Hello everyone, I've been on this forum for a couple of years and never posted until now. I have an 2003 F350 and I suspect the oil cooler is plugging up as the ECT sits around 190 and the EOT gets up to 218. Even higher if I tow a long distance. I have the EGR delete kit installed, and I'm looking for opinions on an external oil cooler kit.

The Bulletproof Diesel is the most expensive and therefore out of my reach.

Fully Bullet Proof 6.0L: Oil Cooler System and Bullet Proof EGR Product


IPR is the most comprehensive and many good features with a decent price

IPR External Oil Cooler Kit for Ford 6.0 Powerstroke


Innovate Diesel is the simplest and cheapest kit

Ford 6.0L External Oil Cooler Kit


And Acetrons's kit the cheapest option being the DIY

Oil Cooler Upgrade Power Stroke Diesel

I'm kinda deciding which way to go. IPR and ID are affordable, but if I take everything apart, I would like to do the injectors as well but I may not be able to afford them.

I have a machine shop so I can make the kit as well, but I am uncertain about what kind of cooler to use. Either an air-to-oil or water-to-oil. Does anyone know what need for BTU for the oil cooler? And I plan to use the CM Racing oil filters as they are rated for 8 microns. And also about the plumbing, I have the Earl's billet oil thermostat.

 

I've considered the same thing but have decided to keep the stock cooler in place.

My original cooler went 150,000 before it clogged enough to require replacement.
None of the remote coolers show a drastic improvement in cooling efficiency over the stock cooler when it is working properly. The only advantage I see is, they are easier to replace/repair. I have the tools, shop and knowledge to do all the work myself so the issue becomes cost. For the 2 grand cost of a remote I can change the cooler several times and still be ahead of the game. The other down side to the remotes for me is the additional hoses and fittings add failure points, hoses break, fittings can leak, etc. Also 10-15 years down the road I'm pretty certain I will be able to buy Ford parts for my truck, will you still be able to buy parts for your XYZ remote cooler, maybe, maybe not.

 

there is a thread on another forum, about a fellow who
made up a plate to do what BPD did, for a whole lot less money.

essentially, some flycutting, drilling and tapping on a
1' x 1' x 3/4" piece of 6061-T6.

there were photos and such on the thread... now, the question is,
to find it. that particular thread also mentioned the source of the
heat exchanger BPD uses..... i have the BPD one, i can measure the
size of the exchanger, and you can find something with equivalent
cooling area from seatrab, i'm sure.

if you have an oil thermostat, all you need is some AN-12 hose....

 

Wow, thanks for the info. Lots more options than I thought

 

There are lots of kits but getting a kit that is spec'd properly is a whole different story. Finding an oil filter that flows 18+ GPM and filters down to 20 microns is more of a trick than you might think AND getting the proper oil cooling is another story altogether.

 

I called CM, and they confirmed their website info is accurate. The filter is 97% efficient at 8 microns and flows 45 Gallons per minute. It does not have a bypass valve as the synthetic filter element is impossible to clog up.

The filter does not have a drainback valve so therefore I will be using an AN12 check valve.

I will be using AN-12 Aeroquip Starlite hose. Hose is rated for -45 to 300 degrees F with 350 <acronym title="lbs per sq inch">PSI</acronym> max.


I plan to use an external front mount air to oil cooler, size to be determined as I would like to find out what the factory BTU rating is of the oem oil cooler.

I may put it a small Laminova oil to water heat exchanger to speed up the oil temps in cold weather. I will also be using an Earl's Performance Billet oil thermostat to bypass the oil cooler when the oil is still cold.

I would love to go with the Bulletproof Diesel, but the cost is too high for me and I end up neglecting other parts that need repair. I might as well do a cummins conversion if I have to buy all the parts to repair my truck considering the costs.

If anyone has other options, opinions or info, please post up.

 

A run of the mill Ford FE and big block high volume oil pump is 20+ gallons per minute.

It sounds like a lot, but it's nothing in the grand scheme of things.

And there are plenty of filters that handle the microns and fluid flow.

Josh

 

I checked out the CM website and it appears to be good stuff. Very interesting at least.

 

There are several threads on the IPR system - questions about its ability to cool when towing in hot weather. Personally, I wouldn't want theirs after reading the posts. There were some "debates" between IPR and BPD in which IPR didn't come across as very knowldgeable.

 

Those threads were a witch hunt against IPR. The only people bashing IPR were BPD customers and one of those hadn't even installed the kit on his truck. None of the posters with IPR kits installed had any complaints with IPR. Until you can prove that a particular kit is harmful to an engine it is nothing more than a Ford vs Chevy debate.

 

I agree that some of it was as you say "a witch hunt". However, the claims that some engines had issues with excessive oil temps (mainly in hot weather when towing) were real issues. That topic was not adequately addressed by IPR in the thread - no matter what was said in the rest of the posts.

 

So I'm supposed to put an unproven product on my $15K engine and use it just because a manufacturer says it's safe??? I think that's a crock of s**t. Witch hunt or not a manufacturer still has the BURDEN OF PROOF that it's product is safe backed up by multiple real world tests. Just because it's IPR's "opinion" that large temperature delta's aren't a problem doesn't mean squat to me, and we all know what opinions are like and how they smell.

 

Which thread are you guys referencing for the IPR vs BPD debate?

Josh

 

marksport - you didn't answer my question over on PSN: the specs on that oil filter show 45 gpm of HOT oil. Any idea what the flow rate is for cold oil?

 

Most oil filters going into bypass on cold start

Josh