Re: [T3] Oil Filtering

["Martinez, Leon" <martinezl@ftscpac.navy.mil>]

Marc,

I have had a filter for a year and it works pretty well. I have 
cracked open the filters after they have worn down, (ground
them open), and  I have found solid particles that could have
circulated around and around my bearings. This "add on" 
increases bearing life. I recommend that you full flow your
setup since this will ensure that you will always have filtered 
oil at all times. I have not full flowed my engine yet. I have
a problem with the engine support crossmember/fanhousing
clearance since I put a larger oil pump. The largest oil pump
that will fit are the larger capacity oil pumps made in Brazil 
which has 30 -32 mm impellers that are for the dished cam 
gear. Melling oil pumps and others stick out too far to fit
under the crossmember and fanhousing. I am telling you this
because you will usually require a larger displacement pump
when adding oil components away from the engine. You may
have a drop in oil pressure going to the engine. If you already
have a larger capacity oil pump, good but if you do not then
either get one or install a oil pressure gage to see if your 
pressure  is adequate after this install. If your car has no
crossmember engine mount you may be able to install a
pump that sticks out more (melling) with minor grinding or
filing modification of the aluminum shroud even with a flat
cam gear. Make sure you RTV (that silicon rubber stuff)
 all holes you make.

 I have a 
mesa cooler with a nine inch fan I mounted above the 
autotranny (I had to remove the top tranny air deflector to 
give it room). You must lower engine and tranny somewhat
to easily install cooler and fan otherwise face defeat, I did.
I drilled holes in the firewall above and tapped (threaded)
it to fit the rubber posts ,included in the kit , tighened and
 RTV'd in place. This setup includes the oil filter assembly 
that I mounted on the farthestmost part of the driverside 
above the tranny next to the wheelwell (must remove rear
driverside tire to remove and install the filter easily otherwise
much profanity and stretching must happen). You must install
EVERYTHING flowing the CORRECT direction (use adapter
arrows or IN/OUT lettering as a starting point.  Failure to do this
may have undesirable results. As a personal experience, I hooked 
up the oil filter adapter backwards and found out that some 
filters work one way, much oil and profanity was spilled about,
oh yeah.

 After removing the stock oil cooler, you must block
off the oil cooler air outlet; omission of this step will provide 
a large outlet for your fresh air to blast out of the cooling tins
without cooling your head. I covered this outlet internally with
a peice of sheet aluminum (from hardware store) and a good
application of  RTV, it will stay. Do not forget to make a little
cover for the hole left between the cooling tin and the oil adapter,
I also used a peice of aluminum and RTV . On this little cover
I had to be patient and creative with my tin clips because I 
shaped the bottom part to conform to the shape of the oil adapter,
It was easy, took a few trails but I got a total seal. 

Keep in mind 
that this setup will only filter/cool when the oil has acheived 
warm temperature/ low viscosity or else cooling/filtering will not
happen; example, if you put 60w or 70w motor oil or lots of oil
thickening additives or climates are excessively cold and not using
light oils. The oil bypass valve in the rear of the engine (?)  
was designed to pass oil to the cooler when viscosity was lowered 
because temps got warm enough (look in Bently manual).
I placed a heavy duty valve spring kit to keep the filtering happening 
longer (passing oil to cooling kit/filter assembly sooner). I do 
not recommend boosting the oil pressure too much at the 
pressure releif valve unless you like to blow up your oil filter,
been there done that. 

Finally to prevent your system from cooling oil when not desired
install a thermostat on the electric fan, this way you are not cooling 
already cool oil. 

I bought my fan/cooler  at Kymco 160 bucks, its a 72 plate mesa cooler
with 9 inc fan, 1/2 inch fittings separate. The Kymco dudes told me that
during tests, this setup had temp drops of 75 degees on average. I do
see cooler oil in my engine but I cannot verify this fact. I recommend 
mesa coolers over the tube coolers because of the greater cooling 
surfaces and flow. A better cooler by far is made by EARL racing,
those guys have world class awesome stuff for 3000 hp dragsters but
the price for their coolers are also first class (300 bucks for a little
one).
Make sure what kind of cooler you are buynig it may be a 9 pass tube 
type. 

The oil adapter and the oil filter adapter I bought from Bug Pack. The 
hoses I bought in Mexico from a Gates distributor; cloth covered internally 
reinforced 900lbs rubber hose. This is the way I went but you can go for
the kit type for ease. Make sure it is a mesa cooler. 


LEON MARTINEZ
martinezl@ftscpac.navy.mil

1969 SQUAREBACK EFI/AUTO
SAN DIEGO AND TIJUANA



 

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