Backmarker
Member
- First Name
- Phillip
- Joined
- May 16, 2023
- Threads
- 11
- Messages
- 33
- Reaction score
- 98
- Location
- Richmond, Va
- Vehicle(s)
- 2023 FL5
- Thread starter
- #1
In the spirit of PointbyPatrol and others sharing how they installed things I wanted to share some insights and ideas from my recent install of the HEL oil cooler.
TLDR:
- The kit has great quality of parts
- IMO the design of the hose routing creates reliability risks (hoses rubbing on things that are sharp) I would not be comfortable with on a daily driver (without modification). On a track only car you probably have the bumper off enough to monitor wear and tear.
- I wanted to share the potential cut / abrasion points on the hoses and my approach to addressing them.
A few tips:
- In general the hoses run VERY close to the belt and a number of sharp edges. I used a split hose and zip ties to avoid rubbing wherever I could. Keep in mind when ziptying the hoses to the body, AC compressor, etc. the motor rocks under load so you need to ensure the hoses can move with it.
- You need yo be very precise about the positioning of the oil pedestal and the hard lines coming out of it to minimize the likelihood of rubbing/ cutting a line.
- There is one corner (where a body seam sticks out in a sharp wdge by about an inch. The hose is pulled against it when the motor is under load. That seems very likely to be a problem. That is the one in the photos where 30 minutes with the BFH convinced the body seam to be a nice round curve instead of a straight edge ?. Remember to paint it afterwards to avoid rust.
The basic install is probably 2-3 Hours. I personally spent another 4-5 getting it to where I felt good about it.
No credibility or endorsement of this approach is implied. Sharing just in case it is helpful.
- Phillip
TLDR:
- The kit has great quality of parts
- IMO the design of the hose routing creates reliability risks (hoses rubbing on things that are sharp) I would not be comfortable with on a daily driver (without modification). On a track only car you probably have the bumper off enough to monitor wear and tear.
- I wanted to share the potential cut / abrasion points on the hoses and my approach to addressing them.
A few tips:
- In general the hoses run VERY close to the belt and a number of sharp edges. I used a split hose and zip ties to avoid rubbing wherever I could. Keep in mind when ziptying the hoses to the body, AC compressor, etc. the motor rocks under load so you need to ensure the hoses can move with it.
- You need yo be very precise about the positioning of the oil pedestal and the hard lines coming out of it to minimize the likelihood of rubbing/ cutting a line.
- There is one corner (where a body seam sticks out in a sharp wdge by about an inch. The hose is pulled against it when the motor is under load. That seems very likely to be a problem. That is the one in the photos where 30 minutes with the BFH convinced the body seam to be a nice round curve instead of a straight edge ?. Remember to paint it afterwards to avoid rust.
The basic install is probably 2-3 Hours. I personally spent another 4-5 getting it to where I felt good about it.
No credibility or endorsement of this approach is implied. Sharing just in case it is helpful.
- Phillip
