Technical Oil cooler or bigger sump

[Riccop]

Hi. Very new to the 500 world having recently purchased a 1971 500l. Many questions to ask but the forum has been invaluable. One key question I do have is around oil temp… what is the best.. easiest option. Will a larger sump reduce oil temp or should I go down the oil cooler route? Many thanks

 

[gordinir8]

Well it depends, how much are you going to drive your car and do you live in hot climate? Most important are you asking for trouble? I live in Greece with hot summer temperatures reaching 36+Celsius and i am driving my car a lot plus that i am making small trips during summer. I have seen others driving standard as is without any problems but the truth if you install a temp gauge is that you will notice little car would like to run a little cooler. Oil cooler can take the temp up to 10 degrees down. In any case i highly recommend a bigger oil pan, having more oil is better anyway and it helps a little with temp if you are in an open road, not more than 2-3 degrees Celsius (during Greek hot summer) but it is something. So at list go for the pan. Here is my oil cooler installation link if you like to take an idea.

Oil cooler installation | FIAT 500 (Classic)

I am opening this thread because i am thinking to install an oil cooler. I know i know little car can handle the heat without it but i want to give it a try, a few degrees lower is not bad for the Greek weather. I am not going to overengineer it with extra filters etc, just a simple oil radiator...

www.fiatforum.com

 

[the hobbler]

Well it depends, how much are you going to drive your car and do you live in hot climate? Most important are you asking for trouble? I live in Greece with hot summer temperatures reaching 36+Celsius and i am driving my car a lot plus that i am making small trips during summer. I have seen others driving standard as is without any problems but the truth if you install a temp gauge is that you will notice little car would like to run a little cooler. Oil cooler can take the temp up to 10 degrees down. In any case i highly recommend a bigger oil pan, having more oil is better anyway and it helps a little with temp if you are in an open road, not more than 2-3 degrees Celsius (during Greek hot summer) but it is something. So at list go for the pan. Here is my oil cooler installation link if you like to take an idea.

Oil cooler installation | FIAT 500 (Classic)

I am opening this thread because i am thinking to install an oil cooler. I know i know little car can handle the heat without it but i want to give it a try, a few degrees lower is not bad for the Greek weather. I am not going to overengineer it with extra filters etc, just a simple oil radiator...

www.fiatforum.com

I would go for a 3-1/2 litre aluminium sump---it is the easiest, and cheapest, way to bring down the engine oil temperature. These days (myself included) people fit these sumps without a gasket, but with a modern silicon sealer. When you do 'goo-up' the sump, only put the goo on the outer 1/2 of the sump's flange and around the screw holes. This will ensure that when you tighten the sump bolts, no surplus sealant is squeezed into the sump. I use 20mm x 6mm stainless cap-head (allen) screws and the original Fiat sprung washers. If you decide to go the gasket route, use the 'rubberoid' type, NOT the cork variety. If you don't want either ABARTH or GIANINNI cast on the sump, they are available 'clean'. Fitting an oil cooler is a much more expensive and involved operation. Where about do you do your driving?

 

[gordinir8]

I second what Tom said "aka the hobbler" Put mine without the gasket also but using Permatex gray gasket maker, no leaks so far and pan almost impossible to remove when needed!! Also Abarth or Gianinni stamped on your pan makes the car go faster...

 

[Bounding Bambino]

A couple things to consider, but obviously yes, keeping the oil cool is important, especially in a air cooled engine. Running the proper viscosity 20w50 is just as important to keep oil pressure up in high temp situations.

The stock steel oil pan has a air passage that runs along the bottom that diverts some of the cool fan air over the bottom of the original sump pan. This channel can get plugged up with oil, grass, and blocked with a pan that is badly dented. Keeping this clear is very helpful with temps.

A aluminum oversized sump does increase heat rejection surface area, and they really shine if you plan on doing alot of higher speed traveling. These pans have a lot of cooling fins on the outside, and the natural airflow over them when traveling at faster speeds definitely does help, with one caveat.... Again im not guaranteeing this as i haven't tested this myself personally, im just using my theoretical thermodynamics guestimations... but in hot climates, and low traffic speeds theoretically you could have higher oil temps over a stock pan if you are stuck in traffic and doing alot of short stop and go traffic (full throttle/stop/full throttle/stop) in a busy italian traffic jam for example. The original pan will still have forced air flowing over it from the engine cooling shroud, the aluminum one will not.. But agian, these are low double digit hp cars, so this probably isnt too much of a problem to begin with. Anyone making some serious power has made previsions for improved oil cooling.

Honestly these cars were designed to be pushed hard in the hottest Italian climates on hilly terrain, keeping the factory cooling system in good condition is a first good step.

I had one incident in our mild canadian summer climate (32c) one day where i had a slight overheat condition on a friends 500. Turns out wrong oil grade, and a faulty airflow/thermostat divider was the culprit.

 

[fiat500]

A couple things to consider, but obviously yes, keeping the oil cool is important, especially in a air cooled engine. Running the proper viscosity 20w50 is just as important to keep oil pressure up in high temp situations.

The stock steel oil pan has a air passage that runs along the bottom that diverts some of the cool fan air over the bottom of the original sump pan. This channel can get plugged up with oil, grass, and blocked with a pan that is badly dented. Keeping this clear is very helpful with temps.

A aluminum oversized sump does increase heat rejection surface area, and they really shine if you plan on doing alot of higher speed traveling. These pans have a lot of cooling fins on the outside, and the natural airflow over them when traveling at faster speeds definitely does help, with one caveat.... Again im not guaranteeing this as i haven't tested this myself personally, im just using my theoretical thermodynamics guestimations... but in hot climates, and low traffic speeds theoretically you could have higher oil temps over a stock pan if you are stuck in traffic and doing alot of short stop and go traffic (full throttle/stop/full throttle/stop) in a busy italian traffic jam for example. The original pan will still have forced air flowing over it from the engine cooling shroud, the aluminum one will not.. But agian, these are low double digit hp cars, so this probably isnt too much of a problem to begin with. Anyone making some serious power has made previsions for improved oil cooling.

Honestly these cars were designed to be pushed hard in the hottest Italian climates on hilly terrain, keeping the factory cooling system in good condition is a first good step.

I had one incident in our mild canadian summer climate (32c) one day where i had a slight overheat condition on a friends 500. Turns out wrong oil grade, and a faulty airflow/thermostat divider was the culprit.

A lot of common sense spoken there.

 

[the hobbler]

A lot of common sense spoken there.

Unbelievably, there was an aluminium sump made WITH the air-flow duct cast into it. I know this because I have one sitting in my workshop (I believe Dave, Toshi, has also got one). The manufacturer is unknown (in both cases), but it seems well made and fits nicely. The only drawback with it is that it has no 'Tuning house' name cast onto it. I agree, on a VERY hot day, in heavy traffic with a lack of airflow over the 'un-ducted' sump, it MIGHT cause the engine to run a bit hot---I haven't suffered this problem. What I HAVE noticed is that on a long high speed blast, the engine's temperature can DROP---presumably due to the blast of air blowing over the aluminium sump-pan.

 

[Toshi 975]

I do indeed have an alloy sump with a duct. I can’t remember where it came from but I think I was told that it was made by Nanni. It has never been used so I assume that the mat red paint finish was applied at manufacture.
congrats to Tom the Hobbler for further expanding the Oxford English Dictionary for his use of the word ‘un-ducted’

 

[Riccop]

Thanks for your advice, I am based down in Kent

 

[Bounding Bambino]

Thats a "cool" looking pan!