Brozz 250 - Oil Cooler Install

[tknj99]

Hi All,

I wanted to write this up in its own separate thread for ease of finding for others with the Brozz who are looking to install an oil cooler. These instructions will be very similar to that of the Hawk but with a few key differences ill point out later:

Oil Cooler I went with:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Cost: $18 when i bought it but has since doubled.. YMMV

Time: Approx 1 hour

Installation Steps:
1. Drain your oil fully from the oil bolt. Once oil stops draining, re-install the oil drain bolt
2. Remove the oil filter screen cap, spring and filter screen. Store these away as they will not be re-used
3. Mount the oil cooler:
I mounted mine as high as i could on the frame. You will need 2 longer bolts approximately 4-5" in length to secure the top section of the cooler. I used double-side threaded bolts that i already had.
Use the 2 supplied bolts and nuts to secure the bottom section of the cooler.
Note: the fender should not rub against the cooler and there will be approx 1/8" clearance
Note2: Optional - you can cut some flat 3" piece of metal (i used left over crate metal) and drill 2 holes to prop this in front of the aluminum mounting tabs to help prevent the aluminum from bending around the frame when tightened
4. Using the supplied syringe you can add fresh oil to the cooler. I added about 120ml to mine.
5. Remove the skid-plate from the bike
6. Install the supplied oil adapter by tightening with the supplied wrench in a clock-wise direction. Make sure the supplied rubber o-ring is on it as well as the blue oil seal at the end. The blue oil seal will separate the oil inlet which is the top-most hole in the engine oil cavity from the oil sump which is the bottom-most hole in the engine oil cavity. The top hole on the oil adapter feeds the oil inlet where oil is sucked into the engine and the bottom hole on the adapter will draw in oil from the oil sump.
Note: when you tighten the oil adapter you may find that the bottom hole does not sit at the 6 o'clock position. This is ok. Mine wound up closer to the 7:30 position once tightened and as long as you can mount the oil lines you should be fine.
7. Attach the long oil supply line to the throttle side of the oil cooler. Put the banjo bolt thru it making sure you use 2 supplied crush washers on both side of the banjo fitting and tighten with a 18mm socket. Route over the engine as you wish and then connect the other end to the top hole on the oil adapter using 2 crush washers and tighten with a 16mm socket.
Note: you can also connect this line to the bottom (oil sump) hole on the oil adapter if you wish.
8. Attach the short oil supply line to the clutch side of the oil cooler. Put the banjo bolt thru it making sure you use 2 supplied crush washers on both side of the banjo fitting and tighten with a 18mm socket. Route down the frame as you wish and then connect the other end to the supplied oil screen canister using a crush washer. Make sure the oil canister is oriented so that the screen rounded section is facing up to catch sediment on the way up. Connect the second short oil line to the bottom of the oil canister using a crush washer and connect the other end to the bottom hole on the oil adapter using 2 crush washers and tighten with a 16mm socket.
Note: you can also connect this line to the top (oil inlet) hole on the oil adapter if you wish. Doing so will ensure that any sediment travels thru the oil screen in a downward direction and during an oil change will allow you to remove any trapped sediment in the screen. The other method may cause sediment to travel back down the line with gravity and away from the screen during an oil change.
9. Use zip-ties to secure to the frame as you wish
10. Fill the engine with oil approximately 1.2 quarts. Some oil will be used in the oil lines do you may have to add more oil after the first cold start. Oil should end up at the middle of the sight glass
11. Take her for a ride.. you will know that the cooler is working after about 5-10 minutes and it will get warm to hot depending on how long you have ridden. If its still cold after a 10 or so minute ride (while the engine is very hot) then check your connections to make sure you dont have a leak

I used this video as a guide:

Important notes/lessons learned which will vary from the video.
1. The banjo bolts do not need to be marked with a line in order for oil to flow from the hole in the bolt to the supply line. The way the banjo adapter is made, it has a raised section inside it and the oil will leave the hole and travel around the bolt and then exit into the oil line
2. The oil adapter does not need to be marked in order to orient the bottom sump hole at the 6 o'clock position. It may wind up closer to 7:30 line mine did
3. On cold startup you may notice a buzzing sound. I believe this to be normal.

