Bulletproof diesel EGR and oil cooler upgrades - Page 2 - Diesel Forum

boomboom · 10-23-2009, 03:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mlwest

It does appear to be a very pricey kit - especially when you consider that they appear to have done a great job in engineering the oil transfer block but then chose a terrible mounting location for the cooler. Not only is it vulnerable but I can't leave my front license plate installed (a requirement here in California), it doesn't appear that I can retain my very functional fog lights and I'd have to mount the oil filter in an area prone to accumulate lots of mud/dirt even with my 2WD truck.

My 04 is now experiencing the plugged oil cooler issue and so I've been researching the whole topic.

I've been looking over my truck trying to find a better location - I haven't seen any that jump out at me.

However, not being one to give up easily, my first alternative is to use a bit of technology from the off-road/buggy guys and use a remote mount, electric fan/thermostatically controlled oil cooler. I'm thinking of mounting it beside the rear of the tranny (auto) on the drivers side as close to the bottom of the cab as is possible with the fan pointing towards the rear of the truck pushing air through the cooler. I'd mount the oil filter nearby, probably in front of the cooler and again as close to the bottom of the cab as possible to keep it out of as much of harms way as is feasible.

Anyone got any better ideas?

Would it fit on top of factory tranny cooler ? Or get some HEAVY DUTY thick wire stainless steel mesh screen and cover the opening in the bumper in front of the cooler. I have some of this screen and it has 1/8" holes with 1/16" dia.SS wire wieve. IT would stop a brick doin 70mph

REAL HARD to cut though.

TorqueMasterG · 10-23-2009, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boomboom

Would it fit on top of factory tranny cooler ? Or get some HEAVY DUTY thick wire stainless steel mesh screen and cover the opening in the bumper in front of the cooler. I have some of this screen and it has 1/8" holes with 1/16" dia.SS wire wieve. IT would stop a brick doin 70mph

REAL HARD to cut though.

I have heard that they are working on a new mounting location - back behind the condensor and in front of the radiator......

**mlwest** · 10-24-2009, 01:37 AM

It's too bad there isn't a convenient place where you don't dump the heat right in front of some other heat exchanger trying to get rid of its heat.

I still haven't found a better place than under the drivers side cab/frame location.

boomboom · 10-24-2009, 02:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TorqueMasterG

I have heard that they are working on a new mounting location - back behind the condensor and in front of the radiator......

Well that would be right on top of the tranny cooler I guess. Did you put anything in front of YOUR cooler to protect it. That stainless steel screen is tough stuff. I thinking about covering that area plus behind the grille to protect the AC condensor.I've got some nasty dents in it already from rocks. I'm really shocked rocks haven't punctured a tube.

**mlwest** · 10-24-2009, 04:53 PM

yeah, putting another heat source on top of something trying to rid itself of heat just isn't a good thing.

I just took a look at how Ford fed incoming air to my existing heat exchangers and they seem to have done their homework. The really low coolers have air angled up at them from below and have no direct path to them for foreign objects and the big tranny cooler has only thin horizontal slots where something might pass through. Probably not enough for serious off road work but OK for the almost exclusively street miles I drive.

I'm headed out this afternoon to look at locally available aftermarket oil coolers with electric fans to see just what might be available.

TorqueMasterG · 10-25-2009, 12:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boomboom

Well that would be right on top of the tranny cooler I guess. Did you put anything in front of YOUR cooler to protect it. That stainless steel screen is tough stuff. I thinking about covering that area plus behind the grille to protect the AC condensor.I've got some nasty dents in it already from rocks. I'm really shocked rocks haven't punctured a tube.

With my BulletProofCooler I have not had any real problems with debris, etc, hitting my cooler. I don't really lose sleep over it. I have had an occasional rock hit my windshield, but never break a headlight, hit my hood or even my grill for that matter. So maybe I don't think that its likely to have a rock hit my cooler.

The bumper DOES protect it fairly well. It would take a "unique" shot to hit the cooler. Not saying its impossible... just not probable for the way I drive and where I drive. Additionally, the cooler itself is VERY tough. Its the same cooler that is used on lots of trophy trucks in the baja 1000 race. Perhaps they are mounted differently, but the baja is no easy environment. Its a very thick, very rugged aluminum cooler.

If you want to go with some sort of wire mesh... its an interesting idea. The problem is that if you go with something "too protective", it actually will restrict the flow of air significantly. Something much more than chicken-wire or chain link fencing (as an illustration only) can drastically affect air flow. Not that chicken wire is going to win you any awards at the next truck show, but it would stop 99.9% (??) of any damaging rocks coming at your cooler.

**mlwest** · 10-25-2009, 02:05 AM

At least they seem to have chosen a stout cooler - a good thing.

My complaints are not only that I wish there was a better spot due to vulnerability but the kit has me hanging an oil filter right where lots of debris build up (not that it's something a garden hose wash down couldn't clean up most of the time) but I'd like to use a two filter arrangement.

I'd be stuck (because I live in a very warm climate) having to perform that strange mod to the A/C system - get a GM fitting and bump the amount of refrigerant up somewhat. Makes me believe that there's a whole bunch of heat being dumped right where not only the A/C is compromised but also my terrific automatic tranny cooler won't be as effective.

There's got to be a better location.

TorqueMasterG · 10-25-2009, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mlwest

At least they seem to have chosen a stout cooler - a good thing.

