Hey guys,
I'm getting close to finishing my 1.9 AAZ swap into my sidekick and I'm just running the cooling system now which has hit a snag and I will be re-doing it all in stainless steel pipe and silicone connectors where need be. My question since I'm revamping everything is going to the V6 or Passat cooler a good idea for a heavier vehicle? I will keep the engine stock for a while, no more boost or fuel until I can do the TDI pulley/crank mod.
I wouldn't say do it because the vehicle is heavier. I would do it based on temps you expect at heavy loads. Like pulling up a long hill in first or low gears. I ran a aux cooler on my jeep because I would get it hot getting around on steep ground and not have the benefit of a lot of air moving over the radiator at the low speeds.
Size it according to how cool you want it to run under stress. In some situations more is not always better. Yes it is good to run cool oil but if your engine lacks heat then you will find it using more gas to go.
Look at the little oil and water cooler between the oil filter and engine on some of the engines that VW designed. Is that sufficient? Probably not in your case. Do you need one the size of the radiator itself? Likely not. A gauge on the auxiliary cooler would let you know what temp the oil is at going back to the engine. If too cold then downsize the cooler.
Thanks, that's good advice. It's going to be my DD once I have it dialed in so it will see a lot of highway miles and in theory lots of off-roading (unless I miss hunting season with it). Im running 31" tall tires and it will get 4.30 gears compared to the 5.12's in it now. Any obvious signs of a cooler gone bad that I can spot in the yard when I pull it?
If the cooler has separate inlets and outlets for the oil and the water I would try to apply a vacuum on one side by sucking on a clean hose and covering the other with my thumb. If it holds then likely there would be no leaks.
Do it for both the oil and water sides.
If I was trying to determine good service I think I would be scoping it for oil leaking out from somewhere. That might be hard to determine on some engines that had other leaks dripping down on it.
I would being looking for corrosion as well. Why pay for a part that is going to be weak in some spot and fail in short order.
Those are my ideas, yours or others might be better.
I was at the same cross roads when I installed the aaz into my samurai......
Install an rx7 oil cooler with thermostat sandwich adapter, or install the [ larger ] Passat v6 vw oil / water cooler heater. Which to do......??
For my Pacific NW climate, I decided to go with the Passat v6 cooler/ warmer. Why? IMHO, more engine damage is done with cold engine starts and thus I figured that the faster the engine warms up to operating temps, the better the longevity of the engine should be. Will the oil get too hot come the 30 deg summer days? Dunno. I'll find out I guess.
A worse scenario [ in my mind ] would be that the oil never really warms up to 180 deg. or, it takes forever to warm up to 180 deg.
Of course......you could install both....an oil cooler AND the larger v6 oem cooler / warmer. That's lots of plumbing in the engine bay......something I didn't have room for.
Make sure you have adequate rad cooling. Don't scrimp on a cheap / inadequate rad. If that's compromised, you're not going to be able to cool the engine [ or the oil ] adequately.
I was at the same cross roads when I installed the aaz into my samurai......
Install an rx7 oil cooler with thermostat sandwich adapter, or install the [ larger ] Passat v6 vw oil / water cooler heater. Which to do......??
For my Pacific NW climate, I decided to go with the Passat v6 cooler/ warmer. Why? IMHO, more engine damage is done with cold engine starts and thus I figured that the faster the engine warms up to operating temps, the better the longevity of the engine should be. Will the oil get too hot come the 30 deg summer days? Dunno. I'll find out I guess.
A worse scenario [ in my mind ] would be that the oil never really warms up to 180 deg. or, it takes forever to warm up to 180 deg.
Of course......you could install both....an oil cooler AND the larger v6 oem cooler / warmer. That's lots of plumbing in the engine bay......something I didn't have room for.
Make sure you have adequate rad cooling. Don't scrimp on a cheap / inadequate rad. If that's compromised, you're not going to be able to cool the engine [ or the oil ] adequately.
Thanks! That's super helpful. I'm using a Grand Vitara rad which is quite the upgrade over the factory rad, plus I've got a 16" flex lite that does 2400 CFM, and I mean it is TIGHT in there but it doesn't rub on the crank pulley. I've gotta make up my mind soon since I plan to do all the fab work and be done with it. I'm leaning to the V6 cooler rather than the massive Passat one as that should help cool the oil and still let it get up to temp. I'm in the same boat since I don't have space for a lot of extra hoses and plumbing.