Thread:

oil cooler or not?

got my stock build 460 with factory d3s in the boat and got it to the water this afternoon. great times and big smiles the whole day. varying rpms so i can set in the rings.

put an oil temp in the pan so i can monitor it. also im using the melling HV pump with an external filter. i did heavy porting to the adapters on both sides since they were very restrictive. i am still running about 7' -8 rubber hose to the filter which i dont like, but need to decide about the cooler before i stainless hard line -10 or -12 in. also waiting for my baldwin253 filter for fitment. i also added a spacer inside the spring in the pump bypass. i added a .085 thick stack of two washers and gained a bench test deadhead pressure rise from 72psi to 84.5psi. oiling was my main concern all day so i watched very closely.

started off idling in circles until temp was to 160. took a cruise at about 3k rpm for 8 minutes and stopped to check. oil was at 185deg. pressure was at 64 manual rear gauge and 55 dash electric gauge. let it cool to about 100deg while having a beer. took it to 3500 for a min and then 1800 no wake zone for about 10 mins. less than 140 deg at the sandy beach(no wake zone, saguaro lake AZ). idle is showing 35psi front 45psi rear. on the way out same thing. idle till no wake ended. pedal to the floor turning 4800rpm. held that at 60 psi front until it started dropping. when it hit 40 front 48 rear i dropped to 3800 rpm and gauges stayed at the same pressure. oil temp was at 235. varied from 3800-4800 and pressure stayed the same. got back to the trailer and let it cool down to 165deg and punched it one last time. right back to 65psi at any rpm above plain. never dipped below 40 psi front gauge and 48 psi rear whole time.

235 max deg seems acceptable but the related pressure drop (less than 10x psi: rpm-k)worries me. also i dont know if it would climb higher with extended time in higher rpms since i still have a break in process to do and shouldnt hold it open to find out.

Thoughts??

thanks
Joe

it was non stop from cove to the dock so i would assume about 14 mins. i dropped the R's a bit until they were just under the oil psi x100. that is when i looked at the temp. the pressure dropped in about 3 mins though so thats when i backed off throttle

Originally Posted by Moneypit

What, exactly are you still breaking in? Putting through the no wake zone is no way to break in a flat tappet cam, and if your rings aren't seated yet they're not going to...... Who built this motor?
Ray
PS "breaking in" a properly assembled performance engine is like buying a new watch and leaving it ticking on the dresser for 2 weeks.....

this is no way a performance engine. also the cam isnt new. i am a novice to say the least when engine building is concerned. but with everything i have to start somewhere. with that i built this engine.

Originally Posted by $uperJoe

got my stock build 460 with factory d3s in the boat and got it to the water this afternoon. great times and big smiles the whole day. varying rpms so i can set in the rings.

being said i am erring on the side of caution, since my doubts of my abilities are still weighing over my competence of engine building.
i dont want a 70mph boat yet. i want days of fun on the water with friends and family.

moneypit do you have any thoughts on the oil temp question?

thanks for the replies guys. ill just keep an eye on it. if i wander above 250 for some duration ill look to you for a cooler rex. also the burnt oil would be a good indicator as well. when i check the stick ill give it a smell each time as well. thanks money.

these were my assumptions but didnt want to hint others answers so im glad you guys stepped up first.

about 3 mins till it started to creep down. its inversely related to the temp creeping up. it will hold 45psi at 235deg. it will hold that from about 3200-4800rpm. thats all the motor i have though, on a rebuilt "A" 12jc. nothing special except hyd place.

if the oil is at 160 or below it will hit 65psi at anything above 2200rpm and idles at 35psi at 900-1100 bouncing

what wt. oil are you useing? it sounds like you barely warm it up & it looses pressure . the weight might be too light.?