MG-Cars.net

Welcome to our resource for MG Car Information.

Recommendations

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG Midget and Sprite Technical - 1500 oil cooler

Can you rotate a horizontally mounted oil cooler so that it is mounted vertically?
I have a feeling that it won't work but it would make fitting it much easier if it did.
BH Harvey

yep, can't see why not. Only thought is if the flow is somehow directed top to bottom as it is in a rad, then it might be slightly less efficient.
Rob Armstrong

The oil flowing through an oil cooler is IN then OUT. So on the face of things it doesn't car which way is up. However, conventionally the inlet and outlet are at the top of the cooler (like a mocal/serck cooler). However if a cooler is mounted vertically so the inlet is at the top and outlet at the bottom the oil will flow through the cooler as designed when the engine is running. However, I suspect that once the engine has been switched off gravity will ensure all the oil flows OUT of the OUTLET. So, what happens when the engine next starts up (with or without a thermostat). At some point the oil pump is pumping a lot of oil to fill the cooler and their is a corresponding pressure drop.

Or am I talking rubbish? In fact I'm hypothesising and would I recommend is that you first ask the oil cooler manufacturer what they think. Secondly I think you might want a non-standard oil cooler, that is one that has both fittings at the top but when the top is the shortest rather than longest side.

Finally, there's usually room for a regular installation would resorting to non-standard solutions.
Daniel Thirteen-Twelve

You could but why would you want to?

There's lots of room behind the grille in between the horns for a cooler. If it was mounted vertically, have it pointing down so as has been said, the oil won't possibly reverse flow when the engine is off
Clive Reddin

I mounted my cooler vertically on my frogeye next to the radiator. Its been there for many years and I have had no problems. Its difficult to mount it in any other place with a metal bonnet. Its fed via the fresh air intake. I recall this was the recommended place stated in a BMC tuning manual.
Bob Beaumont

I have mine mounted vertically on the RH side of the offside rad support on the racecar (A series, no splashguards).
When I do an oil change I always have to crack the lower fitting and drain the cooler, so it does not empty itself under gravity. If it did, the oil would need to be replaced with air, and there's nowhere for the air to get in, so it doesn't.
David Smith

"You could but why would you want to?"

I got a bit carried away with an angle grinder and have lost the front valance structure which used to support the cooler (hence my need for a flip front in my other thread).

I'll mount it and see what happens. I think I have an oil pressure gauge somewhere, so I can monitor that.

Thanks
BH Harvey

Id think that if you pull the lower hose then bend it at the tip of the oil rad the oil wouldnt run out...or if the oil rad is lower then the oil connections on the block then the oil wouldnt run out ither

Prop and the Blackhole Midget

Btw.... How is the crasg rebuild comming along, have you it painted yet
Prop and the Blackhole Midget

I'm reluctant to put too much money into cosmetics without sorting out the structure. And as the structure (sills & tunnel) is in fairly poor condition I will probably leave it in brushed-on-white. It looks good from 20m.



BH Harvey

Daniel 13/12 is correct, to my knowledge there is no non return valve built into an oil cooler. If the cooler is higher that the oil level in the sump, the oil will definitely drain back and settle at the level of the sump. It doesn't matter if it's horizontal or vertical. The answer is to mount it horizontally and low, e.g. in the place the factory puts them, which should be below the sump level
Rod
R W Bowers

depends on the routing of the hoses; oil is too thick for a syphon effect.
David Smith

David, three things:
This isn't a siphon
How thick is hot oil?
Why do they put non-return valves in oil filters?
IMHO the oil will definitely drain back hot or cold if the oil cooler is above the sump level.

Hope this helps
R W Bowers

Rod,
oil whether hot or cold, does not run up hill, so to repeat myself *it depends on the routing of the hoses*. To spell it out, the cooler can be above sump level but if the hoses go even higher then the oil will not drain from the cooler back into the sump. And the hoses usually do go higher, either through the factory holes in the upper part of the splash shield, or level with the top of the inner wing if no splash guard.
Oil filters are irrelevant to this discussion, but to spell it out again (even though I believe you know the answer already), *some* oil filters have non-return valves where the application has it mounted horizontal or upside down, or indeed anything other than hanging vertically. And as we all know the A series Spridget engine has it handging vertically therefore doesn't needs a non-return valve.
David Smith

"Why do they put non-return valves in oil filters?"

I didn't know that they did, if they do then the oil in the cooler cannot flow back into the sump as it would have to go the wrong way back through the filter.
BH Harvey

This thread was discussed between 06/09/2012 and 10/09/2012

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG Midget and Sprite Technical BBS is active now.