Thread: 300 tdi radiator engine oil cooler

Originally Posted by Bazzle218

With so many posts on operating temperature of the mighty 300 tdi. Has anyone considered removing the engine oil cooler loop from the radiator and replacing it with an aftermarket, separate job. Me thinks this would reduce / optermize radiator temp. Just speculating.

Yes, just never got around to doing it as I reckon the oil temp is a real issue, IMO the cooler is inadequate.

Partly this can be solved by blocking the oversized bleed, and partly by usinga deeper/more efficient core, and better airflow through the Deefer engine bay by using some judicious cutouts in the guards as uninformed has done will help too.

This might be slightly unrelated, but I had cooling issues with my 300 tdi after we put on a home made winch bar, the problem was solved with cutting down the grill and replacing the centre of the grill with high quality bird cage wire.

As a result my disco runs much cooler, takes a long time to heat up to operating temp and doesn't overheat. There seems to be inadequate airflow through the standard grill and the modified grill is much stronger than the original plastic one

I'll post a photo if you are interested

Thanks for the input, I have just had the radiator roded and the bleed hole modified. My grill is still the plastic job. interesting idea re wire. I have available some stainless security screen stuff i wonder would this cause an issue given the mesh size. Saying that i'm happy my coolant system is A one. Water pump and hoses recently changed . Cant help but chase the elusive perfect machine.

I'm thinking about applying a tgv turbo to my 300tdi 110.

I think about applying a gt2056vk

To compensate for the increase in temperatures I am thinking of installing:

.aluminum radiator, allysport type
.double intercooler
.external engine oil radiator.

I don't know if it's worth installing the external oil radiator but this is the idea:

the cooler in radiator is sufficient for 90% of circumstances, the only reason I have for replacing it with an external cooler is if you're replacing the radiator and realise the radiator with out the cooler is a lot cheaper and you can then fit a better cooler for the oil in front of the radiator. this makes servicing either easier and cheaper next time around.

if you're running all the numbers up to limit, big tyres, towing, desert or QLD heat, low pressures, big long climbs, wound up fuel pump, Auto working the TC to death, then its worth doing both coolers. Oil to coolant then into oil to air.

Originally Posted by Bazzle218

With so many posts on operating temperature of the mighty 300 tdi. Has anyone considered removing the engine oil cooler loop from the radiator and replacing it with an aftermarket, separate job. Me thinks this would reduce / optermize radiator temp. Just speculating.

i'm in the process of doing an LS conversion and radiators are a hot topic. I read a blog in relation to LS engines but would apply for any engine, the test was between an integrated engine oil cooler in the radiator versus not. IIRC the temp increased by 1 deg in the normal operating range (under light load, coasting) with the integrated cooler versus not and by 3 deg when working the engine real hard. What i took from the test is that the impact on coolant temp with the integrated oil cooler was not significant.

I'm going separates but that is mainly due to packaging and on advice of someone in the radiator business and a mate who is an automatic gearbox specialist.

I'd probably like them separate, but 1 good point of the integrated is that it helps the Auto warm up.

After that, the Auto adds more heat to the engine and the engine adds more heat to the Auto... Depending on operating conditions of course.

I've never actually got to the bottom of what an ideal Auto Trans temp is... But it's better under 100°.

Modern engines often operate at that temp or hotter.