Okiephillip, regardless you still got exceptional results. I built a monitoring system for my own R&D, I can read pan supply, cooler in , cooler out, pan return, and the front and rear cyl heads individually, all off my dash gauge, toggling between them on the fly. From my observations I can associate that 164F temp you qouted, your pan temp is probably normalized somwhere in the 210-220 range, that's just a guess, and that is very good for an oil cooling system. Your laser method of measurement is ok to get a very rough idea, but pan temp is the be all end all; bulk oil temp is the industry standard for measurement, once you validate your pan temp then you have a basis for comparison. Off the cuff I would say you are running much cooler oil than most. The Twin Cam oil system differs from all predecessor motors, because it filters the oil before it gets pumped through the motor, instead of filtering after it gets pumped through the motor. If you got a manual, there is a general lubrication section that explains and shows pics of how the oil flows as it cycles through the motor. Again you got a good thing going there, probably more than sufficient to eliminate the high operating temp "need" for synthetics. If you do pull your cover, measure the lower hose or one of its fittings with the laser, that will be a much closer representation of your pan temp but still some room for error. Holler back when you get some new data, I'm curious to see your results.

 

fibrik8r,

210-220f for oil pan temps sounds great! That would explain zero pinging in heavy traffic.

Can you recommend oil pan sensor maker and gauge? I keep hearing that the HD gauges are terrible reading an unreliable.


Phillip

 

I use an Autometer Pro Lite, but it doesn't match perfectly, it does have a matching silver face, but it has a brushed bezel instead of chrome and the needle is red, but uses stepper motor tecnology so the increments are exactly the same across the entire scale, it is very straightforward to read, absolutely no guess work. There are several other gauges that match the OEM set, Bikers Choice, McEwan, Marlins, they are all on a progressive or exponential scale like the HD unit, but the marking is far more acurate and readable than the HD.

 

What brand of oil filter adapter are you guys useing?

I see them for $65 and $150.

Now someone will cry that you get what you pay for. Unless you have first hand experience with a $65 oil cooler adapter your opinion carries no weight.

 

Bmcgc,
I do not use an oil filter adapter. back back a few posts and I explain this.

 

I finally looked at your pics, only pre 07 bikes can use your method of tapping the oil system between the eng/trans, I just wanted to make sure you weren't using the pipe plugs in the OEM filter adapter. Your system is as good as it can get. You are sending oil through the cooler right after it come out of the engine which is the point where the oil is the hottest is will be in entire system. Hotter oil has more potential for cooling, so I would say your system is as efficient as it can possibly be. My only concern for your set up is the effect on the oil pump; the pre 07s also got the smaller oil pump with less scavenging, I always wondered if a cooling system after the scavenge would cause sumping, or pressure drop. It's obviously not an issue as long as you've been running it. Ever consider one of the big aftermarket covers that goes between the eng/trans, and use it without the little OEM cover, it would give you more room to move and hide your hoses.

 

It doesnt matter how hot the oil is going into the cooler. What matters is how hot is the oil going back into the engine.

 

Please lay it out there for the discussion, what exactly is the message in your statement. From a standpoint of efficiency of the overall cooling system it does matter. The hotter the oil is entering the heat exchanger, the more potential it has to cool, and the more total degrees in temperature it will cool; this is part of the reason all motors prior to the Twin Cam run cooler, the oil system is reversed. I'm assuming from your statement you have an ideal temperature value in mind for oil going back into the motor, Besides myself I don't know of anyone else monitoring the oil temperatue between the cooler and the motor, so what do you believe the magic value is for oil temp going into the motor.

 

The limiting factor is the size (efficiency) of the oil cooler. 250 degree oil going into the same size (efficiency) oil cooler as 200 degree oil is not going to cool to a lower tempature than the 200 degree oil after it exits the cooler.

The same reason that the radiator on my 440 Dodge was much larger than the radiator on the same car equiped with a 225.

What matters is the oil tempature when it goes back into the engine. The engine doesnt know where or how it was cooled.

What makes the crash bar such a good (efficient) cooler is that it increases oil capacity by more than a quart, has a larger cooling area, (about 220sq in I estimate), and it keeps the oil out of the engine for a longer period of time.

Your question doesnt make sense to me. The bottom line is how hot or cool the oil is when it returns to the engine for another cycle of lubrication and cooling.

It doesnt matter if the oil went through the filter only, or a HD oil cooler, or the crash bar, it also doesnt matter where the pickup for the cooler is.

Once the engine and oil are up to the recommended operating tempature, the lower the oil tempature, the more efficently it will do its job.

Over the past several years HD has made alot of changes. Cats in the exhaust, larger engines, higher capacity oil pumps, 5 micron oil filters, FI, electronic engine management to name a few. Comparisons need to be made on the same year and model bike to be valid.

 

Fabrik8r,

I pulled the double hum cover off. Road for about an hour out side temp 85f, pulled over in Tavern, VA the temp of the hose going into the motor was 195f . I then drove Warrington, VA Out side temp was 89f at mostly 65mph pulled over and let the motor idel for 5 minutes the return oil hose was 197f . Every time temps every time I stopped and the temps varied + - 5f.
Those two old grey beard guys on RoadGlides that told me to do this knew what they were talking about.
I'm not going to replace the double hump cover so I can keep checking the return hose temp. I'm interested to see the temps when its over 100f out side.

I no longer feel the need for an oil pain temp gauge.

Y'all have a great week .
Phillip