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posted by 2fass240us on Aug 19

After getting back in town Sunday and losing 4 valuable days in my build, I decided that I would take the first half of Monday to run a few errands. I took the two lines I bought from raceprovenparts, an eBay store, to BMRS where they were originally manufactured to have them altered. At $19 each plus $10 for shipping, they were a steal. I had 3 lines made out of them:

1. Oil block to check valve (then filter canister); straight into 90°
2. Filter canister to oil cooler: straight into 45°
3. Oil cooler to oil block: 90° to straight

I spent $85 on two straight and two 90° fittings, which most enthusiasts would say is too much. But the price includes the labor to crimp them on and pressure-testing the lines to 375psi to make sure everything works as designed. Considering the lines were used, I think I came out way on top. I have four feet plus of high-quality Nomex, -10 lines with world-class fittings for $135.

I test-fitted the lines when I got back home, giddy as a boy on Christmas morning. Line #1 was a little long and had a vertical hump if attached straight, but I turned the 90° fitting a little and now the line kinks slightly to the left. The line from the oil cooler back to the block was longer than I really needed, so I routed it between the check valve and wheel well and covered it with a piece of rubber hose and zip ties. I could’ve taken the line back and had it shortened, but then I’d have to pay for the new straight fitting at $16 plus the gas to and from, plus the time to do it. This way the run becomes a little longer, but gives the check valve some support and moves the line out of the way of other components. It also looks nicer despite the rubber hose piece. The line from the canister to the oil cooler was by far the easiest.

When attached aluminum fittings to aluminum fittings, it’s always a good idea to use some Anti Sieze to keep the threads from galling. Apply lightly and run it down a time or two to get all the threads covered, and you’re good to go. Tighten them by running them hand-tight, then turning 1/4 turn more with a wrench. Some of mine were difficult to attach, and it turns out it was from water in the fittings from the pressure test. Make sure you remove this, as it’s far from being the best lubricant.

After getting everything in place, I filled the oil cooler by pouring oil in the element-less filter canister and letting it run down the line to the cooler. I then put the filter element back in, tightened the cover, and cleaned the Anti Sieze off the fittings.

The oil pressure sender caused even more headache than I thought it might. After getting some BSP:NPT fittings in my BAT Inc. order, I thought I had it licked. Not only was the oil block not BSP, but I really can’t figure out what thread it is. I took the old brass fitting used with the OE oil block to four places yesterday morning, and was none the better for my wasted time and gas. The block end appears to be metric, 10×1.25, but even that was uncertain. So as much as I didn’t want to, I reused the brass one because I thought it a better alternative than pulling my dash to re-route the sender wiring, and having the sender hang off the oil block. For the latter, it is generally believed that this has led to sender failure from vibration, and I have no desire to replace the $120 sender. Hindsight being 20/20, I would’ve gone with a used NASCAR Stewart Warner gauge or a new Autometer. It will be especially silly when I eventually put an LS1 in and have metric gauges, but I could likely sell them for a profit.

I decided to test the system for leaks because it’s laborious to put the intake manifold back on. I filled the engine up with oil and checked the level, then hooked up the battery. I turned the key partway, then heard a fluid spilling sound. Apparently, it’s a good idea to pull the fuel pump fuse when you have open fuel lines and want to turn the car over. I cleaned that up, cursing myself, and pulled the fuse. After 7-8 times turning the engine over, I was unable to build oil pressure. I looked for leaks, and realized that I hadn’t tightened the drain plug. I was on a roll!

I didn’t try again, but think the culprit might be the open connector on the valve cover that connects to the fuel rail. I will cap it off and try again, but it might simply be a matter of turning the engine over a lot. If this is the case, I might borrow the battery from the Pathfinder as the little Odyssey gets worn out quickly from when the engine was first fired up. I’ll also get someone to help me by opening the fill cap and making sure oil is coming out of the cam squirters. It’s probably something small, as no engine work was done and the oil pump should be working without issue.

posted by 2fass240us on Aug 4

At this point I’m more than halfway through the steps in the last post, having removed the intake manifold and installed the Tomei oil block. I realized Monday night that I needed to place a fitting order to keep the build going, and called up British-American Transfer (BAT Inc.). While I could get some of these fittings locally, I could not find all of them and the prospect of driving around to get some of them AND paying for shipping for the remainder was not an appealing one. Yeah, it’s great to live in Racing Land, but not so great when you need oddball fittings or metric pieces. Within 5 minutes I had confirmed availability and placed my order for the following:

