'94 Z28 oil cooler
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Joined: Apr 2013
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'94 Z28 oil cooler
Hi, and thanks for the warm welcome! I am building a '94 Z28. The car has an oil cooler between the filter housing and the filter. When I inquire about replacement parts, the detail drawings don't show it, and parts are listed as "not available". I'm wondering...do I need this? Did Chevrolet do away with this because of problems with oiling down the cooling system? Anyone else have one of these?
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From: Hell was full so they sent me to NJ
Re: '94 Z28 oil cooler
Welcome to CamaroZ28.com!
When the LT1 was introduced, GM decided to use/require Mobil synthetic oil in the Corvette versions of the LT1 engine, because of anticipated high oil temperatures. In the F-Body versions of the engine, they chose to use conventional oil, and add an oil cooler on the higher performance models (1LE option, M6 cars, A4 with 3.23 rear). Eventually (maybe 1996?) they did away with the cooler, since it didn't appear to be necessary.
I have one on my 94 (because it was originally an M6 car) and have never had any problems with it. When I had the 381ci stroker built (800HP/800lb-ft on a 300-shot of nitrous) the shop that built the engine thought it was worth keeping.
Never heard of anyone getting cross-contamination between the oil and coolant. The criticism most frequently heard is that the cooler can plug up and interfere with oil flow. I have never seen any evidence of that. But as a result, if you decide you want to use the cooler, try a listing on the "Parts Wanted" forum, since many people have removed them.
Essentially, you really don't need it, but I like the fact that my oil temp (I have an oill temp gauge) closely tracks the coolant temp - heats up faster in cold weather, stays cooler in hot weather.
When the LT1 was introduced, GM decided to use/require Mobil synthetic oil in the Corvette versions of the LT1 engine, because of anticipated high oil temperatures. In the F-Body versions of the engine, they chose to use conventional oil, and add an oil cooler on the higher performance models (1LE option, M6 cars, A4 with 3.23 rear). Eventually (maybe 1996?) they did away with the cooler, since it didn't appear to be necessary.
I have one on my 94 (because it was originally an M6 car) and have never had any problems with it. When I had the 381ci stroker built (800HP/800lb-ft on a 300-shot of nitrous) the shop that built the engine thought it was worth keeping.
Never heard of anyone getting cross-contamination between the oil and coolant. The criticism most frequently heard is that the cooler can plug up and interfere with oil flow. I have never seen any evidence of that. But as a result, if you decide you want to use the cooler, try a listing on the "Parts Wanted" forum, since many people have removed them.
Essentially, you really don't need it, but I like the fact that my oil temp (I have an oill temp gauge) closely tracks the coolant temp - heats up faster in cold weather, stays cooler in hot weather.
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