Oil Coolers

[babylon9484]

Hello all; I was looking at an oil cooler of ebay to put on my 1100GL, any ideas out there about the worth of the things and if you think there O.K. would one from a GS750E be compatable?

Thanks

ps. For those who ride a 1100GL, how many mile or kilometers (yes I'm from Canada) are you getting from a 4.5gal or 17 litre (that Canadian thing again) tank?

[eddiev]

I remember a past post that indicated certain models had a smaller tank. I think mine is one of them. I get 40-45mpg on my 82 gs1100gl. I ran out of gas once at about 140 miles on reserve when I first bought the bike mistakenly thinking my gauge must be off because the tank should hold 4.5 gal.
Eddie V

[SqDancerLynn1]

lot of different oil coolers, on a two valve motor you need one that has an adapter to replace the oil pressure sender

[terry]

Here's the Telcool MK5, if you're intereseted? Cheers, Terry.

[chef1366]

I have an extra Lockhart oil cooler if you need one.

[Nessism]

Here's the Telcool MK5, if you're intereseted? Cheers, Terry.

Hey Terry, wondering what the bottom of your adapter looks like. Is there an extension piece that goes down into the cavity of the engine and grabs oil off the oil feed port?

[doctorgonzo]

Good question Ed (on the tube beneath the plate), and one I guess I'll need answered pretty soon. I took the wrap off my 1150 cooler this weekend to get a good look at it, and it did include the mounting bracket, so good news there (if my tach cable doesn't turn out to be in the way). Aren't you a proponent of DIY stainless brake lines.. know a source for hoses for an oil cooler, and the fittings, same place you get your brake lines perhaps? I can tell the stock ones that came with it are going to be too short.

[Nessism]

Good question Ed (on the tube beneath the plate), and one I guess I'll need answered pretty soon. I took the wrap off my 1150 cooler this weekend to get a good look at it, and it did include the mounting bracket, so good news there (if my tach cable doesn't turn out to be in the way). Aren't you a proponent of DIY stainless brake lines.. know a source for hoses for an oil cooler, and the fittings, same place you get your brake lines perhaps? I can tell the stock ones that came with it are going to be too short.

Made the lines for my cooler using Earl’s hose and fittings – used -6 sized parts. Not cheap but good stuff. Mine are attached using AN fittings. The adapter I sent you, and every aftermarket adapter I’ve seen, has barbed fittings that take a slip fit hose with band clamps. Considering the low pressure of the GS oiling system, band clamps are ok to use in my opinion. The fittings on the adapter can be changed for both angle and type so you have plenty of flexibility to choose your own path.

Good luck.

[terry]

Hey Terry, wondering what the bottom of your adapter looks like. Is there an extension piece that goes down into the cavity of the engine and grabs oil off the oil feed port?

Yes it does mate. Have you sorted out the oil pressure switch problems on your adapter? You need it on the "exit" port, as close to the port as possible, not on the "return" line. Also, the "pickup tube" should be a good fit in the port or you'll lose oil flow/pressure. Unless you've modded your adapter since you took those pics in your "Feedback Needed" thread, you're going to have some problems.

Oh, and don't worry about the paper gasket on mine, I've been making hundreds of adapters since 2000, and haven't had a complaint about oil leaks yet, because there's virtually no pressure there, and paper gaskets are gonna be readily available as long as someones still making gasket paper or even cereal boxes, whereas according to my Suzuki dealer, the Suzuki OEM rubber seal is already an obsolete item, sadly.

The nut that you're using as a pickup tube is not a good idea as it's OD is quite big, and will restrict the return oil flow around the outside of the nut and back into the return port, leading to oil starvation to your top end and transmission, something you don't want on a hot day. In my pic I use "push on" type fittings, but I can custom make them for AN fittings, not that they're necessary, of course.