Other info:
1. When you change the oil next time, i believe the oil in the cooler and some of the lines will remain behind unless you unmount the cooler to drain it.. since it may only wind up being less than 200ml it should be fine to just drain the oil from the drain bolt only and refill later.
2. Its kind of a pain to open the oil screen canister once mounted to the lines as the lines will start to twist.. on subsequent oil changes the easiest method may be to just remove the banjo fitting on the cooler that runs to the screen and then remove the oil canister from the bottom oil line so that it can be checked/cleaned

[JerryHawk250]

Excellent write up.

[david3921]

This might be time where we have two debates. One, which side should the filter screen sit; before or after the cooler?

The second is the orientation of the filter screen. The video shows it opposite of the way it is on the bike. On the bike, the screen is installed with the rounded part out so that the oil is drawn onto the outside of the screen rather than the rounded inside. In the description above and the video around 6:20, the screen is installed up rather than down. The oil from the engine will go into the screens concave surface rather than the convex.

I'm going to install my cooler soon on my Rhino. Does it really matter which side the filter goes on? Does it matter which side of the screen catches the junk?

[tknj99]

Originally Posted by david3921

This might be time where we have two debates. One, which side should the filter screen sit; before or after the cooler?

The second is the orientation of the filter screen. The video shows it opposite of the way it is on the bike. On the bike, the screen is installed with the rounded part out so that the oil is drawn onto the outside of the screen rather than the rounded inside. In the description above and the video around 6:20, the screen is installed up rather than down. The oil from the engine will go into the screens concave surface rather than the convex.

I'm going to install my cooler soon on my Rhino. Does it really matter which side the filter goes on? Does it matter which side of the screen catches the junk?

I think it doesn't matter on both points. Ive read of some that have installed the filter on the oil inlet (long line) so that on first startup if there are any metal shavings they will be caught. And for the second point, i guess that mesh will catch sediment in either orientation.
But ofcourse would love to hear more opinions.

[david3921]

Originally Posted by tknj99

I think it doesn't matter on both points. Ive read of some that have installed the filter on the oil inlet (long line) so that on first startup if there are any metal shavings they will be caught. And for the second point, i guess that mesh will catch sediment in either orientation.
But ofcourse would love to hear more opinions.

I'm of the same mind. I think that some of it matters if the cooler is installed vertical, though. I would also like to hear more opinions.

[JerryHawk250]

I have the filter screen installed between the cooler and suction line on the adapter. That way upon first use it will catch any metal shaving that may be in the cooler before it gets into the pump. So, be sure to mark which inlet is the suction line before installing. On one bike its on the top inlet on he other it was the bottom inlet. Depending how it was machined it can be in any position.

[Megadan]

I have my filter screen the same location as Jerry, for the same reason.
Technically, this should be the "wrong" way to install it to prevent a buildup of sediment in the cooler, but since these bikes don't use a micron level filter it really doesn't matter. The screen is simply there to protect the oil pump from larger shavings/bits in the oil. The oil spinner is the only means of fine particle filtration, which is located in a rather inconvenient place for our use.


As far as the orientation of the filter screen, I oriented mine so that it faces the same direction as the factory unit, but I highly doubt it really matters what direction it faces.

[david3921]

I'm planning on doing the same as Jerry and Dan on my Rhino.

Funny that you should mention the slinger, Dan. I have my Rhino tore down in the front to do this install and decided that I would take off the right engine cover to check and clean the slinger as I've never done it. I just got done wth it and found, while the oil inside was dirty, there wasn't any sludge or chunks of debris that I often see in videos on how to do this. I'm thankful (again!) that I bought a set of JIS screw drivers. I'm sure I would have striped out those three screws with a phillps. They were pretty tight.

