i dont use my car on track days but im thinking about buying an air to oil cooler and a sump baffle from elise parts to prevent HGF/rebuilds in future. Is it worth buying these parts? Also, how much will i expect to pay for fitting?
Definitely not unless you are going to use it on track or sell it to someone who is…
Would go for water to oil cooler, i dumped my air cooler as it was not up to the job, perhaps bigger one in the front might help but i was not prepared to go to all the hassle. i would go for the water/oil cooler and the baffled sump.
Also with the water/oil you don’t need to pull pipes through the chassis rails which is a big plus. It might not drop temperatures dramatically but it will certainly keep them more stable as it needs no air flow to work.
I spoke to soon at the track yesterday and my car is sounding like a bucket of bolts. Off to the mechanic in the morning, sounds like it could have been oil pressure related. Baffled sump is being fitted tomorrow, just to make me feel better.
Also look at remote stat if your aim is to save HGF this is a must.
Ian - a good example of what is being recommended !!
I was advised by Bernard at auto-teknix, and Graham at Plans, and in complex but understandable technical detail by Simon Scuffham, that an oil / water unit would have been the ultimate for my Exige, but I could not afford either the cost, or the development time at that moment…
It is still on my shopping list for the future !!
I went for the mocal unit, can be found at http://www.thinkauto.com under the laminova section, also available from elisparts. I purchased it from our mocal dealer and it went in a doddle when i finally found out where to put it. The kit comes with sandwich plate etc, but i did not use it i just took the old oil cooler lines off and inserted the new ones.
Took about an hour to fit, don’t want to think how long it would take to pull lines through the side rails. also no need to remove clams to fit this so labour cost saving might just balance out costs. Cost for the kit here was 180 pounds from distributor, i thought it was reasonable.
so i should really go for the remote thermostat and baffle instead??
If you have an Exige, it already has an oil cooler installed, so without track days and race use, it will be more than sufficient, extra cooling and efficiency is only required if you continually use the car hard on a race track.
The baffle will give you peace of mind that you will not have oil starvation problems during road use again. I say this while touching wood. Plus if your engine is currently stripped you will not waste oil or gaskets they can just assemble it with the baffle.
Remote thermostat is a must, there have been a few posts on the options available. Again do not expect drastic cooling improvements, it offers more consistency in the cooling system, therefore you do not have large temperature fluctuations in the head which cause HGF.
Always let the car warm up before driving it hard or using full revs, especially difficult if you just pop down to the shops and think, oh i’ll just give it a hard go through the first 2 gears when it’s cold, this is what causes problems. Also remember that oil takes longer to warm up than water so just cause the water temp picks up to 75 degrees quickly does not mean the oil is at working temperature already.
Sensible use and regular servicing with top quality oil will see the engine last for many miles, i say many as a relative term due to the nature of these engines .
My previous Exige was bought new, had done 6000 race miles when i sold it and is still going strong in a new elise locally. That was without remote stat and std oil cooler, just regular servicing, oil change every month and careful warm up and cool down procedures.
thanks jason, believe me i am religious about maintenance and warm up/ cool down procedures. I come from owning an evo 7 FQ300 so im aware of the benefits. I will go for the baffle and thermostat. If only geary would do discounts! Cheers guys
Here is one I was considering for my S2 with touring package (no existing oil coolers):
From Elise-Shop
Mocal Water to Oil cooler kit Elise S1(1998 onwards)/S2/Exige Euro 370,00 (� 251,66)
This water to oil cooler kit gives you control over the oil temperature in the engine of your Elise or Exige. Extensive oil temperatures are one of the major problems with the K-engine.
In the standard configuration engine oil is beeing cooled by the flow of coolant through the head. The bottom end of the engine needs to be cooled from the head down. Driving the Elise �n anger’ will result in a very high oil temperature, breaking oil seals and engine damage as the ultimate result.
This improved kit contains oil pipes which can withstand temperatures up to 360�C. The silicone water pipes are in the correct angle and supplied with stainless clips.
The installation of this kit can be realised in a couple of hours. The kit comes including all needed clips.
WOC
Weight: 6.00 kg
just read the post on remote thermostats and that they dont fit a/c cars. Mine is an a/c car! boo hoo
just read the post on remote thermostats and that they dont fit a/c cars. Mine is an a/c car! boo hoo
Have a look at: HGF and remote thermostat
i did… but it doesnt offer any for sale for an ac equipped exige! or does it somewhere?
how much to fit??
I’ve asked Plans to comment and if I were you I’d talk to the Edwards chaps at Croft. I know AndyD and I are going to.
Ian
ps. Enough will Mario! He must be warn out by now and you’re making Exiges.com diffcult to view at work!
i wont be at croft but if someone fancies updating the forum on any news when they return it would be most appreciated!!!
As for mario, thats just him getting started!
follow this link and make sure you have sound!!
http://uploads.ungrounded.net/196000/196510_Son_of_a_Peach_.swf
No seriously, I would be very grateful if you could change it! Pretty please
I’ll offer to post the conclusion of the Remote thermo for A/c cars as compensation.
At least Uldis’ sunbathing Mexican wasn’t animated, and his current one is very small.
Ian
hows that then Mr Killjoy!
Koopa
Keep up man - Rover now (or did!!!) do a remote stat, which is ok for aircon cars. AndyD is investigating - see relevant thread
bah! im new to this monsieur peskwah! So does this mean it could be… bum bum buuum… offered by dealers??
hows that then Mr Killjoy!
An improvement, which made me laugh!
I know, I know, I’ll get a PRUDE plate made up.
Thanks, Ian