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I do remember your testing now that you mention it Foama. Thanks for the reminder!
I did have some small concerns that this mod would very slightly hurt fuel economy on long trips. I think it will undoubtedly help fuel economy on trips under a half hour, but what about those over a half hour? At this point, the oil warmer could possibly become an oil cooler as the oil becomes warmer than the coolant (as it does in most vehicles). If this happens, you're actually keeping your oil thicker than it needs to be, and the same things that benefit you during warm up hurt you now that your oil isn't allowed to achieve as high of an oil temperature. Its great news to know that this negative side effect is very minimal. Thank you for your testing!
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Someone on EcoModder mentioned Subarus use these coolers as well. A bolt from one of those may work.
https://ecomodder.com/forum/attachme...1&d=1541208004
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1 Attachment(s)
Last night I removed the oil cooler/warmer from the VW oil filter assembly thing (not mine, but the image below).
https://ecomodder.com/forum/attachme...1&d=1540906482
I think I may be able to reuse the bolt that held it on as an extension tube. I am thinking I will cut off the inner tube, and weld an M20 nut, or a cut up an oil filter (for the female threads) to the end of it. That should create the extension that I need. We will see. Its cold out and the motivation isn't all there, thus no actual pictures. :)
Attachment 13163
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While I figure out the oil warmer mounting situation, I would also like to look at the coolant plumbing. The coolant system in the Mirage is pretty simple. There are two lines coming off the head. One goes to the throttle body to warm it up, and the other goes to the heater core to provide heat to the cabin. I can tee into either of these to run in parallel, or run the oil warmer in series with either of these items.
I'm not quite sure what I would like to do yet, but I am thinking that running it in series with the throttle body would be a good idea. It can go inline before the throttle and be fine. The throttle body uses much smaller hose than the heater core, but I really don't think that the oil warmer needs THAT much flow. Its sized for 5/8" heater hose which seems a bit overkill. If you look at the Honda oil warmer / cooler, it has a much smaller coolant hose size going to it. The other perk with using the throttle body hose is the proximity to the oil heater. They're literally right next to each other, so the hose runs would be short.
https://ecomodder.com/forum/attachme...1&d=1543416832
https://ecomodder.com/forum/attachme...1&d=1543416844
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5 Attachment(s)
Alright, I cleaned up the oil warmer and the bolt from the VW. Here are some pictures.
Attachment 13184
Attachment 13185
Attachment 13186
Attachment 13187
And, with some brake cleaner, they got a bit cleaner.
The oil warmer measures a couple inches thick. I took a look at the oil filter placement, and there is room in front of it chassis wise. But Tyrelirwin and Cobrajet were right about clearance! The lower radiator hose is going to be right in the way. Its definitely going to hit. I think it may fit by pushing the hose out of the way, but I think it'll be tight. Perhaps I can make a bracket to pull the radiator hose out of the way? We'll see. This is the next thing to look into. Good call guys.
Attachment 13188
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Hastings (I think) has different size filters available for the Mirage. Measure your clearance - I would be surprised if the small one didn't fit.
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I messed with things last tonight. I found out that the VW bolt / tube thingy is a 3/4-16 thread, not a M20x1.5 like the OE Mirage filter uses. Bummer. However, I'm thinking about just switching to a 3/4-16 filter. I can't imagine there is much difference. The filter for my Prius spin right on, and they're a little shorter too. What do you guys think?
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Sounds like a solution to the problem.
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i wonder if this same logic would apply to the CVT transmission? currently the CVT coolant lines connect to the rad and have to wait for the thermostat to open before hot coolant is sent to the CVT, I wonder what gains can be had if the CVT was plumbed to the engine coolant such as through the throttle body. Does CVT oil also significantly thin out as it heats up?
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I had never seen this thread before, and upon first glance thought it just said "Adding a Sandwich Warmer to the Mirage"
I think that would indeed be a welcome upgrade indeed!