Midget 1500 oil cooler
Discussion
Oil pressure is dropping on long motorway journeys in the heat, not disasterously low, but lower than it would be when cold, and it keeps creeping down over time. So thinking an oil cooler is possibly a good start.
Anyone fitted one? Looked at a few that fit by scrweing on an thermostat to the oil filter mounting so the oil is either sent through the filter an back to engine (when cold) or diverted via a radiator.
Seems like the cheepest/easiest way of doing things. Is it? Or is there a set of pipes I can fiddle with on the engine to divert oil via a thermostat/radiator?
The engines coming out soon for a clutch change so would like to do it at the same time to make life easy.
Anyone fitted one? Looked at a few that fit by scrweing on an thermostat to the oil filter mounting so the oil is either sent through the filter an back to engine (when cold) or diverted via a radiator.
Seems like the cheepest/easiest way of doing things. Is it? Or is there a set of pipes I can fiddle with on the engine to divert oil via a thermostat/radiator?
The engines coming out soon for a clutch change so would like to do it at the same time to make life easy.
Get a 10 row oil cooler fitted, they make a big difference. I took out the engine in my midget years a go to fit another (that had come out of a lowish milage Spit) and put one on. It always held good pressure (between 50-60psi) and when I took the engine out to strip it and have fancy things done to it the big end bearing shells weren't worn badly at all after 80k (at least) of enthusiastic use. By comparison the old engine had 55k on it (i think, was a long time ago mow) but the wear was huge).
If your taking the engine out anyway fit it, if you also taking it out maybe renew the bearing shells too, seems churlish not to do it if the engine is out and you have the time.
If your taking the engine out anyway fit it, if you also taking it out maybe renew the bearing shells too, seems churlish not to do it if the engine is out and you have the time.
engine is only 15,000miles since a complete(ish) rebuild with oil changes every 3000miles since running in, I suspect theres a slightly leaky exhaust valve guide (smoke for the first 10-20seconds when fired up) but other than that (and a noisy exhaust, possible gasket? which I am going to fix) its faultless so dont want to go inside it if I don't have to.
Where does the thermostat go though, and where can I get one from? I guess these ones that scrwe into the filter mount wont be available as halfords wont even stock filters for them anymore! I'm sold on the idea, just not entirely sure how to go about it.
Where does the thermostat go though, and where can I get one from? I guess these ones that scrwe into the filter mount wont be available as halfords wont even stock filters for them anymore! I'm sold on the idea, just not entirely sure how to go about it.
Car's back on the road for the summer, so bumping the thread.
I can find a filter take off addapter plate from the MGOC, Oil coolers are easy to come by, but thermostats are confusing me. Anyone recomend one and where to get it? The MGOC setup just seems to be a straight through system with 100% of the oil being cooled, which surely isn't a good thing, especialy in winter or on shorter runs where it wont let the oil come upto temperature.
I can find a filter take off addapter plate from the MGOC, Oil coolers are easy to come by, but thermostats are confusing me. Anyone recomend one and where to get it? The MGOC setup just seems to be a straight through system with 100% of the oil being cooled, which surely isn't a good thing, especialy in winter or on shorter runs where it wont let the oil come upto temperature.
This is a word of advice up to you if you take it.
Oil coolers are in my opinion of limited value, as a bit of an example of this, UK spec MGBs all come with an oil cooler as standard, US Cal spec cars (California being quite warm) were generally not supplied with oil cooler or overdrive, much warmer climate, prolonged driving at higher revs due to no overdrive, sitting in bigger traffic jams and generally drivers with little mechanical sympathy. All you would think prime points for having a cooler fitted, yet they didn't suffer at all, indeed I suspect more British engines have been lost with burst/damaged coolers or pipes and suffered the annoying weeps from unions and coolers.
After that boring bit of background I run a 1500 engine that was built rather scarily around 20 years ago now by Oselli, it was expensive but the engine is fantastic. Very very lively and has been utterly reliable. Has been used for circa 50-60k of road driving, too many hillclimbs to mention and literally hundreds of autotests with minimal mechanical sympathy and just regular oil changes. It still runs fantastic oil pressure (80psi tickover cold, 60-65psi hot running, circa 40psi hot tickover) on 10/40 oil (not the recommended oil but has proven to be a good choice on this engine which benefits from a very high pressure oil system as standard, apparently the reason no oil pressure gauge was fitted at the factory due to fearing drivers bringing cars back to be repaired when they were functioning correctly, and the thinner oil has the benefit of getting round the engine far better when cold eliminating some of the harmful cold start damage).
There is no oil cooler on that engine and nor have I ever felt the need to fit one, it sits in the traffic at the california cup silverstone most years, ticking over in 30+ degrees and then being thrashed around the tarmac without complaint.
