My oil cooler DIY install on a GXP [Archive] - Pontiac G8 Forum: G8 Forums - G8Board.com

: My oil cooler DIY install on a GXP


JTRATX
06-01-2010, 11:12 PM
1. Remove front bumper cover.
2. Pull off plastic cover off metal bumper, just pulls off, it’s a support for the front bumper cover.
3. Drain oil and remove oil filter.
4. You must grind away some of the oil pan to fit the sandwich adapter (see pic), I used a die grinder with a carbide bit, be very careful not to hit the area where the oil filter gasket sits.
5. Install sandwich adapter, it just screws on, very self explanatory. (See pic)
6. Install oil cooler in front of A/C condenser, you must slide the oil cooler from the bottom, pull out the plastic cover and slide oil cooler up from the bottom. (See pic) Also grind away some material for the cooler lines to run through from where the oil cooler is mounted (See same pic)
7. Fabricate some sort of bracket system and attach brackets to hood latch bolts. Remove one hood latch bolt at a time so you don’t screw up the hood latch alignment. I used 2 longer bolts for the hood latch so the threads went all the way into the bolt hole.
8. VERY IMPORTANT: after mounting and fabricating the bracket, make sure the hood closes and the hood release lever on the hood clears your new bracket.
9. Measure and cut lines to fit, route away from heat or moving parts, zip tie as needed.
10. I used ARP thread sealer on all fittings, I’ve always used this product and it works well.
11. Re fill car with 8 qts of new oil and add ½-1 qt extra. Check for leaks. I’m still playing around for the exact extra amount of oil. Just reference your dip stick, remember a lot of oil will be in the oil cooler when the car isn’t running.
12. Re assemble and enjoy your new oil cooler.

I live in TX and today it was 96 degrees and with the A/C running in traffic etc. my oil never went over 218 degrees. We’ll see how the oil temp does when I do my next HPDE.

Parts:
Canton oil adapter #22-549
Earls oil cooler#43410
3 -10 90 degree fittings
1 -10 45 degree fitting
10’ of -10 stainless flex hose
2 -10 to ½ NPT fitting
2 -10 o ring to -10 flare fitting
1 tube of ARP thread sealer


Total cost around $465

pinhead66
06-02-2010, 04:24 AM
Nice write up. What oil temps are you seeing usually when you are doing an HPDE on a fairly hot day?

JTRATX
06-02-2010, 07:46 AM
Nice write up. What oil temps are you seeing usually when you are doing an HPDE on a fairly hot day?

Ask me after June 12/13th.

grandpop09
06-02-2010, 09:18 AM
This is an excellent writeup. It appears that this adaptor would drop the oil filter down about an inch or so and should not pose a ground clearance problem.
I am considering this adaptor as a means to install a mechanical oil pressure gauge - plugging the return line and installing the instrument line in the pressure outlet for the gauge. I think a good place for the gauge (although maybe a little obscure for some) would be in the open storage compartment at the bottom of the console with the 12V receptacle. A nice escutcheon could be fabricated to fill in for the gauge-surround-mount plate, or even a box to fit in the hole which would not require any drilling in the original console hole other than at the back for the tubing and wiring for a lighted gauge. Could be relatively simple. May even be able to install a volt meter in the same package while we're at it. A throwback to old, but useful technology. How about some comments?
grandpop09

JTRATX
06-02-2010, 11:42 AM
This is an excellent writeup. It appears that this adaptor would drop the oil filter down about an inch or so and should not pose a ground clearance problem.
I am considering this adaptor as a means to install a mechanical oil pressure gauge - plugging the return line and installing the instrument line in the pressure outlet for the gauge. I think a good place for the gauge (although maybe a little obscure for some) would be in the open storage compartment at the bottom of the console with the 12V receptacle. A nice escutcheon could be fabricated to fill in for the gauge-surround-mount plate, or even a box to fit in the hole which would not require any drilling in the original console hole other than at the back for the tubing and wiring for a lighted gauge. Could be relatively simple. May even be able to install a volt meter in the same package while we're at it. A throwback to old, but useful technology. How about some comments?
grandpop09

Sure that would work. And you could T into the line for your oil pressure gauge if you ever needed to install an oil cooler down the road.

If you just want oil pressure why not buy the Atari gauges, they have oil temp, oil pressure, and volts, it's plug and play. Do a search tons of info on this.

08G8V8
06-02-2010, 12:37 PM
If you just want oil pressure why not buy the Atari gauges, they have oil temp, oil pressure, and volts, it's plug and play. Do a search tons of info on this.

Or a Dashhawk......tons of parameters to monitor with it.

pinhead66
06-02-2010, 04:32 PM
Ask me after June 12/13th.


I meant before you added the oil cooler. Or have you not done any HPDE's on the car pre oil cooler? Either way I'll be interested to see how effective the oil cooler will be for you when you do your next HPDE.

JTRATX
06-08-2010, 12:03 PM
UPDATE to #11

The car needs 1 extra quart and fills the dipstick up halfway on the marks.

jbak
06-08-2010, 12:12 PM
Thanks for the writeup. I'll be very interested in whether you get the HOT OIL message during HPDE. Did you get one last time ? I did.

Where in Texas do you live ?

jbak
06-08-2010, 12:18 PM
Or a Dashhawk......tons of parameters to monitor with it.

Dashhawk doesn't do oil temp on a G8...... right ?

HuskerG8
06-08-2010, 07:25 PM
Dashhawk doesn't do oil temp on a G8...... right ?

Mine does on my GT. I would assume it will on a GXP as well.

jbak
06-09-2010, 12:10 AM
The dashhawk website makes it look like OIL temp is a Ford parameter, not GM. I guess I'll give them a call.

madhunter
06-09-2010, 12:30 PM
I have a GT and it does oil temp.