Corsa 16v oil cooler same as the nova 1600 8v

[therealnovaboy]

Found an oil cooler on ebay and was checking if the corsa one will fit the nova 8v block. i cant see how it wont but thought id better check before ordering. Also does anyone no the thread size/type for the nova oil filter.

The listing on ebay is VAUXHALL CORSA GSI SRI SXI MOCAL 13 - 19 ROW ENGINE OIL COOLER KIT MLR.SE

cheers

[Nailen]

It does fit I have been looking at the same kit myself mate

[meritlover]

if you are fitting an oil cooler, make sure you specify a sandwich plate with a thermostat. that listing seems to have it as an optional extra.

[therealnovaboy]

I was going to merit lover. Im thinking of going for the 16 row with the stat. anyone know/ have pictures of a 16 row cooler fitted behind a sport/early mk1 front bumper.

[meritlover]

what kind of exhaust manifold do you run? and is there enough space when you add the sandwich plate to prevent the filter clashing the downpipes and roasting the oil in the top of the filter?

[therealnovaboy]

should be ok off the top of my head cos the four branches comes down to the LHS and meet where the raised bit on the sump is. I dont think the exhaust gos anywhere near it.

[meritlover]

Be aware, as with all oil coolers with thermostatic valves that these will not be primed until the thermostat opens (which may be a considerably long time after initial installation) even with the engine up to full temp the stat will not open and the cooler and pipework will be empty.
Probably during the first hard run, as the stat finally opens, the oil pressure will drop and the engine oil galleries will be force fed with nothing but warm air until the cooler is full. by this time its likely you will be panning for white metal flakes in your sump.
if your engine is lucky enough to survive the low pressure, the oil level will have dropped in the sump as it fills which may cause surge in the next corner.

A sensible thing would be for them to be manufactured with a very small R.O so that the cooler remains filled at all times and the pump can maintain pressure as the bypass oil circulates. However, I have never seen a sandwich plate with this design.

[therealnovaboy]

Would a 16 row cooler be way over spec for an 8v. Ive notced the rally build only used a 13 row?

[meritlover]

Does the rally build use a thermostatic plate? i would suspect it would not be required on a rally car as its always beans out.
with a thermostatic valve it really doesnt matter so much, you can always cover 3 rows with tape if you do find yourself over cooling at least you have the ability then to remove the tape and instantly upgrade your cooler on a warm day.

[therealnovaboy]

I know what your saying but ive read that the 13 row is fit for up to 200hp on the road and 150bhp on the track. At the end of the day ill be lucky if i ever see 150hp on the track. It may well be extra weight and cost for no reason. Im not sure if the rally build dose use an oil stat but even if it doesnt it would be adequate for 150hp full beans for a stage at a time.

If I have an oil stat the oil is never going to be too cold regardless of the size of the cooler.

I hear what your saying about the priming of the oil cooler. I suppose all I can do is fill the cooler and pipework with as much oil as possible before fitting. Id need to keep the cooler low down before Its mounted then fill it with oil. Then you can mount it with the hoses fitted and filled with oil. It would only be a tiny bit between the fitting and the stat with air in. youll never be able to bleed it completely without another hole in the top of the cooler.

[therealnovaboy]

Can anyone advise me whether to go for the 13 or 16 row cooler. The 16 row is an extra tenner.

cheers

[mowgli]

go for what you can afford.

re the filling it with oil, you could fit a tee piece in the top fitting on the cooler, with a bleed/blanking cap, then you could fill it with oil from an oil can. fitting one on the bottom fitting will also help with draining it for service/removal, a lot of jcb stuff has a drain point on the oil cooler

[therealnovaboy]

I did think about that mowgli. I don't think I'll ever get all the air out with a t piece. the t would have to be at the highest point. Itll depend mainly on how it's mounted. I'll defo concider it when I mount it.

A drain would be useful I suppose as I'll never be able to drain the cooler with the oil stat shut.

[meritlover]

i think youre over complicating the issue slightly. it all depends on where and you mount it
If you mount it vertically with the discharge pipework at the top until the stat has opened, once its primed you can locate it horizontally.
very often coolers wont be drained during a change anyway. theres probably less than 1/2 pint of oil in it anyway. To be fair, it makes it easier as once its full, the total volume of oil needed for an oil change is the same as it was before the cooler was fitter.