1. P/N 816-10 -> -10AN male : 1/2″ NPT male fittings, black -> 2 @ $4.90 each
2. 920-10-12 -> -10AN male : -12ORB (o-ring boss) male, black -> 2 @ $12.70 each
3. BSM3PT -> 1/8″BSP male : 1/8″ NPT male, steel, cadmium-plated -> 1 @ $3.50
4. 900110 -> -10AN female/female coupling -> 1 @ $9.15
5. BSM4PT -> 1/4″ BSP male : 1/8″ NPT male -> 1 @ $2.50
6. 910-2 -> 1/8″ NPT female/female coupling -> 1 @ $2.50

Items 1 - 4 are for the oil cooler setup: #1 is the fittings for the oil cooler core and #2 is for the Canton-Mecca filter housing, as it was designed for -12 ORB fittings. This is a plus, as it allows me to retain this piece if I choose when swapping in a V8 down the road. I actually have the -12ORB : -12AN fittings and could’ve purchased a -12AN female : -10AN male part to ave some money over the above, but that ’s two more possible failure (leak) points. Item 3 is for the oil block, to adapt to the NPT line to the oil pressure sender, and #4 is to connect the oil filter inlet to the check valve I purchased a few months ago.

Items 5 & 6 are an attempt to relocate my coolant temperature sender to the stock location that sends a signal to the instrument cluster. Since the stock gauge is about worthless, there are very few downsides. Some Nissan guys say that you could put the sender in the hose to the radiator as it will be the hottest point in the system, but this would involve splicing a ring into the current silicone hose, a move that I’m not altogether fond of although I do need to remove some length from it. At the end of the day, it boils down to reducing leak points and complexity, and I think the stock location is a great one if for no other reason than its redundancy coupled with the aftermarket gauge.

Once I have these fittings in place and torqued down, I will take measurements to determine line length. Unfortunately, there are not -10 BMRS ProGold lines on eBay right now, so I will need to check every day or simply call the RaceProvenParts guy to see if he has anything not up for auction yet. Failing this, I will take a trip to BMRS and get new lines.

posted by 2fass240us on Jul 15

I finally got around to mounting the oil cooler last night, and it isn’t as asethetic or strong as I would like (yet). Not having easy access to a welder or the skill, I’m left to rivet pieces together where I’d like to have them welded. A spot-welder might not be a bad idea, but it would be much better utilized with an array of steel supplies and better tools for shaping them. This would take more time to set up than I care to spend, but would make for a cleaner car. Realistically, I should probably start a list of things like this (including the sunroof) to take care of in the future at a body shop. This makes the most sense when the car gets the front half of the cage somewhere down the road. I can have the chassis stitch-welded, cover any unnecessary holes, etc. before painting the whole thing.

Enough dreaming, back to the work! I effectively walled off the hole in the stock battery location with a piece of sheet aluminum left over from the driver’s door skin. It covers about half of the hole and most of the flat part, and serves as a mounting point for the top flange on the cooler. I located and riveted a piece of 1″ angle aluminum from Lowe’s to the sheet and used some fasteners through the holes in the cooler flange. As it turns out, I did not need to keep as much of the CF flange at the top, as I didn’t really use it for mounting. I will definitely use the CF flange at the bottom though, as mounting will be a little more difficult. At 3 hours last night to mount the top though, maybe not!

It looks like the bottom will be mounted between the tension rod bracket and the trailing, lower edge of the bumper cover. On the frame rail side, I might also be able to fab a bracket to drop from the rail so I don’t have to mess with the bracket. I could also use this for mounting the underpanel that will protect the cooler from track debris and help manage airflow.

More to come soon, including finished mounting pictures!

posted by 2fass240us on Jun 30

I’ve resolved to install the oil cooler before my August 2/3 event at VIR-Full, mainly because I needed to for some time now but additionally because it’s going to be hot as Hell. For now, the post will be a procedure for doing so, both for my own edification and for you guys to see as well. When I finish the work, I’ll upload pictures and amend the process to reflect the actual order.

1. Locate oil cooler underneath where the battery tray once lived. I think I can use angle aluminum since it’s reasonably pliable and strong, and I have some sitting in the garage. Plus, it’s lightweight!
2. Remove intake manifold (IM)
   1. Remove large and small intake piping (to TB and IACV, respectively)
   2. Remove injector plugs
   3. Remove vacuum hose from fuel rail to valve cover
   4. Release fuel pressure, unhook lines to fuel rail
   5. Unhook throttle cable
   6. Disconnect wiring to IACV, MAF, and CAS
   7. Disconnect coolant lines to IACV and TB
3. Remove VC filler cap
4. Drain oil from pan, catch sample for analysis; look for any material on magnetic drain plug
5. Unscrew oil filter
6. Disconnect oil pressure sender line from oil block
7. Remove oil block
8. Clean mating surface
9. Install new oil block
10. Reinstall drain plug and VC filler cap
11. Install check valve and fittings on upstream side of filter canister
12. Take measurements for oil lines; check eBay for ones that will work or take trip to BMRS
13. Install oil lines; make note of I.D. and length for oil system volume
14. Reinstall oil pressure sender line
15. Prime filter canister and cooler with fresh oil; make note of volume used
16. Loop coolant lines that were going to the TB, cap inlet/outlet on TB
17. Explore possibility of locating aftermarket coolant temperature sender in stock “to cluster” location
18. Reinstall IM
19. Install IM support
20. Anchor oil lines where appropriate

