Leading Oil Cooler Manufacturers

What is an Oil Cooler?

Oil coolers are small radiators found in front of water-based radiator systems. Their primary purpose is to reduce the temperature of the vehicles while running; thus, the device works only while the vehicle is running.

The cooled oil adds a lot of purpose to the high-stress transmission oil—engines with cooling fans quickly cool oil and water-based radiators, which is why they offer additional advantages.

Because an oil cooler functions as an additional cooling component, its application to air cooled engines will intensely reduce high temperatures. Therefore, the lifespan of the engine will be significantly increased. Heavier vehicles make good use of oil coolers, which help put more stress on the drive train.

Efficient cooling keeps hot engine oil operating at cool temperatures and decreases the chance of untimely breakdown.

Types of Oil Coolers

Engine oil coolers can be generally categorized into two types like oil to water and oil to air.

Oil to Water Coolers

In oil to water coolers, the coolants pass through heat exchanger elements of some parts. Then, the coolant is activated by either adding heat energy to cold oil or taking heat energy from excess hot oil.

Oil to Air Coolers

These coolers are small radiators that activate the engine oil to cool directly with ambient air from the cooling fans. Most oil to air coolers operate using a thermostatic bypass valve, which stops engine oil from flowing through the cooler before reaching its required operating temperature.

Types of engine coolers include basic tube and fin style, where oil flows through one or multiple coolers. Other types might have many cooling rows or a stacked plate type. Finally, some oil coolers are header style, where end tanks are constructed like radiators.

Working Principle of Oil Coolers

Oil to air coolers are generally mounted in the radiator’s front, though they have the same shape. This gives engine oil fast access to cold fresh air from the cooling fan. In many cases, oil flows from the engine as a “sandwich” adapter.

This adapter is placed between the engine block and an oil filter since it permits hot oil to pass through the filter. It then flows through the cooler before flowing back to the engine as a recurring process. Other sandwich adaptors are made with thermostatic bypass, which disables oil from flowing until it reaches a certain temperature.

An inline thermostat provides the same bypass operation. In vehicles without space for mounting at the radiator’s front, manufacturers offer coolers in other places in the engine.

Advantages of Oil Coolers

Below are the advantages of oil coolers in internal combustion engines:

• With a thermostat, an oil cooler cools down heated oil to an exact temperature.
• It ensures appropriate cooling of oil before passing it.
• The oil temperature is controlled in the oil to water cooler.
• Installation of an oil cooler is quite easy.
• Oil cooler improves the operation of an engine.
• It reduces the usage of a water cooling system which can corrode the engine.
• As oil significantly works as a coolant, additional coolant cylinders, radiators, and pumps are excluded from the engine design.
• Oil circulation is effective and controlled.

Disadvantages of Oil Coolers

Despite the advantages of oil coolers, some drawbacks still occur. Below are the drawbacks of the engine part:

• Oil can be flammable.
• Extra oil is needed to operate an oil cooler.
• Extra maintenance is required.
• Thermostat failure stops oil circulation, specifically if permanently locked.
• Over-cooling can happen if a valve stays open.

Oil Cooling Applications

Modern vehicles feature high-performance engines with hydraulic and transmission systems which utilize oil for cooling, cleaning, and lubrication purposes. The heat produced from these systems must be cooled for optimal functioning. Oil passing through these systems absorbs the heat and exchanges it with the ambient air. As the systems work under high pressure, an oil cooler must be robust for high working pressure.

Choosing the Right Oil Cooler Supplier

To ensure you have the most beneficial outcome when purchasing an oil cooler from an oil cooler supplier, it is important to compare several businesses using our directory of oil cooler suppliers. Each oil cooler supplier has a business profile page highlighting their areas of experience and capabilities, along with a contact form to directly communicate with the supplier for more information or request a quote. Review each oil cooler business website using our patented website previewer to quickly learn what each company specializes in. Then, use our simple RFQ form to contact multiple oil cooler companies with the same form.