Robi-Cooler Install....Oil Temps under 180???

[Deep Six]

My car is an occasional daily driver that will see 6 to 8 track weekends per year in the South East. I was not comfortable with sustaining 280 degree oil temps so the RobiSpec cooler became my next upgrade choice after wheels, tires, brake pads and suspension. Installation was handled by my good friend Mike Keane who operates Performance Race Solutions in Sanford. Slight trimming of the fan shroud was needed and we had to fabricate some brackets to attach the A/C condenser coil as the oem ones can not be retained. Other than that it was a smooth install and I must say a very slick design to incorporate the oil cooler into the radiator core. Added Perrin red silicone hoses and a matching intake tube at the same time along with a K&N drop in. The latter 2 mods I installed a week ago and saw the rough idle issue go away completely??? Thanks to the Speed Factory for the quick shipping! Nice that free shipping doesn't have to mean next week.

Anyway, after 2 days of driving in 70 degree Florida weather I have not seen the oil temp get above 180. Sustained 75 mph driving (3100rpm) yields 172 degrees where I was at 215 before.Running Amsoil 5w40 synthetic by the way. I am concerned whether or not this average operating temperature may actually be too low. If so I may have to restrict airflow during regular daily driving and open it up on track days. I will probably switch to a 5w30 to ease the work on the oil pump since the temps won't be near as high on the track anymore.

Thoughts???

Stock radiator


Robi Cooler set in place


All buttoned up

[arghx7]

it might have slight/unnoticeable effect on fuel economy but I'd say you're fine.

[mike the snake]

What are your coolant temps?

All that I've read about this cooler has temps around 210. Maybe your thermostat is stuck open? Are the fans running all the time?

If the coolant temps are similar to the oil temps (as I'd suspect) then the car isn't getting fully up to temp, and might cause the ECU to make the car run differently.

[JDKane527]

Airflow on the highway helps keep it down. Oil temps on my daily commute, all local, get up to 190F and coolant is around 194F, where the thermostat is barely opening. If I shift before 3k mine stays around 180F and coolant is 188F. My oil temp readings are from a temp sensor in the oil take off plate, and coolant temps are from OBDII

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

[Deep Six]

Coolant temps stay at 190 and don't appear phased by stop and go traffic. It's not summer anymore but I used to see 200 in traffic. All in all the thermal efficiency is a huge improvement over the stock setup. My primary concern is with the oil temperature hovering in the 170's now and maybe lower in colder conditions.

[mike the snake]

It seems to me if the cars thermostat keeps the water temps above 200, then the oil should be above 200 as well. If the engine doesn't produce enough heat to get the oil to 200+ then the Robispec radiator should IMO.

On the same token, if the oil is 170 then the water is probably 170, which tells me maybe the thermostat is stuck open maybe?

The oil should get above water's boiling temp so as to boil off water that builds up in the engine block from condensation. This is a big deal.

When I had air cooled Porsches, people that thought they were doing their car right by starting and driving them for a few minutes every week had milky watery oil from the oil never getting up to temp.

[Sportsguy83]

I have the Robispec radiator, have only used it on 80+ temps. Usually see between 190-200 Oil and water temps. Can get it past 200 easily stepping on it, but I am turbo and that is playing a factor in my numbers.

[mike the snake]

What temps does the thermostat keep the water at under normal conditions?

Am I wrong in thinking that the Robispec radiator/oil cooler should keep both the water and oil temps at 200+ regardless of outside conditions?

I bought the Robispec radiator because I thought that since the oil is cooled by the water, that both water and oil would be kept at the temps that the thermostat kept them at.
I've read about a lot of remote oil coolers keeping the oil at 170-180 and so I thought that the Robispec would help keep the oil at 200+ and also heat the oil up more quickly.

IMO, under 200+-210-220 is too cool.

[Ralph Spoilsport]

The thermostat keeps the water in your *engine* at a predetermined temperature.

In cool weather, the water in the radiator can be rather cooler. That's why you have a thermostat...

[mike the snake]

Originally Posted by Ralph Spoilsport

The thermostat keeps the water in your *engine* at a predetermined temperature.

In cool weather, the water in the radiator can be rather cooler. That's why you have a thermostat...

Yeah, I understand that. The thermostat should keep the water at say 210-220. What I'm confuse about is why the oil temps are as low as 170-180.

Ahhh, I see now. Thermstat is keeping the water from circulating, so the water in the radiator gets cooled to lower temps, and the oil cooler is located in the radiator.

Thanks for clarifying this.

[celica73]

Originally Posted by mike the snake

Yeah, I understand that. The thermostat should keep the water at say 210-220. What I'm confuse about is why the oil temps are as low as 170-180.

Ahhh, I see now. Thermstat is keeping the water from circulating, so the water in the radiator gets cooled to lower temps, and the oil cooler is located in the radiator.

Thanks for clarifying this.

The oil is flowing through the cooler all of the tine unless you are using an oil cooler adapter with a thermostat. Block half of the radiator with a piece of cardboard and see what happens.

[sw20kosh]

Originally Posted by mike the snake

Yeah, I understand that. The thermostat should keep the water at say 210-220. What I'm confuse about is why the oil temps are as low as 170-180.

Ahhh, I see now. Thermstat is keeping the water from circulating, so the water in the radiator gets cooled to lower temps, and the oil cooler is located in the radiator.

Thanks for clarifying this.

Robi cooler: Yeah my oil temps are always lower than my coolant temps. I deleted my log during track driving but I think I saw these two temps equalize to each other on the track. Kicking myself for accidentally deleting that log.

[FAER]

taking into consideration of oil pressure i have a hard time thinking it would be safe to rig up a thermostat to an oil line.

[wparsons]

Originally Posted by mike the snake

I bought the Robispec radiator because I thought that since the oil is cooled by the water, that both water and oil would be kept at the temps that the thermostat kept them at.
I've read about a lot of remote oil coolers keeping the oil at 170-180 and so I thought that the Robispec would help keep the oil at 200+ and also heat the oil up more quickly.

I thought that the Robispec radiator doesn't cool the oil with coolant... it's just a regular oil cooler attached to the radiator? The only oil coolers that use coolant to cool the oil that I know of are the factory setup from the FA20DIT and the Cusco kit, which uses some of the factory parts.