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by david3921

I'm planning on doing the same as Jerry and Dan on my Rhino.

Funny that you should mention the slinger, Dan. I have my Rhino tore down in the front to do this install and decided that I would take off the right engine cover to check and clean the slinger as I've never done it. I just got done wth it and found, while the oil inside was dirty, there wasn't any sludge or chunks of debris that I often see in videos on how to do this. I'm thankful (again!) that I bought a set of JIS screw drivers. I'm sure I would have striped out those three screws with a phillps. They were pretty tight.

The service interval on the slinger is pretty big. The Honda Grom engine has a slinger as well and the specified interval is 7500 miles.

And, yes, spending the money on a JIS driver set pays for itself every time you don't strip a screw out lol. It's amazing what a difference it makes.

[XLsior]

My logical thinking would suggest to me that the screen should be installed after the cooler to prevent gravity drop down of scrags. If it were an actual filter then having the oil hotter would be beneficial but as its a mesh cone screen this isn't of much importance. There is a risk of debris accumulation in the oil cooler itself if the canister is placed after however...If the cooler fills with shrapnel to the point it's ineffective I think you'd have bigger issues to worry about.
Most actual oil filters are placed after the pump so if the filter clogs at least the pump wont run dry and eat itself.

As for the orientation of the screen, I personally would run it like a coffee filter so particulates collect in the centre.

[Bill Hilly]

tknj99. Did you take off the emissions device ( Whatever that metal do-dad is down by the horn). I took my cooler out and held it up in place, as high as I would like, and it looks like the upper mounting bolts may be higher than the intersection of were the bar that runs horizontal meets the bar that the cooler mounts to . Did you secure your top bolts above the horizontal bar, or a little below. I am using my phone, and can't tell a lot from the pictures. I never took the cooler out of the plastic bag, but it looks like it's going to be a tight fit, but I guess if yours fit ,mine should too.

[tknj99]

Yes, i removed the emissions pair valve and plumbing from the bike when i installed the air filter pod. My cooler sits higher than the mounting bracket for that pair valve, pretty much as high as it will go and is secured using the metal brackets that came in the package. The only thing i needed were longer bolts for the top mount as the back side winds up being further recessed than the bottom mount.
One thing i may do is to cut some flat metal pieces for the oil cooler mount bracket to rest against as that aluminum wants to bend around the frame when you tighten it down

[Demo85]

Can't say I know a ton about these bikes, or any bikes for that matter but I've done a lot of work on cars. I've had zip ties chafe braided lines and end up leaking on a pickup truck I had. Would try and get a grommet or bracket of some sort on them lines. Regardless, great write up, might do the same if I end up with a Brozz.

[tknj99]

Update: i switched the lines on the oil adapter so that the filter line is now connected on the oil inlet. I was curious whether or not this would have any impact on the buzzing noise i heard during cold starts and it did not change this behavior. I suspect that the reason why I hear the buzzing and the Hawk guys do not is that it may be the chain driven oil pump found on the Brozz models which is now making this noise with the new dynamic of the oil cooler as i never heard this noise before.
Curious whether other Brozz owners with oil coolers are hearing the buzz as well. From what i read on a thumper site, it sounds normal and can occur with temps under 50 degrees.
In any case, i feel better with the filter in this setup as like someone else mentioned, any sediment will now travel down into the screen and get caught there and then during an oil change, i can remove the sediment instead of previously where gravity would have dropped it back down the line.

[XLsior]

I'd be inclined to believe the 'buzz' you hear on cold start is the oil pump pulse being transmitted through the oil cooler and lines. The noise might be the actual cooler/fins reverberating, or more simply some loose* fittings.

Explains why its only happens when cold as the thicker oil can carry a pulse further.