Oil cooler and thermostat mounting

Maybe I'm thinking about this too much but I have a few questions and wonder if anyone has any experience with oil coolers and thermostats.

I've got a 1075 kit for my 1000 so there is going to be alot more heat generated than stock and I live in NC, very hot here so I got a 25 rib oil cooler. I run chemical reactors and understand alot about heat exchanges and cooling flow but my main question is this, all the coolers I've seen are mounted with the inlet/outlets at the bottom of the cooler, wouldn't this mean that the oil drains from the cooler everytime you shut off the engine IF the inlet/outlet lines are above the oil level in the case? Since oil is a vicous liquid it could potentially trap air in the top of the cooler so you couldn't use 100% of your cooler (vapor locked)? Liquid, vapor and cruspeed travel in the path of least resistance, from the inlet to the outlet.

Now if I mounted with the inlet and outlet at the top of the cooler it would never drain out, meaning that 100% of the cooler would always be used seeing air bubbles would rise in the cooler and get pushed out the outlet, another plus would be after the initial oil fill, on the next oil change I would only have to fill to the factory amount seeing the cooler is still full and oil level in the case would be at the factory level always. One of the down sides to this is there will always be 1 quart of spent oil in my engine everytime I change my oil, but that would be an additional quart held in the cooler. Unfiletered oil would contain metal shavings that would settle in the cooler, a big enough bump would disturb this and send a nice wad of metal shavings to my engine, is there a place I can run the cooler inlet so it's already been through the filter? Right now the inlet and outlet are below the carbs behind the head, which should be the inlet and outlet?

Anyone installed a remote oil thermostat, if so what kind and temp?

I know that is alot of questions, and maybe some useless or don't matter but I thought I'd ask before I just went ballz out and put the thing on the bike.

:blink: :silly: :dry:

I've wondered about it myself over the past while, but I think you'd have more problems than vapour lock. Think about this situation: you have installed your oil thermostat onto your bike, and she heats up to temp on a cold day, say its 50 degrees out. Now when that thermostat trips at 180-190 or so, you have a quart of oil at 50 degrees rushing into your crankcase. That could be a whole lot of trouble, if you didn't crack anything from the thermal shock on the spot I'd be astonished.

As for what thermostat, I found that an outfit int eh UK called Mocal makes 180F thermostats specifically for oil cooler apps. You can get a 3/8" or 1/2" push on thermostat, its what I'm gonna get for the 650.

Here are some answers/opinions on running a cooler. I'm also running a 1075 on the street. It's my daily driver in NYC. Heavy traffic and temperatures that range from low 50s (April) to 100+ in the summer.

A cooler on these motors is very important. They need all the help they can get removing heat.

If possible, run your cooler lines in/out at the top of the cooler. This way oil remains in the cooler after the engine is shut down. Oil level in the crank case is more consistent and oil pressure to engine parts is more immediate on startup.

Oil goes from the pump directly through the filter and then to the pressure sending unit (this is where you are tapping into when installing a cooler) The oil in the cooler has already gone through the filter so no need to worry about that.

I have a thermostatic switch that controls a cooling fan. Currently, the fan is set to turn on when the oil reaches about 160 degrees. When I first set this up, I had the fan turning on when the oil was closer to 200. Now I just run this motor as cool as possible. The fan and oil cooler setup does a great job of keeping the temps down and it never runs "too cool". Like I said, IMO, these engines need all the help they can get dissipating heat especially when running 10.5:1 compression with a big bore kit. My oil will get to 160 deg in about 15 minutes at 60 deg ambient temp.

More pictures and info here:
kzrider.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&...4&catid=2#183164

I have a similar cooler setup as 'Davel' with in/out at the top, seems to work fine. However I don't run a thermo, and the bike warms up quickly, in FL so no temps much below 50F....good luck

A few more random thoughts on cooling…

Lack of heat dissipation from the head is primarily the limiting factor in raising compression on these motors. New sport bikes are able to run 13:1 CR on the street because liquid cooled heads can remove so much more heat (or should I say transfer so much more heat into a huge fan cooled radiator). Even with my oil cooler and fan, I will get a little pinging between 3000 and 4000 PRM when the engine comes up to operating temp. Also, it’s not uncommon to have 200 degree oil in the crank case and 250+ degree head temps on an air cooled engine. There just isn’t enough oil running though these heads to keep them cool. They need a lot of cool air flowing over them.

My current setup places the oil cooler directly in front of the head. This has always bothered me because the head should be unobstructed from air flow. I’ve been thinking about moving the cooler behind the cylinder bank just in front of the rear fender. In this way the head will have unobstructed cool air flow…The oil cooler won’t be quite as efficient though it should still be effective and the cooler lines will be shorter and easier to rout.

Has anyone set up an oil cooler this way?

Novel idea,how would you mount the oil cooler? something off the frame backbone with brackets? perhaps this website can give you ideas:http://www.holley.com/types/Temp-A-Cure%20Oil%20Coolers.asp

MFolks wrote:

Novel idea,how would you mount the oil cooler? something off the frame backbone with brackets? perhaps this website can give you ideas:http://www.holley.com/types/Temp-A-Cure%20Oil%20Coolers.asp

This is a good link. My current cooler will not fit behind the cylinder bank but something here will definitely work.

Thanks!

getting ready to mount my small lockhart cooler soon and it has an inline thermo...any tips...just mount and add more oil ect....nothing to big as the ocean is near me....


BUMP!!!!!

davel:

At one time, Harry Maillet mounted a Lockhart 700 oil cooler under the KZ1000's left side cover on the his Racecrafters' KZ1000 Superbikes.

Pierre des Roches mounted the Lockhart 700 oil cooler directly on the top of the plastic rear tail piece above rear fender of his KZ1000 Superbike.

Pops Yoshimura sometimes mounted an oil cooler under the front headlight on some its Z1/KZ Superbikes.

Here is my buddies 900 which runs a 1015 motor - oil cooler with - 8 lines, no thermostat, custom mount.

i think i am gonna wait because to me that(last pic) is the better way to route hoses...i have also seen on a muzzy/lawson photo the lines running under the motor and up inside /in front of the sw/arm pivot area to do a longer loop but not hide the motor

i also like his hook ups(last pic) but think i wanna do the silver lines and red and blue era type colors on the fittings...a local auto parts mom and pop type place showed me a cool catolog where he can order a retro superbike looking colors set for me....but first ... once i test mount it with some other hoses...get it right.... and working ......then take it to the shop so he can match the 90's and such ....then break it down... bring him those hoses and he'll make me a one off racing set ,that is tight and sano...means a few R&R's but worth the wait...

Too much other $$$ spending this month ,,,,maybe by the GP i can have it

just hanging it there and using the hoses i have and clamps is not what i want...

any other ;links to a superbike look hose kit for the 73-80 kz???