Engine Guard Oil Cooler?

I've heard thatfrom others who've done this....that you can't hold your hand on the engine guard cause of the heat. As far as it being more effective, I don't know...While the engine guards aren't made of aluminum or copper which have better conductive properties for the transfer of heat, like a traditional oil cooler, the engine gaurds measure over seven feet of tubing which far exceeds the standard coolers. Combined with the ability to carry an extra quart of oil, in my opinion, this option is the best thing going for people with baggers...or anyone else willing to keep their crash guards on.

If you were talking about my set up, I do have quite a few photos. But it will take a few days to find them on one of three computers. Since I have an SnS block now, it will do no good to photograph that set up and post those photos since the SnS block is different at the oil pickup/return line block to sump area. So, photographing my current set up tonight won't really help anyone. But, I will see if I can find the photos tonight of the TC88 stock block set up and post them since I have done it on both blocks. Do you want the crash bar set up or photos of the whole shootin' match including the primary filter and secondary filter? It isn't particularly pretty, but I wasn't rigging it for show ----- just for go. The Aeroquip sockletless hose has a short bend radius, so it works well within the confined space between the engine block and sump.

It might work better if you send an email to me since I know how to email photos and I am not sure how to post them here. After you get the photos, you can post them here if you choose. Put "Harley oil set up" or something like that in the subject line of the email so I don't dump it as spam. Send it to LawyerCox@LawyerCox.com and I will try to get the photos to you tomorrow.

Texas Tripod

I found the photos last night. I will try to get them off my laptop and onto a disc .................... maybe now is the time to buy one of those USB pencil looking storage devices..................... and email them to the guys who sent emails to me and then they can post the photos.

In anticipation of questions, let me give answers now. The fittings I used are Aeroquip socketless fittings. The hose is the Aeroquip socketless hose, blue, due to higher heat capability. You can use what you want to use, but the Aeroquip socketless fitting has a larger orifice than the same size AN fitting which means higher oil flow for the same size fitting. You don't need any tools to put the hose on the fittings: just a bit of strength in your hands.

Keep in mind that you must drain the oil from the crash bars. How will you do that? There are many choices: 1. an extra fitting at each end of the crash bar, 2. lossen the fitting to the hose at the crash bar (not such a good idea as it twists the hose), 3. run the engine using the oil pump to circulate the oil into the sump and drain it while adding a bit of oil as it is running so you don't run it dry (you can figure this one out if you think about it), 4. run an extra fitting off the oil pressure switch and use it to drain the system, 5. use the secondary filter return line to drain the oil (this is what I do) 6. something else I have not thought about and you might figure out and share with everyone.

You will see a lot of folks who say to use the 1/8 ipt fittings. I think they are too small even though HD has used them for years. If you plumb it like I did, then you can probably get away with 1/8 inch fittings since it will be on the return side and not the feed side, but "why"? Use 1/4 inch mip or ipt fittings. Remember that when drilliing the hole in the crash bar and then tapping it, DO NOT TAP THE HOLE ALL THE WAY THROUGH. LEAVE A BIT OF UNTAPPED MEAT AT THE END OF THE HOLE FOR THE FITTING TO SEAT AGAINST. IF YOU DON'T DO THIS CORRECTLY, IT WILL LEAK. USE TEFLON PIPE DOPE ESPECIALLY ON THE BLOCK SINCE TEFLON TAPE COULD INCREASE THE DIAMETER OF THE FITTING THREADS TO THE DEGREE THAT YOU CRACK THE BLOCK WHEN TIGHTENING THE FITTING. REMEMBER THAT THE FITTINGS ARE TAPERED, AND THEY GET BIGGER AS YOU SCREW IN THE FITTING. TIGHTENING IT TOO MUCH COULD CRACK YOUR ENGINE CASE DUE TO THE EXPANSION OF THE TAPERED FITTING. THIS IS TRUE FOR "AN" FITTINGS AND PROBABLY TRUE FOR THE SOCKETLESS FITTINGS. YOU ARE NOT GOING TO THE MOON, SO DON'T OVERTIGHTEN THE FITTINGS. REMEMBER: THEY ARE TAPERED. For about $40.00, a machinist will drill the holes and tap it for you if you remove the crash bar. No mofidication to the block is necessary. The socketless fittings screw into the block without modification. For those folks in Houston, Texas, Miller Machine and Welding in Seabrook, Texas built the drill bit to facilitate this job and he knows how to do it since he did mine.

If you look at http://www.hosexpress.com/hose/socketless/socketlessfittings.htm
you will find a good pictorial of the hose fitting which are available and the hose. I bought my hose and fittings at Coastal Rubber and Hose in Houston, Texas.

Good luck with your projects and remember to use your head and maybe you will come up with a better way of doing it.

BTW, the temp drop on the crash bar cooler is the same as the temp drop with the Jagg vertical mount oil cooler for less than half the price and you get an extra quart of oil. We did both tests on the same bike and verified the temp drop as being the same. If you have the Jagg cooler and the crash bar set up, well, that might be really trick. Or, drill holes in your crash bar and weld tubes in the holes to allow air to pass through the crash bar tubes thereby increasing the cooling effect ----- a bit overboard unless you have notihing else to do! And, yes, I have built the steel lines for this set up but I figured that if a rock hit the steel line and bent it restricting flow, I would be screwed big time. Unfortunately, I figured that out after I finished the steel line bending and spending.

Texas Tripod

Excellent post!

Thank you!

Photos of crash bar oil lines etc. emailed since I could not figure out how to post them here due to the size. Troy, etc. check you email and see if you can post them.

TexasTripod

Thanks,Got the pics.. If I can figure this out I will post them for everybody.

Thanks for the pics.