My complaints are not only that I wish there was a better spot due to vulnerability but the kit has me hanging an oil filter right where lots of debris build up (not that it's something a garden hose wash down couldn't clean up most of the time) but I'd like to use a two filter arrangement.

I'd be stuck (because I live in a very warm climate) having to perform that strange mod to the A/C system - get a GM fitting and bump the amount of refrigerant up somewhat. Makes me believe that there's a whole bunch of heat being dumped right where not only the A/C is compromised but also my terrific automatic tranny cooler won't be as effective.

There's got to be a better location.

The kit comes with the GM version of the orifice tube. Its not that "strange" of a mod, actually, but I understand where you are coming from. I live in Phoenix and I would consider that a warm climate, too.

I installed the kit in August and the AC did not work well until I changed this orifice tube. I talked to the guys at BulletProofDiesel.com and asked what was going on.

They explained that the AC compressor was short cycling and this made the AC "not work" in its current configuration. They went on to explain that by making the o-tube a bit larger, it allowed the compressor to run longer and the freon to go through into the evaporator. Adding a bit more freon made the pressures and cycle times perfect. I did as they instructed and I was freezing myself out of my truck soon after.

TorqueMasterG · 10-25-2009, 10:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mlwest

It's too bad there isn't a convenient place where you don't dump the heat right in front of some other heat exchanger trying to get rid of its heat.

I still haven't found a better place than under the drivers side cab/frame location.

In terms of "dumping heat right in front of a place also dumping heat" is true, but not wholly in this sense. The fact of the matter in this case is that you are simply trading heat from one heat exchanger and dumping out through a different one. Its a zero-sum game, but one with advantages.

Its similar to changing a $20 bill for a ten and 10 ones. The ten ones you can use to buy a soda from the machine, but you can't do that with a $20. The sum was the same, but the flexibility was an improvement.

So what does this have to do with heat transfer you may wonder? Well in the case of this BulletProofDiesel Oil Kit, by adding the engine oil cooler at the front of the truck, you aren't dumping "extra" heat (my word) onto another cooler in an additive sense. The heat coming out of the oil would have been in the coolant/radiator with the stock Ford engine oil cooler. So, in essence, the total number of BTU's being dumped into the air flow are the same, just like a 10 and ten singles is the same as a twenty.

Now, you might argue, that the sequence of heat exchangers is important... and I would agree. I can also tell you that from my experience with the kit, I have not had any heat related problems with regards to my other systems with the lone exception being the AC already mentioned.

If you do mount your cooler back on the frame, you could have issues there with regards to heat. I would expect that while its "not near" any other coolers, you are now downstream of ALL the other coolers, meaning that you aren't going to get nice, cool, clean ambient air going through your frame mounted cooler (even with elec fans) but, rather, you are going to get all the waste/dumped heat from the intercooler, radiator, etc now getting pulled into your frame mounted coolers. Perhaps that will still work well... I would love to see!

One person I did talk to had an interesting point: we were talking about frame mounted coolers, too. I suggested the electric fans and frame mounting (he had an ambulance chassis). He said "you must be from someplace warm!"... being from PHX I had to agree and ask him how he knew.... any one have an idea how he knew?

ridintall · 10-26-2009, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by teamroper60

I had my heads machined, headgaskets replaced, studs installed, some EGR work done, a new oil cooler (purchased separately from Ford for less than $600) installed, the coolant flushed/refilled, oil change and the A/C recharged for less than that.....

I paid appr. $4K for oil and EGR cooler replacement in my van and that was after they discounted a bunch of parts for me. (They took 10-20% off of some of the parts). I also put in a coolant filter afterwards.

Oogs

**mlwest** · 11-14-2009, 05:36 PM

OK, so now can anyone verify the claim that the 6.0L motor oil pump is capable of generating 16 GPM flow?

**mlwest** · 11-18-2009, 11:28 PM

Actually I should have said 18.5 GPM - that seems like an awful lot of oil flow!

TorqueMasterG · 12-31-2009, 02:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mlwest

Actually I should have said 18.5 GPM - that seems like an awful lot of oil flow!

I saw a Motocraft video that mentioned specifically the 18.5 gpm at peak loads.... that is a bunch of oil!

koz-1978 · 02-13-2010, 02:18 PM

I just joined this forum today. I'm going to buy the Bulletproof EGR Cooler; 1) That is one of the big down falls of the 6.0, 2) Bulletproof seems to be the only aftermarket supplier for this. Has there been any issues with that upgrade (craftsmanship issues, welds leaking, etc). I haven't experienced any problems yet and don't want to. I am having a little pedal response issues but i'll clean up the top end when i get the EGR cooler.

**mlwest** · 02-13-2010, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by koz-1978

I just joined this forum today. I'm going to buy the Bulletproof EGR Cooler; 1) That is one of the big down falls of the 6.0, 2) Bulletproof seems to be the only aftermarket supplier for this. Has there been any issues with that upgrade (craftsmanship issues, welds leaking, etc). I haven't experienced any problems yet and don't want to. I am having a little pedal response issues but i'll clean up the top end when i get the EGR cooler.

Don't know if you have already done the oil cooler but if not then you've got a lot of research to do and you'll have to be more specific about pedal response issues.

Search this site for failed oil cooler and failed EGR cooler - there's a lot of information.

As for the quality of the parts from bulletproof - I just installed the new EGR cooler, oil cooler and oil transfer block. Expensive kit but all parts are of top quality and I believe both the oil transfer block and very stout oil cooler are actually made in this strange place called USA? Where the heck is that - LOL.

Good luck.