Oil Cooler: Does yours cause a whine? I have a fix!
 

So I noticed a few other people here talk about a whine that started after installing an oil cooler. I talked to Dustin@Z1 about it, and he said that they have seen this occasionally and thought it was a resonance from the oil flowing through the line and that line touching the frame of the car. This noise was really bugging me, since it was pretty loud and I could reproduce it all the time, usually any time above 3500 RPM's.

So I went to my local hardware store, and bought some thick rubber hosing, I think it was the kind you would use for a water heater. I took off my bumper and the various pieces where the lines are being run, and I had 3 spots where the lines were against the frame. It took a bit of time to wrap the line with the hosing, since it was so thick and the spots are tight, but I managed to get them all.

After some extensive driving and hitting various speeds, rpm's, and gears, I can say it is about 90% gone. Only time I can still hear it a little is in a very specific RPM range in a specific gear (I think it is 2nd @ 4500 or so). Other than that the sound is completely gone.

Not a bad fix for about $8 worth of hosing. Just thought I'd pass this along in case it was bugging anyone else as much as it was bothering me.

Awesome. I get that sound. Gonna hafta do this

You also might want to make sure the lines aren't resting against the intakes too tightly, not sure if that could also cause the sound, but it might.

gracias. will do.

Has anyone else tried this fix? I recently had a modified Nismo kit installed (swapped out for a Mocal plate) and it whines rather loudly. The shop modified the routing of the lines a bit because they didn't like having them so low and it is making a fairly loud whine now. Idling you can't hear it, but it starts immediately off-idle and you can hear it until the intake noise drowns it out.

It's really pretty annoying. If this has worked for others than I might have to give it a try.

Great idea but i think in a few thousand miles it might tear on corners or anything sharp its rubs on, id suggest warping it in some electric tape on those spots for extra protection :icon17:

+1 rep 4 the idea

I'll check my lines the next time I do an oil change. I do still notice the whine, it's just not as prominent.

I've also had this whine since installing an oil cooler. I was losing my mind trying to figure out where it was coming from...

Thanks for the tip!!

I already did this when I installed mine from the get go.:tup:

Thanks i should try this also.

Does anyone who has a stillen oil cooler experience this problem and if so have they done this fix?

This is so weird I just got mine done yesterday and now I notice it a lot. So this is strictly noise but nothing bad? It sounds like it the oil pump making the noise but what do I know.

Spoke to Spencer @ Z1, he said to wrap the lines where they touch the frame with heater hose and electrical tape. Could only find 3/4 inner diameter heater hose. Wrapped the front across the crash bar and where the hose slips in between the frame where the 1" white spacer (included in the kit). No whine noise at any speeds. Thanks Spencer!! Thanks OP, I just saw this thread today. Btw> I had purchased the protective line wrapping from Z1 ($30) when I ordered the kit. Highly recommended.

Just got thru installing the Z1 25 row cooler w/o the covering...I just used heater hose everywhere the lines came in contact with the frame and teflon wrap where lines contact each other or plastic,While I was leak checking the system with the bumper off, noticed the pulsating of the lines as a result of the high volume oil pump in the VVEL eng...Any contact with plastic or metal is bound to cause damage... leak ck and brisk drive...no whine and temp no higher than 185...while I had the bumper off I did the Modshack cooling duct mod....Like Modshack says cooler is better...

^ :tup: