Board Logo

hard lines for external oil cooler ?????
cnfabo - December 20th, 2011 at 02:39 PM

hi guys n girls,

i just purchased myself a rx7 oil cooler to be mounted up the front.

.now what do i use for hard lines,copper,alloy,what?? i just looked at some copper for $30 for 6 mtrs "cheaper then flexi lines" , but i think you can get different grade copper pipes....

so what's reconmended...

thanks


68AutoBug - December 20th, 2011 at 02:48 PM

I've only heard of using copper pipe..
whether its the heavy duty straight pipe or the usual water copper pipe that is sold by the roll...??

but the copper pipe also helps cool the oil down as it flows thru it...

no corrosion problems in Australia...

Lee


1303Steve - December 20th, 2011 at 03:35 PM

Hi

I've always used 1/2 rubber without any issues.

Steve


hellbugged - December 20th, 2011 at 04:08 PM

ive used copper pipes on several cars and braze on barbed fittings....but yes seen rubber used plenty of times as well.

be sure to use a oil thermostat and even better, a berg pressure relief pump cover too!....way to easy to blow off the lines when oil temps cold without these


vw54 - December 20th, 2011 at 06:02 PM

buy the RED ( pink ) Rubber hose from Pirtek

Its the BEST has a thick wall not cheap but really good

been using it for over 10 years

Make sure you fit an inline thermostat


bigrudi - December 20th, 2011 at 06:13 PM

Real steel tube theres no substitute when u head into the gravel trap at 180ks and rocks sandblast it


BiX - December 20th, 2011 at 06:15 PM

I use a combination of steel and rubber. To allow some movement between the engine and fixed mounted fileter and cooler.


cnfabo - December 20th, 2011 at 09:04 PM

thanks guys...

i think ill use the copper lines with the push lock hose and yes im running a thermostat.as for pump ill be using cb's shadeck maxi 30 pump..thanks again boys.

merry xmas.....


Jak Rizzo - December 21st, 2011 at 06:01 AM

I would reccomend that u don't bother mounting it up front. i used an RX7 oil cooler as well on my beetle engines, I mounted mine above the gearbox to the underside of the parcel tray, it was out of harms way & was more than good enough to keep the oil cool.

Doing lap after lap at Eastern Creek with the last 2275cc engine I built, the oil temp wouldnt' go over 100d, with no fans or ducting going to the oil cooler. I also always ran the standard doghouse cooler as well.

Hope this helps

regards
Jak


HappyDaze - December 21st, 2011 at 07:22 AM

I agree with Jak. ^


matberry - December 21st, 2011 at 07:26 AM

^^^ me too :)

For fuel/oil hard lines the correct tube is 5052 Aluminium.


cnfabo - December 21st, 2011 at 11:27 AM

doh now im confused on what to do....i have a 12 row cooler i have used for years that's mounted near the torsion bar housing which is good for 4x70-80 second laps on a 30deg but any more laps then that or hotter temps the oil starts to rise to 120 or so .

when i give myself my rx7 cooler for chrissy ill go see how it will fit above the gearbox...and besides shorter hoses = less oil to change.yay....


sander288 - December 21st, 2011 at 01:22 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by vw54
buy the RED ( pink ) Rubber hose from Pirtek

Its the BEST has a thick wall not cheap but really good

been using it for over 10 years

Make sure you fit an inline thermostat


Just checked Pirtek's website, and these hoses are good for 61.5 bar (890psi) before they will burst!


hellbugged - December 21st, 2011 at 06:41 PM

Yeah just remeber Jak is in a 1302 with all the extra benefits of their evolved cooling

Boot vents etc

Just do what needs to be done to keep YOUR temps under control....motors ain't cheap


1303Steve - December 21st, 2011 at 07:47 PM

Hi

The only problem that I can see with using hard lines is that if they get squashed they stay squashed, rubber lines bounce back or rips.

