I'm considering an oil cooler. I am thinking about tapping into it for the oil feed to the turbo. Anybody done this, or see a problem with it? Thoughts?

 

Only issues I can see are:

1. If you run a thermostatic plate, make sure you tap the correct side. While there is always flow through the cooler with a t-stat plate, volume is severely limited when the oil is cold, which means there is little to no actual pressure in the core itself when cold. This isn't an issue if you aren't running a thermostatic plate.

2. Use an inline filter. I've always thought the number of turbo failures I've read about on these cars was strange until I realized that most people feed from either the oil pressure sender location or a sandwich plate on the oil filter- both of which send the turbo unfiltered oil. Either find a location you know is filtered, or use an inline filter and clean it when you do oil changes.

 

Take this with a grain of salt...the inline filters can be a turbo death sentence - if the filter gets clogged you reduce/restrict oil from your turbos and or if the filter element breaks loose and ends up in your turbo housing your turbo will be destroyed. I would worry more about starving the turbos of oil via a clogged element.

I think a better solution is finding/fab'ing an oil relocation kit that will take your feed line and filter it through a standard oil filter. Now your filter your systems oil twice as much and you reduce/eliminate the chance of a clogged filter element.

 

If they're neglected, yes. If they're treated as regular maintenance and cleaned at each oil change (as they should be) they are no problem at all.

 

Im thinking about this..... the location on the block that Feeds the stock sandwich plate oil cooler can be used as watercooling for the turbo, then routed to the plate. Oil feed from sending unit goes through oil cooler, then to turbo. An oil filter would be nice inline, but I dont think it needs a full size. Any ideas on a type that would be good to use, easy to replace, and not costly?

 

You can get filtered oil for your turbos right off the upper oil pan. About 2.5" above the oil pressure sending unit port is a larger hole that has a threaded plug in it. It faces at an angle forward and out. i dont remember the thread size pitch but its obviously metric. Take the plug out and measure the threads on the plug.

attached photo found via google and stolen from CZP website so I could edit and circle what im talking about.

 

other way around, it will still have full pressure (both sides of the plumbing to it are operating at full pressure), but it will have limited flow.

 

don't go into 'save a penny mode' ... the money you save will non't cover the cost to rebuild your turbo.

 

Derp. You're right. No more cold medicine for me. He should just use the port you outlined. That's the easiest solution I think.