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[Twolanerider]

Back in the late winter / early spring, before the time of the Corona, I chatted up adding an oil cooler to the old Road Glide after some engine work added some heat to the system.  At the time a couple of the brethren asked for a heads-up later on how well (or even if) it worked.  Here goes (so bored right now I'm talking about oil in a thread -- but it is NOT an oil thread):

Baseline is a 98" first gen Twin Cam with just a little over 10.25:1 and TMan 625 cams, 2-1 pipes, on a Road Glide.

After the engine was re-done I noticed more heat in the system than there had been before.  Not unexpected at all.  On several warm spring days with temps in low to mid 80s the in-dash oil temp gauge would show 230.  Not worrying at all.  But it would climb from there when coming back through town and I'd not yet seen hot summer temps. Wanting this to be the last time I ever went inside that engine for the entirety of my riding lifetime decided to add a pound of caution (oil cooler) to the system.

I liked the UltraCool tank and fans system better.  I wasn't wild about their filter adapter.  It was open to allow oil through the cooler all the time.  Summer or winter.  Their solution was a little magnetic vinyl sweater to cover the cooler with in lower temps.  That bugged me.

However....

I had one of the old oil HD filter adapters that were stock from the 03-04-05 vintage 103" CVO engines.  They're thermostatic.  So mounted that, added some AN fittings in place of the nipples, made up some AN lines to plumb it all together.  And life is (should be) good.

The housing had a slight leak at one of its service points.  Service kit on backorder with no ETA.  Crap.

The other guys in the oil cooler world (JAGG) have a thermostatic filter adapter that plumbs to the cooler.  So it will shut oil off to the cooler at lower temps.  That would do what I wanted.

So my hybrid final solution was the UltraCool tank and fans system and the JAGG thermostatic filter adapter on the stock oil filter mount.  The fans are wired to the accessory switch on the dash.  The AN lines that come with the UltraCool kit plumb directly to the other company's adapter.  Only thing had to do was swap out the NPT fittings on that adapter made for 3/8 rubber line to fittings for 6AN line.  Then it was just a bolt on and I don't have to mess with the silly cooler sweater when the temps are lower. 

I also did not wire the fans for automatic thermostatic control.  They're not helping at highway speed anyway.  I did manual control of the fans via the accessory switch on the dash so they're on and off when I want them.  And, in a win-win, that damned accessory switch now finally does something.

So how does it work?  I'm actually quite satisfied.  Perhaps even more than expected.

This morning it was mid 80s.  Same temps I'd see the oil temp climb to and run about 230 on a highway run before the cooler was installed.  I'd see above that loitering in town traffic once the engine was warm or in slower traffic noticing it climb a bit if traffic speeds dropped to 45mph-ish and below.

This morning I paid close attention to oil temps just so I could drone on here about how it was doing.  Highway cruising at the same ambient conditions I'd previously see a solid 230 on the oil temp gauge I'm now seeing 200-210. 

Lower speeds riding 40-45 see oil temps begin to climb a little.  Turn on the fans and within about three minutes it's back down to the 200-210 indicated and just stays there.

Then the biggest surprise.  Farting around in town for 20 minutes or so.  Stop signs.  Slow traffic.  The normal crap.  Fans on the entire time.  Gauge stayed indicating in the 200-210 range. 

So it's doing everything I could ask.  The couple times I've been out in on hot days, 95 or better, the system has kept the oil within completely manageable levels then too. 

The only difference between the UltraCool filter adapter and the JAGG adapter from a hardware installation perspective was that the UltraCool had 1/4" NPT for its fittings while the JAGG had 1/8".  That little difference in and out would allow for some small difference in both volume of oil going through the cooler and how long the oil is in the cooler during each circuit.  However those volumetric and heat transfer calculations work out (and I didn't even try to do the math) this particular combination works like I want it to and is doing a good job.  So I declared victory and rode on.

[Twolanerider]

Oh yeah, the ONLY thing I wish were different is that the oil cooler (the tank and it's housing) assembly collects oil a bit when you take the filter off.  If you take the filter off with the bike upright following that the first time you lean the bike over on the kickstand more oil will run out. 

It's just something extra to deal with.  It's worth it for the benefit though.  Some time in the future if it's all off in my hand again I might look at drilling a few small holes at the forward edge of the housing for drain.  Nothing I'm going to sweat now though.  It's not like oil changes happen very often.

[J.D.]

Very clever design.

[Para Bellum]

For those who already have an oil cooler and want it to work when really needed--in stop and go (or just stop!) traffic,  Big Sky Fans http://bigskyfan.tripod.com/id10.html has a kit for that.  It comes with two fans sized for the oil cooler, and a wiring harness that runs up to the auxiliary power plug under the seat.  The price is very reasonable at $69.  I've had them on every air-cooled touring bike.  They saved my engine many times.

