Aluminum radiator install 99 gmc 7.4l

[L31MaxExpress]

In my cars, the oil tracks with the coolant. In the dually, not so much. That may end up getting a cooler, but first I want to see what it does in the cold. I recently installed an oil temp gauge.

My oil temps seemed to follow load more than RPM in the van before it had the cooler. Now it just runs pretty much 50°F hotter than the coolant. At 176-185°F coolant temp it runs about 230-240°F oil temp. Prior to the oil cooler even not towing it would climb to 280-300°F especially in stop and go. The suprise there to me was going down the road in lean cruise where I actually expected the oil to be hotter, it cooled down. With 5w30 in the pan, at hot idle the oil pressure would drop to 15-20 psi. With the cooler it never dropped under 30 psi at idle.

 

[Caman96]

When I replaced my radiator last summer to upgrade to a duel core, the idea of ALL aluminum seemed like a good idea. I looked at a bunch and the reviews all had a ton of failures. Now, maybe new aftermarket plastic tanks may leak the same, so what are you really paying for, just to say I’ve got ALL aluminum. So far, 1 1/2 later, my OE style plastic tank drop in perfect fit Spectra still good. Btw, my original OE single core is still fine, just wanted to upgrade for towing. Also, added OEM transmission cooler.

 

[Supercharged111]

My oil temps seemed to follow load more than RPM in the van before it had the cooler. Now it just runs pretty much 50°F hotter than the coolant. At 176-185°F coolant temp it runs about 230-240°F oil temp. Prior to the oil cooler even not towing it would climb to 280-300°F especially in stop and go. The suprise there to me was going down the road in lean cruise where I actually expected the oil to be hotter, it cooled down. With 5w30 in the pan, at hot idle the oil pressure would drop to 15-20 psi. With the cooler it never dropped under 30 psi at idle.

The dually has me wondering how hot the 1500 gets with a trailer out back. I think I maxed out around 270, but it had no desire to drop under 240 with camper and trailer. I'm gonna do hood louvers for next year to get the coolant back down to 180 when it's 100 out and I'm fully loaded. Thinking of going with some roller rockers too, I hear that's a significant source of heat as well. The cars aren't loaded the same as pushing a house down the road, I imagine that's why they track with coolant so well.

 

[ralmo94]

5w30 is really too light, they call for it for emissions, there is too much plastic in it to make that wide of a spread. 10-30 is as far of a spread as you want to go. Actually straight wieght oils last a lot better, if you can find one. It is good idea to warm the oil up on a cold engine, it doesn't lubricate very well until around 200 deg. If you work a big block, the main bearings will still run about the same temp. It doesn't do much for them, but it could keep the sump a little cooler.
I run 10w30 mobile and noticed no difference in oil pressure with or without cooler.

 

[alpinecrick]

When I replaced my radiator last summer to upgrade to a duel core, the idea of ALL aluminum seemed like a good idea. I looked at a bunch and the reviews all had a ton of failures. Now, maybe new aftermarket plastic tanks may leak the same, so what are you really paying for, just to say I’ve got ALL aluminum. So far, 1 1/2 later, my OE style plastic tank drop in perfect fit Spectra still good. Btw, my original OE single core is still fine, just wanted to upgrade for towing. Also, added OEM transmission cooler.

My Spectre HD OEM radiator in my 96 and a buddy’s Spectre OEM standard style in his 98 Suburban appear identical to the original OEM radiators. I suspect whoever is supplying Spectre was the OEM manufacturer.

The HD radiator was a drop in fit, because the tanks are the same size as the standard radiator, but the radiator itself is 7/8” thicker.

No matter the driving situation the temp gauge hardly moves with the HD radiator. I liked the Spectre radiator so much I have a second one waiting on the shelf to install in my 97 when it starts leaking.

 

[alpinecrick]

5w30 is really too light, they call for it for emissions, there is too much plastic in it to make that wide of a spread. 10-30 is as far of a spread as you want to go. Actually straight wieght oils last a lot better, if you can find one. It is good idea to warm the oil up on a cold engine, it doesn't lubricate very well until around 200 deg. If you work a big block, the main bearings will still run about the same temp. It doesn't do much for them, but it could keep the sump a little cooler.
I run 10w30 mobile and noticed no difference in oil pressure with or without cooler.

