Anyone use Earl's Oil Coolers?
 

I went with the economical Tru-Cool option, but it seems like a really low quality product. It works, but it's flimsy with a minimal frame/mounting flange and the NPT threads are an unnecessary PITA. One of the NPT fittings is weeping ever so slightly, and I'm considering swapping the cooler for something of higher quality. The three I've looked at are Earl's, Mocal, and Setrab 25 row coolers. All of them offer AN fittings directly on the cooler which would be very nice. The Setrab runs $260, Mocal $215, and Earl's $160-199. I feel like I've been burned once going the 'cheap' route (the Tru-cool costs $40). Has anyone used the Earl's cooler and been happy with the build quality? Otherwise I'm going to get the Mocal I think.

Huh? The Tru-cool is inexpensive yes, cheap and flimsy? I'm gonna have to disagree. It is more than substantial enough for this, or any application. I think you need to chalk your troubles up to installer difficulties, not faults with the parts. Lots of guys have put this exact cooler in. I've used one for 8 years on 2 different cars...

If you have a seep it's because you didn't seal things correctly. I had a seep on my first pass too, which is why I recommended the High Temp sealant I did in the DIY.

http://images49.fotki.com/v1504/phot...MG_1696-vi.jpg

Easy Steve, I'm not knocking the Tru-Cool as a viable option. It's cooling the oil well, and if there wasn't a bit of weeping at the one fitting, I'd be 100% satisfied. The price is certainly right at $40. However, the 'one time' crank down of the NPT fittings to get them pointing in the preferred direction screwed me. After speaking with the company, it looks like a bad batch of Permatex thread sealant is the probably culprit. I emailed Permatex and they believe it could be past its shelf-life. So I have a slight weep from one NPT fitting on the cooler. Having had to crank the fitting to align it properly was, as you noted, a one-timer. I can't just unscrew it and try again. The other cooler options (Earls, Mocal, Setrab) are available with -AN fittings directly on the cooler. This should make it easy to reinstall the fittings if ever necessary. Also, they have more robust mounting brackets.

While the Tru-Cool certainly stands up to the cooling job, I'm amazed you don't find it flimsy. Seriously, one finger is all it takes to push on the mounted cooler and bend its mounting flange.

I didnt know he make oil coolers too.

http://ts3.mm.bing.net/images/thumbn...yR8eVIz13g7Z2n

Sure you can. I think you misunderstood my "one time" statement. Once you get it in position you don't want to move it again and break the seal. Since your seal is not sealing, There's no reason you can't unscrew it, clean and reapply the correct sealant as long as you haven't ripped the threads out of the cooler from over torquing......I re-did mine with no issues, and recently took apart one put together 8 years ago (to my design) because we had to reinstall it on a different side of the car and re-orient the fittings 90 degrees.. No leaks, no problems.

And NO, I don't find it flimsy..

I have a Setrab, high quality and everything. Still, the price is really steep, especially when you compare to the Mocal or Earl's.

I agree with modshack, i have the tru-cool as well and I questioned why they made the brackets/tabs so sturdy because it was rock solid. the fins on this thing are stronger than my stock radiator.

are we talking about the same cooler? :confused:

although in terms of cooling efficiency, i'll admit the setrab or mocal would probably run a bit cooler.

I'll make a little video of what I'm talking about when I swap it for a Setrab.

I run something similar to those too, works great so far. About to put a fan on it.

FYI, Not sure you'll get much benefit from that. I had this set-up on my Audi and couldn't really measure any significant changes in Oil temps. Oil temp gauge barely moved. The fans are really noisy (Spal 6.5") and seem to block enough of the natural flow when off to offer no net benefit.

http://images25.fotki.com/v950/photo...SCF0003-vi.jpg

http://images50.fotki.com/v397/photo...SCF0034-vi.jpg

maybe get a C02/nitrous blaster ring over the fins... :D

Or a Water Mister set-up.....:tup:
When it comes to cooling I've tried most everything...

http://images52.fotki.com/v729/photo...SCF0028-vi.jpg

nice! that's more economical. :D

I suppose the fan could help if you were overheating while sitting in traffic. No?