posted by 2fass240us on May 29

This is the second and hopefully final planning post about oil cooler placement. Speaking of which, I am starting to get back into planning posts recently after talking with my good friend and fellow anal-retentive track car builder, Rich (of V8Mongrel infamy). He was goading me into creating more web content, and the conversation progressed to cover the benefits of planning posts. In general, they’re a great way to capture your perspective at the time of posting which is good for sake of posterity, but also for showing others your “thought path” and how you arrived at some key decisions. In the specific case of the oil cooler placement, others are able to use the same inputs I did as they are chassis/engine independent. Onto the fun part…

After attaching the CF duct to the oil cooler, it appears that the oil cooler will not fit behind the passenger headlight. I thought this would be the case in the last installment and have now confirmed it. The only alternative at this point is tucked in the bumper cover just forward of the front passenger wheel, mirrored placement to the OE Side-Mount Intercooler (SMIC). There are a few concerns with this approach:

1. Vulnerability to foreign object damage (FOD) as it’s much closer to the racing surface than with my previous idea, and not protected at all. This can be solved by utilizing a full underpanel that extends from the front fascia to just forward of the front wheels. Another option that requires much less work is to simply do a smaller underpanel for the specific purpose of protecting the cooler/duct.
2. Placement below the engine block outlet puts it at the lowest point in the oiling system. This is mainly an issue for draining, but doesn’t concern me as long as I don’t have a lot of debris buildup. A good friend and former Enjuku employee, Estevan, mentioned that this is mainly a concern if you shred the motor and have an expensive oil cooler. Seeing as how the cooler was $30 used from another friend Rich and can be purchased new for somewhere around $50, I’m not altogether worried about this one.
3. Oil lines will need to be a little longer to accommodate this placement. I will be using BMRS line with a low coefficient of friction because of its PTFE inner liner, and a good portion of the cost is in the fitting. Meaning that a few extra feet won’t hurt the wallet much either.

Airflow is almost a non-issue with this placement and the CF duct. After the cooler is mounted, I simply have to run hose from each of the two 3″ duct inlets to the bumper cover. The preliminary (and rather crude) method will be simply squeezing the hose to fit the factory holes. A later, much cleaner, and more efficient setup will happen when I have the resources and time to create fiberglass pieces. Unfortunately I have not found any aftermarket parts that fit, including some plastic NACA ducts purchased from RacerPartsWholesale. I will add pictures to illustrate this point when I get around to mounting the cooler and worrying about hose addition.

The plan for now is to find some stainless mesh to cover the oil cooler duct inlets, to be held in place with the hose and some form of fastening like wormgear clamps or zipties.

The only problem with using the two openings on the bumper cover is that I will not have an easy place to pull air from when doing brake ducting down the road. The simple solution is to cut a duct into the bumper cover and possibly use one of the NACA ducts I purchased. But we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.

posted by 2fass240us on Feb 12

The more I think about it, the more I want to put the IC in front of the radiator as my friend Casey and so many others have. For track use, it would make me feel a lot better to have an expensive IC core further from the ground. The implication though is that the “cold pipe” section would interfere with the placement of the oil cooler, making it virtually impossible to mount it where I decided last, which is behind the passenger headlight where the battery is from the factory.

One benefit here is that I no longer have to worry about putting a check valve on the oil filter canister inlet as mentioned in the previous post. Aside from the fact that ducting will be different, there’s no real change in difficulty. I plan on using, and have purchased, a carbon fiber duct to mate with the cooler. It’s a used NASCAR part that perfectly fits the cooler, and has two 3″ inlets…like I said: PERFECT! Not too shabby at $60 either.

The plan for now is to locate the cooler once I get the inlet duct, based on sheer size and hose routing. The only downside I can see at this point is increased difficulty in getting brake ducting in place.

posted by 2fass240us on Feb 5

I had a friend on CarolinaNissans mention that I need to add a check valve on the inlet to make sure oil doesn’t drain back into the block and leave the filter “unfilled.” I somewhat understood this, but dismissed it because I wasn’t sure about how valid it was, if it was even applicable in my case, and frankly hadn’t gotten that far in the process.

