say, what if you have a set-up to run lines for an oil cooler but you don't have the oil cooler, but you do have a radiator already in the car for an automatic. (the car is a 5-speed loyale) could you run the oil through the tranny cooler and expect it to work? (since the manual tranny doesn't need a cooler and the tranny cooler is just sitting there all unused and everything)

It should work.

 

I don't know how effective it will be (oil coolers typically pull in a sub-100F air stream, as opposed to the 180F or so coolant), but it should help keep oil temps a bit more stable.

 

-=Russ=-

Here's a variant on the original:

 

Would it be better to:

 

Add a seperate oil cooler.

Find a bigger radiator to make the cooling not so marginal.

Find a way to modify the front / grill / etc to let more air flow throught the existing rad?

i think the engine oil may be to thick to use the tranny cooler in the radiator.. atleast its quite a bit thicker then atf.. being that the oil and coolant passages in the head are so close together I would imagine them having some effect on each other no matter what.. If I gather some motivation and a thermostatic oil coulper with an output and input i plan on using a 2nd gen rx7 oil cooler.. large capacity and aluminum construction that polished nicely

 

speaking of modifying the front.. thats what i did.. notched front bumper and opened up the grill.. all summer long in desert heat with the a/c blasting.. maybe one of the only ea82's in vegas that can... who knows

+1 on the RX7 oil cooler. easy way to go, junkyard guys dont even know about em so they are ALL on there still. weve got three or four of them up at the shop :- )

i would not use the radiator cooler, i don't even use them for my ATF. dedicated is much better. the radiator gets hot and stays hot. i'd get a dedicated oil cooler if you want one.

if tranny cooler is on cool side of radiator (I believe it is). The ambience of oil and anifreeze together sounds like a good idea. The lines that have to run to cooler also are another cooler. I wonder if oil pump can handle the extra distance...