No.
5-30 oil is better for cold start.
My 96 G1500 actually ran lower pressure at hot idle with 10-40, identical brand and type of oil, than it does with 5-30.

Single viscosity oil is fine for race cars, weekend hot rods and such.

 

[Erik the Awful]

You should only put one in front of the radiator if you've verified with a gauge that you need it. The factory oil cooler doubles as an oil warmer in the winter time. There is such a thing as too cold for oil. 99% of us here do not need it.

RX-7s have a thermostat in their oil cooler. The oil coolers on our trucks do not, but as stated, they're routed through the radiator. I wouldn't run an oil cooler outside of the radiator without a thermostat, except on a race car.

In my cars, the oil tracks with the coolant. In the dually, not so much. That may end up getting a cooler, but first I want to see what it does in the cold. I recently installed an oil temp gauge.

Prior to the oil cooler even not towing it would climb to 280-300°F especially in stop and go.

If your oil temperature is climbing to 300°F repeatedly, your oil is deteriorating. At the track this weekend the Mustang I was crewing was having cooling problems. The water temp kept climbing past 220°F and the oil temp was hitting 280°. I did some duct tape magic and got it to run reliably at 190°/240°F - I also don't think the driver's pushing the motor hard enough; I would have liked to see 210°/260°F, but that's putting the cart before the horse.

 

[L31MaxExpress]

RX-7s have a thermostat in their oil cooler. The oil coolers on our trucks do not, but as stated, they're routed through the radiator. I wouldn't run an oil cooler outside of the radiator without a thermostat, except on a race car.



If your oil temperature is climbing to 300°F repeatedly, your oil is deteriorating. At the track this weekend the Mustang I was crewing was having cooling problems. The water temp kept climbing past 220°F and the oil temp was hitting 280°. I did some duct tape magic and got it to run reliably at 190°/240°F - I also don't think the driver's pushing the motor hard enough; I would have liked to see 210°/260°F, but that's putting the cart before the horse.

I do not see over 250°F at any point now with the oil cooler. Also the only thing I have that has dinosaur oil of any kind in it, is my lawn mower. My 383 has 10w30 Mobil One in the pan, with the cooler the van holds 7qts.

 

[Supercharged111]

5w30 is really too light, they call for it for emissions, there is too much plastic in it to make that wide of a spread. 10-30 is as far of a spread as you want to go. Actually straight wieght oils last a lot better, if you can find one. It is good idea to warm the oil up on a cold engine, it doesn't lubricate very well until around 200 deg. If you work a big block, the main bearings will still run about the same temp. It doesn't do much for them, but it could keep the sump a little cooler.
I run 10w30 mobile and noticed no difference in oil pressure with or without cooler.

First number only applies to 32*F, and at 32*F any oil is too thick, not too thin. The spread only applies to worn out dino oil which reverts to the lower number when broken down. Synthetic reverts to the higher number. Irrelevant if you just keep your oil changed on time. I run 0W30 and 0W40 in everything. Even that is too thick at 32*F.

RX-7s have a thermostat in their oil cooler. The oil coolers on our trucks do not, but as stated, they're routed through the radiator. I wouldn't run an oil cooler outside of the radiator without a thermostat, except on a race car.



If your oil temperature is climbing to 300°F repeatedly, your oil is deteriorating. At the track this weekend the Mustang I was crewing was having cooling problems. The water temp kept climbing past 220°F and the oil temp was hitting 280°. I did some duct tape magic and got it to run reliably at 190°/240°F - I also don't think the driver's pushing the motor hard enough; I would have liked to see 210°/260°F, but that's putting the cart before the horse.

I don't sweat 300 degree oil temps at all anymore. The engineer types will tell you that at 260 the bearings will begin to self destruct, but the engine I put together in 2015 and had apart over this past winter would beg to differ. Most races these days it stays below 300, but it used to run 300+ all the time. I'm still on the smallest restrictor its ever run: 36mm on an LT1 to choke it down to 260whp/310wtq. I'll run 3-4 weekends per oil change. Until this season, I was running SAE40 Valvoline VR1 which is supposed to be tough stuff when it comes to shear strength.

 

[454cid]

32f.....is that part of an sae standard? I always thought it was just below operating temp, not neccesarily freezing.