Skunk2 Oil Cooler Too Cold?
 

Hi all,

I have a 2018 Kraftwerks supercharged brz running on E85 with all supporting mods and the vehicle puts down 350WHP. I recently installed a Skunk2 oil cooler and believe oil temperatures are too low. In about 70F weather the oil temp sat around 150F at idle according to EcuTek and got to 170F with street driving. I previously hadn't seen too high of oil temps but figure it would be useful since I'm supercharged. I do live in Texas where temps exceed 100F throughout most of the year but with winter rolling around this seems like it will be an ongoing issue.

I replace oil very often since I run E85 but I also don't want to do damage to the engine running a cooler that is over-cooling my oil...

Skunk2 verified when I called that I would be okay to run the oil cooler and I've seen comments from reputable sources like Counter Space Garage saying that temps around 170F are okay, but again I don't want to take any chances.

Is it best to just remove the cooler entirely? I am open to suggestions but this is seeming like the most logical step considering it's quite the process to remove the front end and intercooler in order to put a cover over the oil cooler when temperatures dip here in Texas. Thanks!

Cover it totally with like a cardboard, problem fixed
it will help anyway with the cooling even if covered

What location are you measuring oil temps? Ideally, you have the sender installed in the sump.

How much street driving are you doing before the temperature reaches 170F? I have the JR DROC and when it's 28F out, it takes me 25min of street driving before the oil goes past 170F.

Datalog from my factory oil temp sensor: https://www.instagram.com/p/ClRV4acJ4Wr/

Get an adapter with a Vernatherm valve.

I am using the OEM oil temp sensor that comes with the car, I'm not exactly sure of the location but I have heard that it is after the cooler so that might be part of the problem as well.

It was about 20-25min, similar to your results but you had a much cooler air temperature than I did. I did some spirited driving and it did get above 170F at times but went back down to 170F. I also didn't drive it as hard initially as I was stopping to check for leaks every about 10-15 min.

Would a Vernatherm valve be better than finding a theromstatic plate?

The OEM setup is not very accurate, always reads hot. We've measured it being off by 20° under some conditions. The sump is where you want to measure from if you're using an independent gauge.

With that being said, is my oil even cooler than the car is reading? more like 130F at idle and 150 after street driving?

If that's the case, I think the cooler is more detrimental to the engine health than without it...thought?

You are being overly paranoid. If you are really worried about it you can block off the cooler like mentioned above, or get a thermostatic sandwich plate. The skunk2 plate does not look like a thermostatic plate.

https://racerxfabrication.com/frs-br...-adapter-plate

A Vernatherm is a part of a Thermostatic plate. Yes I would use an adapter with the Vernatherm instead of a separate stand alone one.

For a street use only car, yes. You do not need an oil cooler. Oil that is too cold is more detrimental than oil that is too hot. It's deceiving because cold oil has great oil pressure.


^ Could not agree more. No remote oil cooler (oil, trans diff, etc..) should ever be installed without a means for properly regulating optimum temperature conditions, IE: a thermostatic adapter. An oil cooler is not just for preventing excessive temps, but also for more precisely controlling oil temps vs the OEM. Subies in general, EJ and FA engines, run fairly cool temps in stock form. Even somewhat modified engines don't need a remote oil cooler unless you're tracking in super-hot and humid conditions.

Blocking off (or removing for weight savings) heat exchangers in colder months is very common among track applications. A piece of cardboard is cheap and would give you an answer immediately.


On another note, you really need to find out what's going on here. There are many simple things that can be done to verify if the readings you are seeing are accurate or not. IR thermometers are cheap these days and a super handy tool to have. You can also buy peak value temperature stickers for conditions you can't get an IR thermometer into. These are also very handy for under hood thermal management or knowing when it's time for upgrades.

Here's a couple examples of the stickers in use. We also have them on the trans and rear diff. In the past we've also used them on airbox surfaces and various other locations.

https://killerbmotorsports.sharepoin...NMNaA?e=VYezsc

https://killerbmotorsports.sharepoin...uY9Qw?e=fh6n8d

How cold is too cold though? I've lived in areas where the average winter temperature is 6F with temps as low as -30F during cold spells. On a K-series engine at around 6F ambient, the coolant still had a hard time reaching 170F with spirited driving. I did not have an oil temp sensor but I assume that the oil might've been around 150F to 160F at the best.