How To: Custom 350z engine oil cooler install

When racing, oil temperatures can sky rocket. The sustained high RPM can wreak havoc on a motor’s oil. Once your oil gets overheated it loses a lot of its viscosity (its ability to lubricate).  So if you are doing any kind of serious racing an oil cooler is a must and even as an amateur it is cheap insurance to save your oil and ultimately your motor.

Over the past couple months I have been accumulating parts for my custom oil cooler setup, and this weekend I finally put it together. You can buy pre-built setups but they typically run anywhere from $450-$1000. If you are a bit crafty you can save hundreds by piecing together your own setup.

Here is how I built mine:

1. 1. Earls 16 Row oil Cooler-#21610ERL – $104
2. 2. Mocal Thermostatically controlled sandwhich plate-#SP1FT – $87
3. 3. 10′ of -10an Aeroquip Socketless Hose-#FCV1010 (Only used 5ft) – $43
4. 4. -10an to 1/2″ fitting x2-#220047 (These are the blue fittings in the Sandwhich plate.) – $4.75 ea
5. 5. 90 degree -10an socketless fitting x4-FBM1534 (2 on the oil cooler, 2 connected to the fittings on the sandwhich plate) – $19.75 ea
6. 6. Teflon tape at all connections.

TOTAL: $325.00 before shipping

The install process is pretty straight forward:

1. 1. Connect all hoses together (don’t forget to teflon!)
2. 2. Attach the sandwich plate to your OEM oil filter threads (do not forget to lube the rubber gasket on the sandwich plate with oil)
3. 3. Route and connect the hoses.
4. 4. Dont forget to add 1/2-1qt of extra oil to make up for the added volume of the cooler.

How you mount your setup is up to you, and it can get tricky if your bumper, intercooler, or radiator is in the way but I will leave that decision up to you.

Doing it yourself is a savings of anywhere from $100-$500+, definitely saving you some cash if you have the right resources. I look forward to seeing the cooling benefits this season on the track and will report back the results!

-Neil