oil cooler questions???

[JohnFurness]

im looking to upgrade my oil cooler and the return lines. so i was just wondering if the oil cooler is for maintaining the heat or to reduce the heat of the oil? Next, is there a thermostat within the oil cooler lines? also any tips on what type of lines to run for the cooler.

thanks, John

[87hilux7mge]

the function of the oil cooler is just that. to cool the oil. on the turbo supra models, the turbocharger uses oil as lubrication and partial cooling. the oil gets extremely hot, and at certain fluid temps, this will cause a drop in pressure. low oil pressure = bad things for an engine. cool oil will keep its viscosity up and properly lubricate bearings, as well as help keep the oil cool. there is no thermostat as far as i know, but there is a pressure spring in the pumps that helps regulate max pressure.

stock gte oil cooler adapter fittings are pretty restrictive, switching to an aftermarket unit wouldnt be bad, and they are fairly cheap. also shimming the oil pump to about 5mm on the pressure spring will yield some additional idle pressure, keeping your engine safer in traffic and while sitting in the pits.

the kits you can buy should be set up with proper lines, and if you need extra line, braided stainless steel lines, rubber high pressure line or hard steel line can be had at any large chain auto parts store. i personally would just buy some extra high pressure rubber line and some hose clamps (if the kit doesnt provide enough) and splice in accordingly.

[cre]

The stock setup is complete garbage and should be discarded.... It only flows a small percentage of the oil and has no temperature regulation whatsoever. The cooler is there to cool the system, in a decent system the thermostat is to prevent over cooling. As mentioned the only flow control is the pressure valve. I very strongly recommend replacing the complete system with a full flow thermostatically regulated system when possible.