ... 9089017361" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Update: I keep editing the link to the Facebook post, but it doesn't want to work. You might find it if you search my posts, the Campershack FB page, or the waterboxer group for "Laminova".

[ajsimmo]

OK found the pics on my phone, so here you go.

[DoubleOSeven]

Mocal is the way because you have early cooling system. You don't want to be cutting into the flow/return water to get the cooler in. 10 row Mocal and thermostatic 80deg sandwich plate off the oil filter is what you want. I like your point about oil temp though. Check what you are running temp wise first. There is no point cooling warmish oil. You want it around 104deg ideally. You may find the 2.1 on carb. is not working very hard and may not need it. The vw oil cooler (warmer) was fitted for short cutting the oil warm up process but does offer a little help in the cooling process too.

[hightop ratty]

Cheers Campershack & doubleoseven - much appreciated

What model number is it ?

Brickwerks seem to sell an oil cooler for a diesel (does anyone know if they do one for a 2.1 petrol ? - or would it be the same one with a different adaptor plate for the engine / oil filter end of things).

Don't want to go to the hassle of changing everything to later cooling (especially as I had changed the front to rear pipes etc to stainless steel a month before the engine went bang

Would also be a pain changing the water pump etc (but I would have coped with that, as the rebuilder will be changing these anyway).

How do you test the temperature of the oil ?

I guess this could be something that could be added later when funds or necessity allow :-/ if the oil is warmer than it should be.

[DoubleOSeven]

Call Demon Tweeks, they'll sell you a 10 row Mocal. Use some hose to measure the pipe distance you need. Could place the oil cooler in the D pillar. Good down draft there. Yeah add it after, you may not need it. Engine will be fine for a while. Brickwerks sell oil temp sensor. You can get the M14 and just replace your sump plug with it, but ideally you want it nearer the bearings to get more accurate reading. You can get a replacement strain relief valve which will accept a temp sensor. 52mm VDO oil temp gauge to finish, of course. Brickwerks do a nice dashboard ashtray replacement dial holder

https://www.brickwerks.co.uk/twin-gauge ... k-rhd.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[R0B]

Can you stick a link up to where you bought the replacement strain relief valve please..

[itchyfeet]

https://www.vwheritage.com/v323100-csp- ... type-4-wbx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
https://www.vwheritage.com/v323888-vdo- ... ng-m14x1-5" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Strain relief valve....fnarrrrr

[R0B]

Cheers me dear..

[ajsimmo]

Or just pop a laminova in your main coolant hose (feed or return - they say return for better oil cooling, I think feed gets rid of the heat sooner rather than taking it back into the engine), and put your temp sender in the sandwich plate. No thermostat needed in the water cooled version, as it pre-warms the oil (as VW intended) and cannot over-cool the oil. It'll just knock the overhead heat off and bring it down to near optimal temp. Oil hoses will be shorter too.

Sent from my B1-830 using Tapatalk

[DoubleOSeven]

^^^ Demon Tweeks quote for the Mocal Laminova ‘inline’ option = £406.58 plus make yourself a bracket by the looks of it.

[itchyfeet]

can I say most oil temp gauges are inaccurate because they are metal and usually connected to the engine case which affects them

forget the first 30 mins of driving and the pressure relief valve won't relief when hot si you are measuring case temperature.

I know this because I tried it and compared to a thermocouple in the dipstick tube.

[DoubleOSeven]

What’s the temp difference?

Even with the plastic strain relief adapter?

[itchyfeet]

pressure relief works about 5 bar so when hot there will be no flow of oil there you can only be measuring the oil left in the pipe and that will probably be more like engine case

I'm happy to.be proved wrong

this was my recent test with sensor in plate where oil filler is

https://club8090.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.p ... 5#p8217944" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[DoubleOSeven]

I see, 115...quite hot. I’d be worried if my oil went above that temp. Mines pegged at 104 on the gauge if I’m doing 65mph. It does climb in warmer weather or if I’m doing over 65mph. Hence me looking into this again. I’ve been running my 2.1 MV with an early coolant system for 3 years now without an oil cooler. My 2016 Polo is always at 104-106 so I guess that’s where it should be, my logic anyway.