[T3] FW: REMOTE OIL COOLER EXPERIENCE

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

-----Original Message-----
From: Martinez, Leon 
Sent: Friday, September 15, 2000 2:10 PM
To: 'Russ Wolfe'
Subject: RE: REMOTE OIL COOLER EXPERIENCE


Good deal , good luck with the oil cooler, I used 
a old obsolete military sonar system cooler its 
beat up but is a good little heat radiator the 
hydraulic coolers you are looking at maybe much better 
because they were meant for higher pressure thus have
more metal to suck out more heat from the liquid. 
Did you get the feeling that some people believed
additional cooling of the engine was a Type3 sin.
Every water cooled heavy duty truck and road racer 
etc... Has additional cooling. Heck I drove 90 mph 
this morning from Tijuana to my work (5:00 AM) I 
could not have done that before, my max was about 65
mph and the oil filler tube had smoke coming out 
and tarry oil, granted I had additional problems but 
a "superwamidyne" cooling system would have saved 
my lower end in my original case (in process of 
rejualding for spare) I love my little car and want 
only the bes| for it that I can pay for. The original 
cooler is an outstanlifg compact cooling device, the 
engineering is outstanding, I(was` to use it as a 
precooler (as mentioned by Toby, mess#22998 ggod setup)
with a remote adapter but away from the hot motoz with two 
little computer fans. I kinda wish to emulate Toby'{ setup
with the original oil cooler relocated, his setup is well
thought up. I'm not aware of a cooling limit for oil, maybe
there is because cooler oil can act as a cutting agent 
on the metal like drill bit cutting oil or does cutting oil
have friction modifiers for cutting? It may be or not be 
an important question. I know there is a cooling limit
for the pistons, cylinder,and rings as per some engine
engineering book I read. I found this out the hard way
with my Volvo-my brother-no thermostat-in the snow (Colorado)-
-three months equates to a cylinder ridge so bad that the
rings almost broke through the cylinder wall on a 6 mo old
engine. Also for the 0W-30W synthetic, can too
thin of oil, drop our oil pressure dangerously or does synthetic 
protect that pressure drop since its more stable now
days and has less propensity of thinning out than any
other oil? I ask because I am thinking about changing
my oil from semi-synthetic to the pure stuff in my next 
oil change for less friction? or shall I compensate for this 
with my next rebuild (years from now) with tighter clearance 
in my bearings since my engine is filtered now and I understand
that our factory clearance tolerance is much greater(larger)
than the oil cooled cars (I noticed this during the rebuild).  
Most of the bearing heat comes from friction. Friction bad 
heat bad.

The reason of my oil cooling paranoia and other complexes,
and the cars that caused it. The first year noted is the 
day of death of vehicle

1981 (high school car)
1968 T-BIRD 460 cubic inch monster (alcohol injected) 
only one year old after rebuild, 4 core 
radiator. Drove 300 miles per day (job in L.A.) towed something
big one day, slightly overheated, new oil went bad (turned black
spots with crystal clear spots). Bearings all shot, melted lead 
spots had to rebuild with oil cooler, after that could tow and 
do anything. Stolen never got it back.

1981
1951 Dodge pickup with Ford 428 motor (good cond), super low 
compression (intentional), experimental ignition system (could
clearly see high voltage corona (blue glow) on all wires 
at night), 6 core British military radiator. Never overheated 
under torture, clean cooling system. Very bad oil burn when I
got lost on my way back from an observatory in the Baja, Mexico
forest. Mud, snow, creeks, lack of road and sand were in my way,
got stuck a lot of times. On a mud stuck, one mile of grease 
slimy clay trail (doesn't matter if you have four wheel drive)
I overheated my engine so bad that hoses blew, Oil was now 
pasty tar and my compression was now 50lbs. Low oil pressure
(from 75lbs to 10lbs max but still acceptable compression 
hmmm why is that? Water cooled the cylinder/rings and oil
on rings but not the bearings . Lead melting on the 
bearings were found during autopsy. The small cooling system 
on my cast iron (FMX) autotranny was not enough, the
mud and water that hit my tranny pan would fizz like it 
hit a clothes iron. Drove it three years after that, 
I put coolers on it. On the blocks now, waiting to restore
(broke the frame).

1985 
1971 Volvo with Weber conversion and dual alcohol injection
stock cooling system. This car was probably stressed more and
longer than the other cars. Car's engine had three major over-
heatings, two engines replaced. 3 of my 7 brothers and 
sisters took care of the overheatings. One brother took care 
of the overcooling (explained previously) Use your thermostat!!!
Broken engine ,bad tranny, Worn differential, and shot 
suspension etc... equals junkyard.

1987
1971 Ford pickup 302 engine 2 years old new block four on 
the floor overheated like my other pickup towing in bad 
lands did not learn my lesson. Rebuilt rectified my ways 
and continued driving it for ten years Changed clutches 
many times. Sold to construction company.
 
1990
1977  Fiat x/19 stock well maintained, clean cooling 
system 8 girls in car standing room only, too 
much fun too much bearing friction and stress = low oil 
pressure. Hmm not a scratch on the cylinder = only 
bearings overheated. Rebuilt, drove it two years 
more with less girls. Broke down weekly or more often, 
no matter how many new part I bought. Sold it to mechanic.

1991 
1984 Ford Escort stock. Drove it for 3 years Did not
survive my driving. Minor overheatings when driving to 
Los Angeles. Fixed it for wife for errands and her
stuff. Sold it to neighbor two months ago broken again.

