Oil Cooler usability: Changing oil, installation, etc
 

I have some questions about oil coolers in general and was hoping people with experience could comment.

• First installation startup
• Adding oil to the cooler?

So when you first install the oil cooler, or remove the oil during an oil change it's empty of all oil. How do you prime the cooler so it has oil and isn't just a huge bubble in your oil system?

• Changing the oil
• How do you get the remaining used oil out of the cooler?

Is this necessary? I would assume so but how would you go about draining it? Pump it out with a dip stick style system? Stick a hose into the fitting and blow it out with your mouth or air?

And it kind of loops back, assuming you get the oil back out of the cooler how do you prime it for the next change? Hopefully smarter minds can comment on a workflow.

I have the Perrin oil cooler and their instructions did not include filling the cooler/lines with oil. Once everything is installed it called for the following:

Before starting car, turn key on and apply 100% throttle to your car, the try to start your car with the throttle still at 100% (or floored). Your engine will not start but turn over only. Do this for roughly 5 seconds and wait 10 seconds, then do this one more time for 5 seconds. Start your engine like normal and let it run for 10 seconds, then shut engine off. Heavily inspect all oil line and connections for leaks. If no leaks are found, add an additional QT of oil at this time.

Hope that helps.

Thank you for this information.

great info, thanks.

how about draining it? anything special or it'll drain with oil in the engine?

If you're using a sandwich adapter, I don't think it'll drain as the cooler will be below the adapter.

That's a good point. I would change my oil more often then, with the Perrin Cooler, esp if you're going to have a Qt. of old oil in it at all times.

You might be able to disconnect one of the lines to the cooler and suck out the oil with a pump?

sounds painful, there isn't a drain plug of some sort either on a cooler or a line?

Maybe somebody @PERRIN can give some insight on this.

Fow now I'm just going to turn my car upside down and shake all the oil out.

Or, I'll actually be doing this:

Doing $70 worth of expensive synthetic oil MORE often than you're already going to do it sounds like an exercise in waste.

Unless old oil causes something bad to happen. Then you just feel like crap.

Chatting with a friend we realized something. The thermostat is set to around 185F so unless you install this kit on a smoking hot engine you'll never get the oil to run through the radiator.

Is there a bypass valve to just open it up? Otherwise you're going to have a huge drop in pressure when that thing opens up.

What?

If the thermostat is at 185F then the thing will likely be open all the time and the radiator would always have oil going through it. Even a daily driver sees oil temps over 185F.

With the lines and radiator filled with oil the pressure change won't be as dramatic as you are thinking. It is a valid concern, however, as it makes the oil pump work harder. This is why the lines must be as short as possible.

With the duration of a job like this, it would be hard to keep the oil that high. You could warm up the engine of course.

It can't be that hard to leave off both lines from the sandwich plate, put a funnel in one and pour in some fluid. I always fill my oil filters before I put them on, why wouldn't people fill an oil cooler?