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    m20 oil cooler /oil flow

    Need to take the cooler temp. out. Can I just block off 2 ports in the filter housing or the bypass needs to be made for the proper oil flow? My understanding is that the valve in the housing is closed until the oil is hot. Once the oil is hot, is d the cooler circuit/path the only one available or the oil still goes in its pre-hot circuit/path?

    #2
    Yes, the oil will heat up and there's a valve that closes off the flow internally and forces it to the cooler line. You can cut the pin off the oil thermostat (that adjusts the flow) inside the housing to keep it flowing through the engine no matter what. You can't just take the thermostat out, as the thermostat is also the valve. You'll see it when you're in there, the thermostat comes out of the housing where the C clip is. If you heat it up and cut the pin off the valve it'll stay in the cold position no matter what.

    I had to do this on a roadtrip from San Francisco to Atlanta, when one of my oil cooler lines got a hole in it. I found the cap plugs at two different NAPAs and just capped the lines and cut off the pin of the oil thermostat. Made a huge mess in front of my friends house in Los Angeles, but the car got back to Atlanta without any issues. I then drove through Las Vegas when it was 105* and the oil temperature was the same as it'd been for the year and a half before with my VDO oil temperature sensor in a sandwich plate behind the oil filter. Pressure was the same too.
    Last edited by rzmoser; 02-10-2019, 12:50 PM.

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      #3
      You can't just block off two ports they must be connected to each other unless you mod the internal bits

      Best way is to get the housing without oil cooler lines (there are actually two types) if you want to delete the oil cooler I don't see why you'd want to destroy the thermostat.
      Last edited by digger; 02-10-2019, 03:20 PM.
      89 E30 325is Lachs Silber - currently M20B31, M20B33 in the works, stroked to the hilt...

      new build thread http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=317505

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        #4
        Best thing to do is grab the oil filter adapter from an eta block and put it where the oil cooler sandwich plate used to be.

        IG @turbovarg
        '91 318is, M20 turbo
        [CoTM: 4-18]
        '94 525iT slicktop, M50B30 + S362SX-E, 600WHP DD or bust
        - updated 1-26

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          #5
          But make sure it clears the headers with space to unscrew .....
          89 E30 325is Lachs Silber - currently M20B31, M20B33 in the works, stroked to the hilt...

          new build thread http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=317505

          Comment


            #6
            I wasn't planning to remove the oil cooler. Just wanted to prime the engine on the stand and possibly start it this way to break in the cam once installed. My primer setup won't let the intern. shaft gear bearing to be installed and its easier to prime/assemble everything on the stand anyway. I guess I will have to leave the bearing out until the engine installed/cooler hooked up.

            BTW, my old differential cover bolts very perfect fit to cover those filter block cooler line ports....for what it worth

            Comment


              #7
              In that case you can block it off at ports as I think the thermostat opening blocks the flow but that's not relevant to you
              89 E30 325is Lachs Silber - currently M20B31, M20B33 in the works, stroked to the hilt...

              new build thread http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=317505

              Comment

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