How often do you have to fill the water mister reservoir?

think of it this way... you are standing outside in 95F and you have a fan blowing at you. it doesn't really cool you off that much unless you're sweating or there is a mist...

air alone does not cool very well by itself especially if you're just blowing warm/hot air at it at that low capacity.

Not really....Oil temps tend to cool down when at idle so it was kind of a moot point. I could sit stopped, trigger it, and not really see much difference over several minutes of running.

That mister setup was triggered based on temp differentials electronically so it didn't trigger a lot or use much fluid... Was for a Turbo Intercooler BTW which has a lot of mass and tends to scrub off heat pretty effectively on it's own. It was a (Mod) science experiment...

http://images34.fotki.com/v1081/phot...SCF0025-vi.jpg

very slick!

Nice. That's much sexier than what I saw at the autoX last week. This guy with his STI kept using a weed sprayer to wet his top-mounted intercooler. Looked like he was trying to start a garden under his hood.
:supergay:

weed wetter... wow, talk about no imagination. poor kid.

The Earls coolers are good from our experience. All of our 370Z oil cooler kits use Setrab coolers but we have used the Earls Temp-a-cure coolers for years on Z32 applications as an upgrade over the stock oil cooler. We've installed and shipped well over 200 Earls coolers and have not had any issues with them. They are not a bad option.

What year STI was it? 04's, 05's came with it stock...

Okay guys, educate me a little on the oil coolers. If I want to purchase a good quality product, what do I look for? The one from Nissan Motor Sports is $800.00. It does seem a little steep and I now that you can sometimes find a better after market product for less. But, I DO WANT QUALITY, I'd rather spend a few extra bucks and buy the good stuff. Thanks

I built my oil cooler (or my friend did) using the best of everything, it ended up costing me $650. If you want the highest quality, I would just pay the $800 and call it a day.

$650 is about right if you go 'best of everything' and do it yourself.
Here's a breakdown:
Setrab 25 row cooler $230
Setrab mount $35
Mocal thermostat sandwich plate $100-135 depending if you get a custom thermostat
Hoses $100-200, I went SS braid teflon rated to 400F with 5,000psi SS fittings for $200
Fittings ~$20-30 each.

On the flip-side, people have made setups that have been perfectly functional and problem-free for about $250. It's all about what you're comfortable and satisfied with at the end of the day.

I run a b&m cooler (100$) and i installed a fan on it also. zero problems with the cooler. as for the fan crusing around town it runs 180 (35 mph ish). i will be at the track tonight and ill let you know how the fan works then.

That's not gay at all. It's resourceful.
Depending on his class, adding an intercooler wetter system might not have been allowed.
We often times used a pressurized garden sprayer to cool down our tires after a run on ridiculously hot days. Bias-ply Hoosier Autocrossers on my DP Miata's crazy alignment specs would start to melt on a 90 degree day.
Other things that you might think are "gay", but work great, are the mock tire blankets and tire warmers we made from various materials to help retain heat on cooler days. Electric tire warmers were not allowed when I was autocrossing.


I ran a Tru Cool on my 2nd Gen DSM with no problems.

As you say, I'm sure he had good reason and felt it helped his car's performance and times. I'm not stupid...I didn't think he was just killing time. It still looked gay.

Nowhere in my OP did I ask for opinions or experiences with Tru-Cools either. Everyone please stop endorsing the brand here. Feel free to start your own thread about how you love your Tru-Cool oil cooler. My question was about experiences with Earls coolers. I'm Tru-Cool'd out.

And yes, I'm not in a good mood tonight.

Awesome!

Alright, today is a new day. + rep to Luna for a good response to my diatribe. :)

I've used Earl's on other vehicles in the past, never any issues.