I fitted a front mounted oil cooler to my WBX bug using pink Pertec lines. I have now fitted this same cooler and lines to my sons 1904cc bug, it has no internal cooler just the front mount, doesn't overheat no matter what you do, flat out on a freeway or stuck in Sydney traffic, most of the time its just above the thermostat opening temperature.

If you want to do ghetto fittings for the RX7 cooler, the breather hose fitting on late model bug fuel fillers is the same thread just weld some 1/2 tubes into them, I think that you can buy them nowadays from fitting places

Steve

ps Jak has a 1302, they still had the small vents under the window, the 1303 got the bigger vents


mactaylor - December 22nd, 2011 at 03:46 AM

agree with mat use ally pipes better heat dissapation you can weld on AN fittings and make the system neat with hydraulic clamps from any hose mob. Also try to use a slightly bigger pipe as the bigger pipe is easier to pump through even if you have a restriction at the end.


bigrudi - December 26th, 2011 at 10:02 PM

120 deg aint that hot have run them past 150 with good oil and had no probs [pre oil cooler days)


matberry - December 26th, 2011 at 10:41 PM

Heard today that copper has problems when used with diesel or petrol, with diesel has a reaction creating a green corosion with the sulpfur, so makes me womder if sump oil has anything that may create 'issues'.

Not sure I agree that your 150* oil temps are 'ok' Rudi.


cnfabo - December 27th, 2011 at 08:57 AM

yeah 150 geez,melt down.a gauge that reads more then it is ??


amazeer - February 1st, 2012 at 11:18 PM

Use steel lines. Silver solder an olive to the ends of the tube to be your pseudo hose barb. Mounted mine with stauff clamps.

if you are looking at the different cooling potential of the lines to solve a problem, reckon you are screwed.


PAZZAN - February 2nd, 2012 at 04:01 PM

I used copper lines no problems at all:spin: one down either side of the car in the channel where the body bolts are ,safe there....


mactaylor - February 2nd, 2012 at 04:36 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by amazeer
Use steel lines. Silver solder an olive to the ends of the tube to be your pseudo hose barb. Mounted mine with stauff clamps.

if you are looking at the different cooling potential of the lines to solve a problem, reckon you are screwed.

Dunno bout that, as any help is worth the work. never discount the "free" benefits of the right material selection!


Turbo54 - March 6th, 2012 at 11:58 AM

So is above the gearbox the place to mount one. I have a turbo street car in the build and it is going to be driven hard. I was thinking last night while looking at it to mount it under the parcel shelf but not flat up under it but at 90 degrees to it facing out close the rear rear shock. Anyone done this or have any idea if it would be better than tucking it away?
Thanks
HEath


cnfabo - March 6th, 2012 at 02:59 PM

ill let u know how mine goes above the gearbox in a few weeks


1303Steve - March 7th, 2012 at 07:34 AM

Hi

How much airflow will you get above the gearbox? Not much, if you can mount it at the front.

Steve


Turbo54 - March 7th, 2012 at 08:30 AM

Thanks Steve,
Obviously that would be the best place for it but I have a radiator already there.
This is why I was thinking of trying to make it more upright that flat against the luggage area.
T54


cnfabo - March 7th, 2012 at 09:17 AM

im going to use some ducting


cnfabo - April 6th, 2012 at 05:22 PM

i ended up mounting my cooler above the gearbox and the oil is getting a lot hotter then previous.i do now have a wilder engine which will make things a tad hotter but still my oil is getting 110deg where before with my old setup would sit at 90deg.so i think im going to mount it up front...

does anyone know if cams allow to run lines inside the cabin ??


hellbugged - April 6th, 2012 at 06:03 PM

Hows the new donk feel?


cnfabo - April 6th, 2012 at 07:09 PM

more power:lol: have not done any power runs yet,i have taken it to 6000rpm a couple of times and still have another 2000 to go...it really starts pulling from 4000.......still trying to jet the thing ....so far it wants bigger idles then 60's with the 48mm webbers....im not yet sold on that size carb and might bolt on my old 44's and see how it runs....