Many years ago I had a 1275 which I stupidly fitted a used oil cooler to, I lost 2 engines before I realised the cooler had swarf in it, so if you do fit a cooler kit make sure everything is brand new, not cheap chinese junk and scrupulously clean.
A lot of the problems 1500 engines give are from bottom ends that are out of line, people comment about it being a weak engine however I suspect the issue is just core shift in a few blocks, it seems you get a good 1500 and it's bullet proof (with care) get a bad one and it is never right, you can try line boring it but I would be more inclined to take advantage of the fact they are still stupidly cheap on ebay and pick an engine or 2 up for around £50 each and if you have one fail due to bottom end issues strip it for bits and chuck the junk and fit your new engine.
Oil coolers are in my opinion of limited value, as a bit of an example of this, UK spec MGBs all come with an oil cooler as standard, US Cal spec cars (California being quite warm) were generally not supplied with oil cooler or overdrive, much warmer climate, prolonged driving at higher revs due to no overdrive, sitting in bigger traffic jams and generally drivers with little mechanical sympathy. All you would think prime points for having a cooler fitted, yet they didn't suffer at all, indeed I suspect more British engines have been lost with burst/damaged coolers or pipes and suffered the annoying weeps from unions and coolers.
After that boring bit of background I run a 1500 engine that was built rather scarily around 20 years ago now by Oselli, it was expensive but the engine is fantastic. Very very lively and has been utterly reliable. Has been used for circa 50-60k of road driving, too many hillclimbs to mention and literally hundreds of autotests with minimal mechanical sympathy and just regular oil changes. It still runs fantastic oil pressure (80psi tickover cold, 60-65psi hot running, circa 40psi hot tickover) on 10/40 oil (not the recommended oil but has proven to be a good choice on this engine which benefits from a very high pressure oil system as standard, apparently the reason no oil pressure gauge was fitted at the factory due to fearing drivers bringing cars back to be repaired when they were functioning correctly, and the thinner oil has the benefit of getting round the engine far better when cold eliminating some of the harmful cold start damage).
There is no oil cooler on that engine and nor have I ever felt the need to fit one, it sits in the traffic at the california cup silverstone most years, ticking over in 30+ degrees and then being thrashed around the tarmac without complaint.
Many years ago I had a 1275 which I stupidly fitted a used oil cooler to, I lost 2 engines before I realised the cooler had swarf in it, so if you do fit a cooler kit make sure everything is brand new, not cheap chinese junk and scrupulously clean.
A lot of the problems 1500 engines give are from bottom ends that are out of line, people comment about it being a weak engine however I suspect the issue is just core shift in a few blocks, it seems you get a good 1500 and it's bullet proof (with care) get a bad one and it is never right, you can try line boring it but I would be more inclined to take advantage of the fact they are still stupidly cheap on ebay and pick an engine or 2 up for around £50 each and if you have one fail due to bottom end issues strip it for bits and chuck the junk and fit your new engine.
Well done
Without the technical knowledge of WO I've questioned the need for oil coolers on road going non-towing Midgets and Bs and have been ridiculed, I think it's a crowd following thing
I think Spoon you need to address the cause of this and your other problems on the car, I only know starting with the basics and then moving on
I think you've also put elsewhere that your car struggles to do 70 mph, that sounds like fitting an oil cooler would be a waste, the problems may not be entirely or at all from the engine itself
I think you know my advice or must have seen it on other threads so I'll shut up from now
Without the technical knowledge of WO I've questioned the need for oil coolers on road going non-towing Midgets and Bs and have been ridiculed, I think it's a crowd following thing
I think Spoon you need to address the cause of this and your other problems on the car, I only know starting with the basics and then moving on
I think you've also put elsewhere that your car struggles to do 70 mph, that sounds like fitting an oil cooler would be a waste, the problems may not be entirely or at all from the engine itself
I think you know my advice or must have seen it on other threads so I'll shut up from now
If a 1500 is struggling to do 70 then there is something very amiss somewhere, either the car has a very short diff fitted or it's a very ill engine, to put it in to perspective my car which did have OD and 3.7 diff fitted of course also has the Midget comedy speedo, in an effort to find the actual top speed we had a friend run in front of us in a modern car with accurate speedo (on track of course) at around 5k in top he hits the hazards and starts slowing down, confused we come to a stop, apparently we had gone over 115mph and we were still pulling, he was terrified at the prospect of a 120mph Midget.
The 1500 is a cracking engine but there are plenty of bad ones.
The 1500 is a cracking engine but there are plenty of bad ones.
alfa pint said:
My mother has done a summer 70 mile commute each day in her 1500 Midget at legal speeds for the last 20 years. No oil cooler fitted. Oil temp and pressure has never been a problem (just everything else at one point or another!)
thank you, if I can remember this I will quote it next time I see oil cooler requiredGassing Station | MG | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff