are oilcoolers really necessary?

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Fiddy@norway

Fiddy@norway

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 10, 2007
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Up in the snow-blown scandinavia.
as the title says: are the god-damn oilcoolers really necessary? I'm having problems with the lines from my lifan 150 to the cooler getting snagged in bushes and other crap, plus the cooler itself tends to hit something everytime I crash, so I would like to remove the damn thing and put a simple loop on.

I'm riding tight, technical and fairly slow trails, lots of 2nd gear sections, I never redline the engine, nor do I run WOT for extended periods.
 
Tight and technical will actually make your motor run just as warm as WOT sections... generally there will be a lot of clutch work, and the motor will be loading up, so it will actually run pretty warm...
Me personally, in the interest of engine longevity and reliability i'd be keeping the oil cooler, and perhaps looking at restraining the cooler lines in closer to the motor with brackets or similar. The other option, would be to experiment with longer cooling lines and mounting the cooler somewhere other than under the headstem. maybe look at mounting it behind the carby on the left side of the bike where some of the older minis used to mount batteries... as long as it's somewhere it will get air flow, you should be ok.
If you got really desperate, you could run without the cooler, but if doing so, perhaps look at changing the oil more often.
:)
 
My opinion is that it depends on the type of cooler you have and how efficient it is. Also where it is mounted can make a difference. For example I dont think those billet brick coolers do much for cooling but the radiator style coolers look like they do a better job. What type of cooler are you running?
 
yeah, theyre really little more than bling....

if you really wanted one and have trouble finding a spot wirth airflow...theres always the 12 volt computer fans that can be mounted...need a power supply though...
 
I know what you mean I_THUMPm, but I'm actually running one of the billet ones, the reason for this is simply because it can withstand more damage, although they aren't the most effective at cooling, they do add a bit more cooling area, I had a radiator-type that smashed open during a 2nd gear crash.
 
, being in norway cold temps , id not run a cooler and just run a catch can from engine breather and back to dipstick ,they work well on monkeybikes ,dunno just a thought

or mount it like this

19062009159.jpg
 
ive had a few lifan 140's with the Billet coolers , i have just got rid of them and looped 1 line to seal both holes... cant say i had much riding time on them after , but from the time they have had they held up fine..

alot of Klx's on Planetminis , dont run a cooler up to 165cc so i cant really see it effecting it Alot! but im not putting money on it.

just do more frequent oil changes

and yer if they can withstand Aussie heat! your bike should be fine up there.

Talking about weather , boy was it hot in Brissy today!
 
I'm gonna try running a loop, I already change the oil at about 2hrs intervals anyway, but I'm gonna keep an eye on the oiltemp. anyone know what temperature the oil should be at in these engines?
 
You'd have to measure your oil temp with and without a cooler fitted to find that out ... I doubt if too many people would have actually done it to know ... You can buy thermometer oil filler/temp gauge dipsticks ...

DIP STICK OIL TEMP GAUGE MONKEY from - Daytona Motorcycle Parts

Home Made Oil Temp. Gauge - ThumperTalk

As you've stated ... oil coolers only keep the oil cool and prevent it from frying which in turn extends oil life ... Long stroke motors create more friction than shorter stroke motors ... that's why Lifan supplies coolers stock with their engines ...

Postie bike engines run all day long in scorching heat over here without any coolers ... but they have an iron cylinder and a 49.5 mm stroke ... Since it's cooler where you live you shouldn't have any problems unless you go revving your engine in low gears for extended periods ... ie dropping mad donuts 'til the motor starts smokin' ... Ha ha ...

Any oil cooler that gets hot enough to burn you when you touch it ... is working to remove heat from the oil ...
 
I thought of getting one of those temp gauges they use on nitro RC's and measure the temp on the cylinder\head and pipe itself with and without an oilcooler during a days riding to see the difference, but I'm not sure if that will actually tell how hot the oil is getting?
 
Hey

Sorry im i newbie with oil cooling stuff
but i am having the same probem, i want to get rid of my oil cooler,

Can someone explain to me what it means whe you say "Run a Loop"?
Is it taking one of the hoses out from your oilcooler and cealing the second hole in your engine so the oil is just running through the one hose and back into your engine? (If That Makes Sense)
 
There's a pic in the thread below :

http://www.miniriders.com.au/tech-talk/23369-lifan-140cc-outlaw-oil-cooler.html

http://www.miniriders.com.au/tech-talk/14364-oil-cooler-2.html

http://www.miniriders.com.au/tech-talk/14479-air-cooled-oil-cooled.html

http://www.miniriders.com.au/tech-talk/15797-140cc-lifan-problems-alot.html

Fiddy@norway ... Are you talking about getting an Infra red temp gun ? ... IF so then yes they are great ... Drag racers etc use them to check track , tyre , cylinder head , block , exhaust pipe temps etc etc ... so I can't see why you couldn't use them to check oil temp ... Anyway ... all that REALLY matters is the cylinder and head temp ... Drag racers TUNE their engines by going off exhaust header temps ... each header pipe has a temp sensor screwed into it ...

You can also block the oil cooler ports off by using the stock chromed bung plugs that were in the engine when it was new ... then drill thru the clutch cover (in line with the centrelines of the two plugs) into the supply gallery from the pump to join the two galleries up ...
 
my riding partners bike ( pit pro 140) blew a oil hose and he just lopped out the cooler and never got around to fixing it. has not had a problem since he changed it 3 or 4 months ago. Not sure if it will damage the motor in the long run, motors are cheep enough anyways.
 
aside from a minor weight addition, and the possibility of having something extra that could suffer crash damage, i cant see any disadvantage to having a cooler fitted. aside from providing extra surface area to enhance oil cooling to some degree, it also enables you to carry more oil in the engine through the cooling pipes and cooler itself which will help with engine longevity... (total oil capacity helps in extending engine life and makes for longer gaps between oil changes... the old XR and TT 600's could go thousands of km between oil changes due to having 1.5ltr plus sumps. Did that on a late model jap thumper, it would probably cack in its nappy as they only carry up a to a litre... more oil = more win. :))
Ideally, a cooler mounted below the engine would be great, as the forces of gravity would allow even more oil to stored in the motor, as opposed to a high mount cooler, which will drain back in to the motor...
 
I totaly understand the value of a oilcooler, they do add more oil to the system and does allow for faster\more efficient cooling, but for me they just aren't that practical, goddamn lines always catching on things, the cooler always gets clogged up with crap anyways, and it does hit something EVERYTIME I go down for the count.

but here is another thought: wouldn't the absence of a cooler have a positive effect on oilflow? I mean, without the need of going through the long lines and down the cooler itself, wouldn't that make for a stronger and more stable flow? or am I just ranting here?
 
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