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MG MGB Technical - '75 MGB with no oil cooler. Is this normal?

I recently ran across a very nice, original '75 MGB. It's paint is still good although the plastic rear windows need to be replaced. I was surprised to see that the car had no oil cooler. A rubber hose goes from the block to the oil filter. There are rubber plugs in the radiator core support where the cooler's hoses would pass through. Even without a cooler, the car still carries just over the 75 pound mark on the oil pressure gage on the road during a 20 mile run, and just under 50 lbs at idle. I think the coolers are such a good idea that I mounted one on my MGA several years ago. Ambient temperatures here are over 80F now, and will top 100F in the summer. I had never seen a "B" without a cooler. Were some MGBs made without them?
Chuck Asbury

Chuck, no worries. I run a V8 with no cooler. I used to have a 4 with no cooler. Modern oils are fine at slightly higher temps. Additionally, you don't have a gunked-up cooler to dirty your oil. Really, don't sweat it. Not sure I understand what you mean by rubber hose to the OF though ... you mean they just have a remote filter setup? ... if so, again, no sweat.
Bill Withum

Sounds like it had one and somebody took it off! On "B" series engines with no oil cooler there is a metal pipe connecting the feed to the filter. The fact that you have a rubber hose here probably means that somebody had a short one made up to by pass the cooler when it was removed.
T J C Cuthill

The thing that makes me think this may be a factory installation, complete with the rubber hose, is the plugs in the radiator core support. They appear to be weathered about the same as all the other rubber under the hood. The car has the standard spin on oil filter of the era, not the old cartridge type like my MGA started out with.
Chuck Asbury

I don't have access to my books here at work, but I'm almost certain a '75 would have had an oil cooler when made. I suspect the cooler got damaged, and was removed. I wouldn't worry about that as in my opinion the MGB doesn't need one. I know Scotland is a bit cooler than where you are in summer, but I have a thermostatic valve on my cooler, and it hardly ever operates (it's meant to open the cooler at 85 celsius). The strange thing is, the midget really needs an oil cooler but didn't get one. The B doesn't, and did. As TJC said, if no cooler had been fitted at the factory, there would be a metal pipe linking the two unions.

Mike


Mike Howlett

Chuck,

I have a '77 MGB that never had an oil cooler. I also had a '74 1/2 that didn't have one (it had been removed). As long as your cooling system is up to date and you use a good quality oil, no problem. I run Castrol GTX 20W/50 in high temps in the summer with no problems. But I did have a cheaper brand break down on a 100o F day last summer, on a highway trip. You know when this happens; the oil pressure drops-- it went to 10psi on my MGA when this happened. I limped home, let it cool and changed the oil to Castrol the next day. No problems since.

I change the oil every Spring and every Fall.

My brother lives in Overland Park-- it is hot there already!

Ira Charles ("Chuck") Spector
Ira Spector

I know that my MGA, which has a '68 MGB engine, will have oil pressure about 10 PSIg higher with the oil cooler fitted than it will without. This MGB that I found last week runs better oil pressure than my MGA EVER has, even with a fresh overhaul 33 yeara ago.
Chuck Asbury

Chuck, The oil cooler was deleted fo North American cars in Dec 74 at the beginning of 75 model year. Reference is Clausager's Original MGB page 149. The hose you have is Moss part 435-585 Hose, filter head to to block used when oil cooler not fitted. FWIW I ran my 74 roadster for over three years without an oil cooler. Actually the oil pressure was a little higher than with the cooler. I'm sure the oil ran a little hotter but I couldn't detect any difference in engine coolant temperature. Anyway I never had any problems as result of not running a cooler. I think if the car is run for hours at over 4,000 rpms the oil cooler would help. Strange, the oil coler was considered essential prior to 75 and all of a sudden it's not needed on 75's which probably ran a little higher temperature due to the emissions equipment. Or was it on the early MG's as a sales feature because the competition didn't have? Clifton
Clifton Gordon

My '76 MGB does not have one but my '73 GT does.
Kirk Knutsen

my gt le has no oil cooler dont think it over heats then again the temperature gauge does not work so how would i know.
lol

I'm not surprised those with MGAs need a cooler. The engine compartment on the A is much more enclosed than on a B and overheating can be an issue.
Mike Howlett

My MG guru informs me that many people keep their old oil cooler after an engine change.

As it is impossible to get all of the metal out of the cooler, the filings circulate back to grind down the new rings, making a future engine change again likely.

Since there is no genuine need for a cooler (at least in this area), many have been advised to simply remove it during a rebuild.
Dan

Chuck, how could the pressure be higher with vs. without an oil cooler? It might keep the oil _cooler_, but there's no way that's obvious to me that it would cause a difference in pressure.
Ted

As Clifton states, only the earliest RB cars in the US had the oil cooler as standard equipment - then it became an option (that apparently wasn't too popular). The rubber hose you mention is original. Earlier 'Bs had a metal bypass pipe - later cars used rubber. That's what was on my '78 until I added the cooler.
One reason I added the cooler was to get rid of that rubber bypass hose. It was always in the way...
J.G. Reed

In answer to Ted of NH: The cooler the oil, the thicker it is. The thicker it is, the higher the oil pressure will be. That's why almost any car will show higher oil pressure when it is first started on a cool morning than it will once it is warmed up. I suspect that Mike Howlett above has the correct idea about the MGA being much hotter under the bonnet. I ran the MGB engine in my MGA for two years before adding the oil cooler. The difference in oil pressure was immediately noticable. Remember, your oil pressure gage is not an indicator of oil level, until it's too late.

Thanks to all of the above for your answers to my question.
Chuck Asbury

Chuck,
My Ex-Califorian '75 had never been fitted with a cooler either. BL were on some mad economy drive back then, no oil cooler , no stabilizer bars etc..
Got them now though!
If the back window isn't actually cracked/torn, meerly fogged you may be able to clean it up. I recently found that a plastic lens cleaning solution (for my eyeglasses) worked well. You can get this stuff from most opticians. Just spay on and rubb (and rub and rub)with a soft cloth.
Peter

1979 B in Philadelphia has no oil cooler
K Tarves

Hi,
My 1980 MGB never had a cooler and probably never will.

Cec
Cec

Useful tip about the oil cooler being changed at engine rebuild. Had heard it before but forgotten it.

I *think* the marina used the B seies engine without an oil cooler, therefore it is not imperative to have one fitted to this engine. I can't think it would be needed unless you are very heavy right footed, in v warm climes etc.

Certainly i think in the cold weather it is more of a hinderence and an inline thermostat would make sense - these sell for about £15 at the moment i think.

~PHIL
Phil

This thread was discussed between 15/04/2003 and 19/04/2003

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