After some digging and asking around, I found the following quote from the Wix site:

Anti-drain back valve in the spin-on filter
Generally, the anti-drain back valve have the form of a rubber membrane adjoining the inner side of the can type filter cover. The membrane covers the holes where the contaminated oil gets through to the filter and protects from the back flow after the engine stops. The anti-drain back valve reduces the dry friction or mitigated solid friction time between working parts of the engine as protecting from the oil flow towards the pump and accelerates the oil flow into the working elements during the engine start, especially after a long break. The position the filter is screwed into the engine, conditions the valve application. If the filter works in the “cover up” position as shown in the picture below, the function of the valve is taken successfully by the gravitation. A valve is required when the filter is screwed in from the side or from the top of the engine body.

My filter is not a spin-on type, but I think the concept is still applicable since my filter will be mounted higher than the take-off from the block. I spoke with one of the great guys at BAT (British American Transfer) Inc., and he told me the best option is a mil-spec, flapper-type check valve. Not bad, except it adds leak points and costs ~$90. On the the plus side, they come with integrated -AN fittings which makes things a TON easier.

posted by 2fass240us on Aug 30

I finally made a decision about the filter and went with the 6″ tall CM remote canister, P/N 1281 from Pegasus Auto Racing Supplies. I ordered a set of two -12 o-ring to -10 male adapters and an extra clamp to make sure it stays in place. It’s scheduled to arrive next week, and I’ll post some pictures when it does.

Next up: mounting everything!

posted by 2fass240us on Aug 29

I came across a Canton/Mecca (CM) oil filter housing earlier in my search, when looking for a similar setup to the M3 filter canister. I dismissed it at the time in favor of the billet filter mount (P/N 22-625), which I later came to realize was overkill when I could use a forged one (Mocal RFH1B). Most people use cast, but I’m not a huge fan of cast aluminum when other options are available for a little bit more money.

I posted a question on SR20Forum about the inline filter as mentioned earlier, and had a friend mention the CM unit. I started to look deeper into it, and it can filter down to 8-micron particles and i supposed to maintain flow every well even after capturing matter. They recommend changing the element every 10,000 street miles, which is probably about a season of autocross and a few HPDE’s. I would have to play with it some to figure out the change frequency.

posted by 2fass240us on Aug 22

A friend pointed me to a used race parts website the other day since he knew I was looking for oil cooler parts, and I saw a Peterson inline oil filter for sale. Curious about what this was, particularly since I haven’t heard much about them, I dug deeper by visiting Peterson’s filter page. Wow, what a piece of race-bling! Upon giving it comes thought, I came up with a Pro/Con list:

Pros
1) Cheaper in the long run since I don’t have to keep replacing spin-on filters
2) Less pressure drop across the filter (good for stock oil pump)
3) Larger filtration area (19.63 in² for K&N HP-1003 and 32.99 in² for Peterson 09-0461); this could be partially solved by using a larger spin-on filter with a remote mount
4) Fewer fittings, thus fewer potential leak points than a standard remote mount with female 1/2″ NPT fittings and -AN adapters threaded in

Cons
A) More of a pain to clean the element than replace a spin-on
B) May need to clean after every track weekend to ensure clogging doesn’t occur
C) Filtration isn’t as good (K&N lists “10-20 micron” for the filter and the Peterson uses a 60-micron element)

I spoke with Kevin at Peterson and he sold me on these things. I am unclear on one point though: which is better at filtration? He mentioned that the Peterson filters are more consistent in their filtration as they use a stainless steel mesh versus the coated paper of the spin-ons. But with the filtration down to “10-20 microns” versus the 60 from Peterson, wouldn’t that mean that the K&N effectively cleared out more crap?

I spoke with a friend I met on FreshAlloy who I call a few times a year, and he seems to like the idea. He mentioned using these on some shop drift cars, but mentioned the lack of bypass with the units they employed. As it happens, Peterson offers their 400-series with an internal bypass. According to Kevin, it uses a 10-ish pound spring that uses pressure differential to route fluid around the filter element. This is good for cooler oil that is at a higher pressure before it warms up, or in case the filter element clogs. Sounds like a good option to me. Despite the fact that there is a brief period of time the oil isn’t being filtered, it provides more protection to the engine than the non-bypass version.

Pros and cons aside, the inline filter would be a nice piece in the engine bay, and the Pros currently outweigh the Cons. The ability to have fewer fluid connections has me leaning heavily toward the inline filter now, but I am waiting for a few more “experts” to chime in.