An oil cooler is a separate, smaller radiator to an engine's main radiator, which maintains an oil supply at a consistent, optimal temperature. Its purpose is to cool the oil passing through the coils, thus improving the engine and the transmission's lifetime. They are situated in front of an engine's cooling system.
The ideal engine oil operating temperature is between 180 and 210 degrees Fahrenheit. If the oil gets too hot, it begins to break down, thinning and losing pressure, which could result in costly engine damage. That's where the oil cooler comes in.
You need a liquid that can withstand high temperatures without evaporating. On the other hand, oil is also prone to overheating and has no way of regulating its temperature without assistance. This, in a nutshell, is why oil coolers are so important. Without one, your car would overheat very quickly.
By effectively regulating the temperature of the engine oil, an oil cooler ensures improved performance, smoother operation, and efficient power delivery.
If the primary purpose of your vehicle is everyday commuting plus the occasional road trip, chances are you don't need an engine oil cooler. But if you're hitting the track in a high-performance vehicle or hauling heavy cargo in high temps, you should consider adding one.
There are numerous viscosities of fluids coursing through a car, be it for cooling, lubrication or both. With internal combustion engines only being around 33 per cent efficient, the other 67 per cent is generally wasted through heat energy and noise, all of which has to dissipate into the surroundings in one way or another.Oil is without doubt the most important fluid contained within a car. The sheer amount of moving parts inevitably transfers into a tonne of friction, which when spawned from metal-on-metal contact can be extremely wearing on the components. Oil is therefore used to lubricate these moving parts and in turn picks up a lot of heat.
As with the vast majority of heat energy created by an engine, it generally needs to be released to the surroundings through some form of heat exchanger. With the water-cooling system there’s the radiator and with the oil system, you use oil coolers.