[DeTomaso] Remote oil filter setup

Christopher Kimball chrisvkimball at msn.com
Mon May 4 17:24:20 EDT 2009


Mike Valee's car caught on fire midway to the Fun Rally last year for the same reason, I think.  The hot oil spraying on the headers caught fire and damaged the paint on his rear deck.  Fortunately there was no other serious damage.

 

Nothing like looking in your rear view mirror and seeing flames.

 

Sincerely,

 

Chris (who saw flames when my oil-soaked air filter went up in smoke as a result of a backfire...)
 

 

 
> From: MikeLDrew at aol.com
> Date: Mon, 4 May 2009 17:14:26 -0400
> To: julian_kift at hotmail.com; charlesmccall at gmail.com; boyd411 at gmail.com; detomaso at realbig.com
> Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Remote oil filter setup
> 
> 
> In a message dated 5/4/09 13 42 5, julian_kift at hotmail.com writes:
> 
> 
> > Boyd came back offline and is apparently also installing an oil cooler, 
> > but as a standalone I don't see a remote filter offering many advantages, 
> > unless you are running a high performance motor that calls for a dual 
> > filtration set up. The oil lines add complexity, increase oil pump load and add 
> > the risk of leaks or failure.
> > 
> > >>>Amen brother. As an added feature, they can also lead to fires. A 
> > PCNC member was running his Pantera at the Virginia City Hillclimb some 
> > years ago; being a 'racer' he went for the obligatory dual remote oil filter 
> > setup, mounted on the camber bar. The thing failed, spraying hot oil on the 
> > exhaust, and he crossed the finish line with a big ball of fire coming out 
> > of the engine bay! Fortunately there was a fire truck right there, and the 
> > damage to the car was limited.
> > 
> But it was all so unnecessary....
> > 
> > >On my oil cooler I'm opting for an Earl's sandwich plate, that sits 
> > between the block and filter moving the filter out maybe an inch, but nominally 
> > in the stock location. The oil cooler lines run straight out the sandwich 
> > plate and the nice part is that the sandwich plate includes a built in oil 
> > thermostat, so plumbing is kept to a minimum, one line out to the oil cooler 
> > and one back.
> > 
> >>>Excellent idea. I have that exact setup on my GT350 and Cobra, both 
> with air-to-oil coolers, and it works great. The thermostat keeps the cooler 
> from over-cooling the oil.
> > 
> > >I'm looking at feeding the two oil lines straight into the cab and out of 
> > the bottom of the car under the center console 
> > 
> >>>Probably not such a good idea, as it will cause an enormous increase in 
> cockpit temperatures. It's possible to route hard lines under the car, 
> parallel to the water pipes, and that's what I plan to do.
> 
> 
> > to the laminova oil cooler I will mount in place of a portion of the 
> > under car water tube. I've looked at it closely and think it's doable, with the 
> > addition of a custom skid plate under the oil cooler.
> > 
> > >>>A couple of things:
> 
> First, my earlier comments were geared towards more traditional air/oil 
> coolers, where the sole function of the unit is to reduce oil temperatures. 
> You don't want to do that when the oil is still cold, hence the need for a 
> thermostatic adapter.
> 
> Realize that the Laminova unit is not an oil cooler. It is a water-to-oil 
> heat EXCHANGER, meaning that its initial job (and maybe even its most 
> important job) is to heat up the oil (since the water increases in temperature 
> faster than the oil), and only after the engine is working hard, does its role 
> reverse and it then sheds engine oil heat into the cooling system. By 
> using a thermostatic adapter, you would be negating what is arguably the 
> greater fuction of the Laminova unit. A non-thermostatic adapter should always 
> be used with these things (and as a bonus, it's substantially less 
> expensive).
> 
> Chris Difani and I have looked hard at the underside of the Pantera, and it 
> just doesn't look very practical to mount the Laminova in the place of part 
> of the under-car water pipes; there just isn't enough room, and the oil 
> lines would be dangerously vulnerable from below. However, there is a ton of 
> room behind the radiator (even with a stock stand-up design), and it will be 
> a fairly simple matter to replace a portion of one of the pipes that leads 
> from the radiator to the under-car pipes, with a Laminova unit. A pair of 
> hard lines (rather similar to the brake vacuum hard line) will be routed 
> alongside the water pipes, with short flex hoses connecting the lines to the 
> cooler up front, and the engine adapter out back. Earl's fittings will be 
> used throughout.
> 
> We're working on designing a complete package for the Pantera; we've got s
> ix or eight coolers, which I've dismantled and thoroughly cleaned out; Chris 
> is machining them to accept -10 fittings, replacing any tired seals, and 
> then pressure-testing them to ensure their intregity. After the Reno event, 
> my car will serve as the guinea pig, and once the concept has been proven, a 
> complete kit will be offered up for those who want to follow suit.
> 
> Johnny Woods and Geoff Peters in the UK have already spoken for two of 
> them; Stephane Bergeron in Paris has also taken two, and Charlie McCall is 
> getting one but only with the proviso that I have to fly to Spain and help him 
> install it. :>)
> 
> Mike
> 
> 
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