I originally started machining up my adapters as a result of some concerns I had at another members "agricultural" adapter, and I made several variants until I was satisfied that I got it right, and my adapters are used on road bikes and race bikes in many countries now, I'm happy to say. Keep going with yours, and I'm sure that eventually you'll end up with a professional looking, workable, (and most importantly) safe, adapter. Remember, something as simple as a dodgy adapter causing an engine seizure, can result in a crash, and you really don't want to be responsible for that........ Cheers, Terry.

[Nessism]

Yes it does mate. Have you sorted out the oil pressure switch problems on your adapter? You need it on the "exit" port, as close to the port as possible, not on the "return" line. Also, the "pickup tube" should be a good fit in the port or you'll lose oil flow/pressure. Unless you've modded your adapter since you took those pics in your "Feedback Needed" thread, you're going to have some problems.

Oh, and don't worry about the paper gasket on mine, I've been making hundreds of adapters since 2000, and haven't had a complaint about oil leaks yet, because there's virtually no pressure there, and paper gaskets are gonna be readily available as long as someones still making gasket paper or even cereal boxes, whereas according to my Suzuki dealer, the Suzuki OEM rubber seal is already an obsolete item, sadly.

The nut that you're using as a pickup tube is not a good idea as it's OD is quite big, and will restrict the return oil flow around the outside of the nut and back into the return port, leading to oil starvation to your top end and transmission, something you don't want on a hot day. In my pic I use "push on" type fittings, but I can custom make them for AN fittings, not that they're necessary, of course.

I originally started machining up my adapters as a result of some concerns I had at another members "agricultural" adapter, and I made several variants until I was satisfied that I got it right, and my adapters are used on road bikes and race bikes in many countries now, I'm happy to say. Keep going with yours, and I'm sure that eventually you'll end up with a professional looking, workable, (and most importantly) safe, adapter. Remember, something as simple as a dodgy adapter causing an engine seizure, can result in a crash, and you really don't want to be responsible for that........ Cheers, Terry.

Hey Terry,

Thanks for the feedback.

I've been iterating on my adapter for a while now and have a pretty good idea of what works. Number one thing I've learned is that the pick-up tube needs a seal down tight on the oil feed port or the oil pressure light will come on at low rpm. Also can confirm what you said about the pressure light sensor needs to be in the feed side of the plumbing, not on the return.

Hooked up a pressure gauge on my engine and haven't noticed any pressure drop with that large nut on the bottom of my adapter - I've checked both before oil cooler, and after (with the nut in there). That said, I agree with you - the nut could be a restriction. Going to have another look at that next time I'm in there.

My current adapter looks a lot like your early adapter - block of aluminum. Used a modified stock adapter plate at first but went this way in the end.

Thanks again.

Ed

[doctorgonzo]

I got the one you sent me Messism and looked at it last night. It does have the sensor pickup on the input not the return from what I can tell. If you figure out the right diameter for the pipe down into the cavity, let me know.

[Nessism]

I got the one you sent me Messism and looked at it last night. It does have the sensor pickup on the input not the return from what I can tell. If you figure out the right diameter for the pipe down into the cavity, let me know.

I think you should be able to make the extension from a brass male to female plumbing adapter. Grind the OD of the male threads until you get the adapter to slip fit into the oil feed hole on the engine. Once you have that, grind down the total height of the adapter so it's flush with the top of the oil distribution cavity on the engine.

Sounds easy enough...while typing here. Let me know how it goes in the real world.:-) I'm going to do the same thing on my adapter this weekend so maybe we can exchange notes then.

[terry]

No worries mate, I'm glad I can help. Your pickup tube needs to have the largest ID possible, mine are around 10mm ID for max oil flow. Mine are also "stepped" to give it something to sit on, and stop it falling into the hole in the crankcase.

I'd like to see a pic of your latest version, I think you've realized that you can't do a proper job trying to "mix and match" old bike parts and plumbing fittings, I walked away from that from the start and machined mine from billet, and while my material costs are less than you quoted for your first adapter, I invested around $10K in the machinery required to build an original, professional adapter, so 75 bucks is still a good price after 8 years of production, I reckon? Cheers, Terry.