Oil cooler with a fan? Brozz 250

[ElderGod]

Would adding a small electric fan add any benefit to an oil cooler or would it not really be worth doing?

[XLsior]

Other than stop start traffic or having the radiator positioned in a location without momentum airflow there is not much benefit to a fan on an air cooled engine.

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by ElderGod

Would adding a small electric fan add any benefit to an oil cooler or would it not really be worth doing?

As XLsior stated, the only real benefit would be if you were stuck in stopped traffic for extended periods of time. In those cases I just tend to shut down the motor. Once you are moving even a little bit the airflow is usually sufficient to keep the motor temps in check.

That doesn't mean there wouldn't be a benefit to doing it, but the expectation vs. reality thing is different enough that I think most of us understand it isn't really going to be that effective.

The main issue is oil isn't very good at transferring thermal energy, so the cooler needs to be fairly large if the intent is to act more like a cooling system. The 125ml cooler I run would actually be decent for this, but mounting options for it are also limited because of its size. Especially mounting options that leave room for the fan or fans. That would leave a dual cooler setup as a better option, such as how JerryHawk runs his. Then you could run a fan on each cooler.

Then you obviously need the fans, and of course a control system. Simplest control system is just a switch to turn them on manually. Complicated would be a thermocouple and thermostat with a control switch.

Then, even after all that effort, you would maybe buy yourself a few more minutes of run time before eventually you would need to shut down the engine anyway to protect it from overheating, if that is your concern.

[ElderGod]

Originally Posted by Megadan

As XLsior stated, the only real benefit would be if you were stuck in stopped traffic for extended periods of time. In those cases I just tend to shut down the motor. Once you are moving even a little bit the airflow is usually sufficient to keep the motor temps in check.

That doesn't mean there wouldn't be a benefit to doing it, but the expectation vs. reality thing is different enough that I think most of us understand it isn't really going to be that effective.

The main issue is oil isn't very good at transferring thermal energy, so the cooler needs to be fairly large if the intent is to act more like a cooling system. The 125ml cooler I run would actually be decent for this, but mounting options for it are also limited because of its size. Especially mounting options that leave room for the fan or fans. That would leave a dual cooler setup as a better option, such as how JerryHawk runs his. Then you could run a fan on each cooler.

Then you obviously need the fans, and of course a control system. Simplest control system is just a switch to turn them on manually. Complicated would be a thermocouple and thermostat with a control switch.

Then, even after all that effort, you would maybe buy yourself a few more minutes of run time before eventually you would need to shut down the engine anyway to protect it from overheating, if that is your concern.

Yeah I was already thinking it wouldn't really help enough to justify the time and effort figured I'd ask some people with bigger brains then myself lol.
But on a different note would the dual coolers be worth setting up or would I be better off just using a bigger single. Im assuming with the dual you would run a valve cover and the oil screen cooler?

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by ElderGod

Yeah I was already thinking it wouldn't really help enough to justify the time and effort figured I'd ask some people with bigger brains then myself lol.
But on a different note would the dual coolers be worth setting up or would I be better off just using a bigger single. Im assuming with the dual you would run a valve cover and the oil screen cooler?

Thats one way to run duals, or just two coolers in series like Jerryhawk did his. Realistically, a small single is pretty sufficient for these engines. I ran a bigger single because of where I wanted to mount mine, up high behind the fender, so it is partially blocked at all times. The extra capacity is nice too. Total surface area actually doing any cooling on mine is about the same as the smaller cooler, and it's plenty effective.

[tknj99]

I did the oil cooler mod on the Brozz and luckily it was a steal at the time for like $17 so it was a must do mod, but am not bothering with the Titan and honestly have never been in a situation with either bike where it came close to overheating or any other catastrophic event.. so I'd say if the price is right go for it, it can only help things out but be aware of the potential for other things that could cause a bad day, such as if a line ruptured while out on the trail or the cooler broke; that would suck for sure

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by tknj99

I did the oil cooler mod on the Brozz and luckily it was a steal at the time for like $17 so it was a must do mod, but am not bothering with the Titan and honestly have never been in a situation with either bike where it came close to overheating or any other catastrophic event.. so I'd say if the price is right go for it, it can only help things out but be aware of the potential for other things that could cause a bad day, such as if a line ruptured while out on the trail or the cooler broke; that would suck for sure

This is an excellent point. I actually keep my original cap, screen, and spring in my little tool and parts kit I stow in my airbox just for that scenario. If I damage a line or cooler I can quickly convert it back to the original setup and just zip tie the lines out of the way to keep me going.