[iski]

Lower speeds riding 40-45 see oil temps begin to climb a little.  Turn on the fans and within about three minutes it's back down to the 200-210 indicated and just stays there.

Your oil is the coolest.

[TN]

Good deal 

You forgot the illustrations,  pics will do also.

I know I shouldn't ask but how bout a bar chart 

Bar chart for temp data, I forgot to specify that earlier 

[Dan_Lockwood]

Don, sounds like you have it working very well for you.

In a previous exchange of posts, the subject of where to access the oil system with the temp sender to get a consistent reading.  I'll be doing my own system similar to yours for my Harley car project. 

I've had a few e-mails with Hayden and they will make/offer an oil cooler that may act also as a storage reservoir in addition to another smaller tank.  I also wonder if the stock oil pump in an '05 103" "B" motor would have enough pressure/volume to circulate in a system like that.  I'm planning on having around 5 quarts total capacity.  The cooler unfortunately will be mounted behind the motor in a faux grill shell like a radiator of sorts.  I will also have a fan on the oil cooler.

This is just a pre-concept of my layout at this time, but did wonder about the location of the temp sender and whether or not the oil pump would have enough uuumph to push the oil that far.

I'm happy that you're a very "cool" rider now!

[Twolanerider]

Don, sounds like you have it working very well for you.

In a previous exchange of posts, the subject of where to access the oil system with the temp sender to get a consistent reading.  I'll be doing my own system similar to yours for my Harley car project. 

I've had a few e-mails with Hayden and they will make/offer an oil cooler that may act also as a storage reservoir in addition to another smaller tank.  I also wonder if the stock oil pump in an '05 103" "B" motor would have enough pressure/volume to circulate in a system like that.  I'm planning on having around 5 quarts total capacity.  The cooler unfortunately will be mounted behind the motor in a faux grill shell like a radiator of sorts.  I will also have a fan on the oil cooler.

This is just a pre-concept of my layout at this time, but did wonder about the location of the temp sender and whether or not the oil pump would have enough uuumph to push the oil that far.

I'm happy that you're a very "cool" rider now!

The pump vs total volume question wouldn't worry me Dan.  The pump isn't moving the entire volume at once.  Distance from the pump and what limits on travel the oil has to get through to make the trip I'd pay attention to but your 5 qty volume wouldn't concern me too though.  Make sure line sizes are large enough. Is there a way this remote reservoir you're considering could gravity feed to the main pan and be plumbed in to the recirculating path?

[Dan_Lockwood]

The pump vs total volume question wouldn't worry me Dan.  The pump isn't moving the entire volume at once.  Distance from the pump and what limits on travel the oil has to get through to make the trip I'd pay attention to but your 5 qty volume wouldn't concern me too though.  Make sure line sizes are large enough. Is there a way this remote reservoir you're considering could gravity feed to the main pan and be plumbed in to the recirculating path?

It's really going to come down to the actual layout of the motor/adapter/trans as to how it all fits in my chassis.  My thoughts are that the radiator/oil cooler "may" be able to be above the oil reservoir.

I would use the appropriate diameter hosing, but will more than likely use AN fittings and braided lines, because I can...   Discharge oil would be routed through the cooler and then into the reservoir to be redistributed back to the motor, correct?  I wouldn't think I would go from the cooler to the motor.

So in a scenario like this, probably a remote oil filter because the back (left side) of the motor would be hard to access, then to the cooler and into the reservoir, where would you place the temp sender?  Would I just fab up an aluminium block as a TEE and have oil run straight through it and have the temp sender sticking into the stream?  This might be between the motor and the remote oil filter.

Or am I thinking this all wrong?

Thanks for the input and help, as always!

[Twolanerider]

It's really going to come down to the actual layout of the motor/adapter/trans as to how it all fits in my chassis.  My thoughts are that the radiator/oil cooler "may" be able to be above the oil reservoir.

I would use the appropriate diameter hosing, but will more than likely use AN fittings and braided lines, because I can...   Discharge oil would be routed through the cooler and then into the reservoir to be redistributed back to the motor, correct?  I wouldn't think I would go from the cooler to the motor.

So in a scenario like this, probably a remote oil filter because the back (left side) of the motor would be hard to access, then to the cooler and into the reservoir, where would you place the temp sender?  Would I just fab up an aluminium block as a TEE and have oil run straight through it and have the temp sender sticking into the stream?  This might be between the motor and the remote oil filter.

Or am I thinking this all wrong?

Thanks for the input and help, as always!

I'm glad someone else out there likes AN stuff.  You wouldn't have to fab anything for a temp sender.  The pic is just one example of the likely quazillions out there of simple fittings that would plumb from NPT to a 6AN for 3/8 rubber line AND give you fitting for temp sender all in one place.  From there it's just choosing a sender that's correct for on/off temps for the location and environment in which its mounted.  Assuming you're expecting a time or three of trial and error there once you get it on the road?