1997 
1988 Ford Bronco II Eddie Bauer Special, stock
(the most sucking car I have ever 
had it broke more than my FIAT (fix it again Tony))
Well this junker lost oil pressure with just slight
overheating not to mention broke axils twice(thanks 
to non-floating axils) on the roads I drive my square.  
Cylinders good but crack between water jacket and
oil pipes. Sold it a year later to a disbelieving 
mechanic, his problem now.

1997 
1974 Chevy Blazer 350 engine sight mod on engine 
bought with professionally rebuilt engine at the 
dealer, two months old. Same fate as my 51 Dodge
a year later. Autotranny also overheated and 
front axil bent. On the blocks will fix and 
rectify my cooling ways .

1998
1974 VW baja bug this was my brothers car. Stock with
the fender setup and top scoop, raised with big tires
,stock displacement with balanced crank no other m
modifications.
my brother invited me and some friends to accompany
him in his buggy to the baja observatory area (same
place I roasted my truck). Well it was the middle
of summertime and my brother was ruthless we started
off with no seatbelts and banged are heads lots on the 
roof lots. Well we were strapped in for the steep hills 
that took a long time to climb when near the top,
the oil light began blinking. We turned back around and
stopped to let the engine cool off , proceeded home; on
they way noticed oil light blinking. When we were home 
my brother was saddened by the condition of the oil. At
that time this type of engine was alien technology for me
so I could not help my brother with his car. He sold it to
a Baja bug guy that tricked it out, my brother bought another
VW and got married and never offroaded again. The Baja bug guy
said that the number three combustion chamber was cracked
,the valve began to burn and that the valve seat was loose;
the bearings were shot and the oil was roasted but the case
was ok and since the previous owner put in a balanced crank
and probably did not need line boring. At that time I thought
he was talking gibberish, line bore and adding large weights
to a crank yeah right. I know better now.


2000
1972 1 Ton Dodge truck 440 engine Modified for 520
horses and 500+ lbs torque alcohol injected to assist 
Carter carburator,4 core radiator, tranny modified
for towing, huge DANA 70 axil, and large oil 
cooling systems. Well this truck was made for towing 
the world, I even made the rear tires spin when I had
40 bags of cement 60kgs each (mexican), this was
well over 4000 lbs in the truck bed. Well I maxed
it out when I was speed towing by Brother's 
International Harvester four by four that was 
in one of those baja offroad runs(Tecate to Ensenada),
it over heated and seized, cool. I speed towed the 
truck for three hours, even broke a chain on the tow 
bar once. We were trying to beat the sun before it 
settled down by going high speed on almost a non existing
baja trail, occasionally we lost the trail because it 
just looked like rocks like on both sides. I was stressing
going up solid rock hills covered with stone. Had to
pull this 5000 lbs vehicle to civilization I thought 
I was doing good the first two hours but on the third
hour my heating was not redlined but higher than normal
and around the two hour and a half mark the 
terrain got worse, the sun was going down, and I
was going faster. This Truck weighs 9,500 pounds on
the scale and with the towed vehicle and the other 
factors, it was only time. At around the 2.5 hour      
mark temp was high but not redlined pressure was 
down to 19 pounds (65 psi normal); then I heard a 
cha clunk cha clunk noise and my pressure was now
ten pounds. Stopped to check noise and found it 
coming from the bottom of my engine. Turned the 
crank side to side and found very curious play,
I diagnosed I had broke the crank can't be! This 
a forged crank. Heart attack!
Well the crank still turned stuff so I continued 
slowly and made it to the highway, got to my house 
with truck in tow and initiated my truck's autopsy.
Finding's were: still good block, minimal scuffing.
block still good for rebuild. Wow ! I found the 
crank broken in two places in a diagonal cut
so it still turned all the guts in a sloppy
way; If it had a casted crank it would have 
snapped clean, sending all the parts the wrong 
way (valves hitting pistons etc...) bearing
surviving journals looked heated like the bearings,
oil looked and smelled burnt. I had no busted rings.
Crank broke under normal torsional stress together
with heat while flexing on ground up main bearings.
Well I'm waiting to gather money for the gut's of
my block; by the way my auto tranny is still in
pristine condition because it has a very large 
oil cooler, as big as the water cooling radiator
and an oil filter.

Many more other cars but these are the most 
interesting memorable cases. Awe! Nice memories.
I know I am like a drug addict, always 
self inflicting and never learning or like 
the masoquist getting beat up and asking for more
but yes , but yes I will change my ways with
my car because it like it the most above all
cars, its cool too.


I say cool all of your stuff below burning point 
and you will be alright.

You probably think I am in a padded room all
tied up screaming , keep it cool!keep it cool!...

Good luck with the autotranny cooler, let me know if/when
your experts can get one put in properly, that would be
a plus for longitivaty, I know a retired guy in Mexico
with an old Winniebago with autotranny. He claims his 
Tranny has 450,000 miles on it because the previous owner
,his dad, changed the fluid regularly and put a very 
large cooler on it, well that is second hand hearsay 
from me anyway. I have a question, are limited slip 
differentials available for our tranny's, I have seen 
an article in Hot VW's or VW trends talking about a Humbug
(mini Hummer)or a VW thing or replica Kubelwagon with 
autotranny and limited slip. I can't remmber what 
magazine or which article but it mentions the company 
builds these cars in Canada. I understand that all aircooled
autotrannys (including wasserboxers) are the same except for
the final gear ratio and the torque converter setup (no ring
gear or different ring gear. I wish to find their source 
for limited slip. Any answers from your tranny experts.
Thank you for enduring.


LEON MARTINEZ 
martinezl@ftscpac.navy.mil

1969 SQUAREBACK AND 5 NON VW JUNK CARS
SAN DIEGO AND TIJUANA

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Unsubscribe? mailto:type3-request@vwtype3.org, Subject: unsubscribe