Don't Let Oil Temps Stop The Fiesta! Mishimoto Oil Cooler R&D!

[mishimoto1]

Hey guys,

We have another project in the works for the ST! Check out the details on our blog or posted within this thread.

http://engineering.mishimoto.com/category/ford-fiesta-st-oil-cooler-kit-2014/

Don?t Let Oil Temps Stop The Fiesta! Mishimoto Oil Cooler R&D, Part 1: Plans and Initial Fabrication

We?ve been posting on the Fiesta ST forums for some time now, talking about our upcoming products (aluminum radiator and oil catch can system), reading through build threads, and requesting recommendations from the community. One of the most requested components is a direct-fit Fiesta oil cooler solution. Luckily for ST enthusiasts, we are extremely familiar with this product, as validated by the 21 direct-fit kits our engineering team has designed and tested thus far.

ST Plans

So what do we have planned for our ST-specific kit? We had a few requests for a radiator/oil cooler combination kit with bracket mounts fixed to the radiator. While this is a good idea, it has a few flaws. First, the AC condenser sits directly in front of the radiator. Designing a mount to go around the condenser would be quite a challenge and would also create an ?interesting? install. Our primary reason for avoiding this combination package is that we do not want our customers to feel forced to purchase a combo package. If customers want just a Ford Fiesta oil cooler, we want that to be an option. Because of this, we will be designing this kit to function with both the stock radiator as well as a thicker aluminum counterpart.

As with most of our other existing kits, this kit will be completely direct-fit and will include every item necessary for install, down to the last nut and bolt. We will also provide a video install guide that will highlight the process from start to finish.

One thing that we like to do with our kits is provide an in-depth look at our testing data. Although most of this data is collected during street driving, we can capture efficiency information that can be used to estimate track benefits. We will be using our AEM data logging software and temperature sensors to capture and display our results with both the stock and Mishimoto Fiesta oil cooler.

Stock Oil Cooler

The stock Fiesta oil cooler is a liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger that doubles as both an oil warmer and an oil cooler. It is a common component that helps reduce wear during oil warmup and then works with engine coolant to help keep temperatures in check. Check out a couple shots of the stock Fiesta ST oil cooler!

Stock Ford Fiesta oil cooler

Stock Ford Fiesta oil cooler

As we?ve found out through the forums and enthusiast?s groups, this Ford Fiesta oil cooler is fantastic for heating the oil, but it falls short in cooling performance. Many drivers are seeing oil temperatures that are quite high during aggressive street driving. This is a big problem for those who purchased a performance vehicle and expect to drive it like so.

In the images above you will notice the tight clearance in the area of the oil filter and Fiesta oil cooler assembly. Because of this, we will eliminate the stock oil cooler, and in its place we will mount our oil cooler sandwich plate. We will offer both a thermostatic and non-thermostatic kit. The thermostatic option will restrict oil flow to the heat exchanger until proper temperatures are reached. This is an ideal setup for a street-driven vehicle and ensures that oil is warmed properly.

Bracket Fabrication

The start of this project begins with fabricating brackets to mount our heat exchanger. We want a location with the most possible airflow to provide efficient heat exchange. The obvious choice is the front grille. To place our cooler in a position compatible with taller aftermarket front-mount intercooler kits (FMIC) kits, we will mount this cooler in the upper portion of the grille.

First, the bumper is removed to see what we are working with!

Fiesta ST with bumper removed

Fiesta ST with bumper removed

Fiesta ST with bumper removed

The center portion of the upper grille seems appropriate for mounting our 19-row cooler. We begin by taking measurements from our planned mounting points and drawing brackets in Solidworks. Once in 3D, we can print out templates and construct our Ford Fiesta oil cooler brackets from steel.

Cutting bracket templates for Mishimoto Fiesta ST oil cooler

After a few quick cuts on the band saw, our initial bracket shapes were complete. We then bent them at the proper angles to clear the crash beam and other front-end components.

Fabricated Fiesta oil cooler brackets

We then fit these into position on the vehicle!

Fabricated Fiesta oil cooler brackets installed

Fabricated Fiesta oil cooler brackets installed

Some slight tweaks were made and soon we had the oil cooler mounted on our Fiesta!

Fabricated Fiesta ST oil cooler brackets installed

Fabricated Fiesta ST oil cooler brackets installed

We then added a third bracket for some additional cooler support. We typically use three mounting points for optimal rigidity, which eliminates the impact of airflow or high-g cornering on bracket flex.

Fabricated Ford Fiesta ST oil cooler brackets installed

Coming Up!

Next up on the list of tasks is to determine if this kit functions as well as it looks. We will be strapping our testing sensors and equipment to this hot hatch and hitting the highway to evaluate temperature on both the stock setup as well as with the Mishimoto Ford Fiesta oil cooler installed.

Check back next time for a look at the testing process as well as the results!

Thanks for reading!
-John

 

[Dylanc]

I'm a fan! Oil temp in this car bothers me.

 

[doubletap]

Definitely interested. Hope the final version is a tad smaller.

 

[Etyrnus]

Am I the only one noticing the location they're mounting it seems made for it? Pre-existing holes and room?

 

[Izzy]

Definitely a must buy for me in this awful TX heat, but would not like to hide any of the core with the bumper bar. How bout' a slimmer, but slightly longer core?

 

[Chuckable]

Looking forward to seeing the data on this, and future updates!

Quick question: Are you assuming that removing the load off the factory cooling system by removing the OEM cooler will offset the decrease in airflow to the radiator by placing the oil cooler in the upper grille?

 

[meFiSTo]

Looking forward to seeing the data on this, and future updates!

Same and keeping an eye on this. Could be that the oil cooler/thermostatic sandwich plate setup alone will do the trick for me as far as cooling the temps for track days. That radiator install looks, well, nontrivial, although I suspect it would help a lot on hot days of lapping.

 

[me32]

Looks good waiting to see results.

 

[Perfblue15]

Definitely in for this to compliment a future mishimoto radiator

 

[frankiefiesta]

Can't wait for this one

 

[TheStig]

This is pure filthy R&D porn and i love it.

Nothing like seeing the process and fab that went into the products during testing and fitment.

 

[Sourskittle]

This looks awesome guys. I two things you guys may have already considered, but none the less, I'll bring them up to maybe help it you all don't already know.

#1 is the most important. The fiesta ST does not have a real oil temp sensor at all. Its "inferred", which means.... Fake/calculated. I thing they base it off mostly coolant temps, but honestly, I'm not sure anyone knows just how its calculated, but most importantly, its not a real sensor. What this may do is give you guys baseline results that are accurate on the stock rad/oil cooler, but afterwords, your temps may not decline as much as you'd think because the ecu is basing the oil temps off calculated coolant temps, not real oil temps. This would lead you to believe that your oil cooler did only a little improvement, when really, it could be making a huge difference/improvement.

#2 sooner or later, everyone is going to know that DHM sells the only intercooler worth buying right now. Even DHM goes out of business, someone else will make a similar product. Honestly; someone in china is likely working on copying Russ's design right now. AGP had the only game in town for srt4 intercoolers that were huge and they charged like $750. Now? Look on ebay... Same giant sized intercoolers for $260 shipped, and.... They work great. What I'm getting at is that the crash bar is going to be removed or modified or changed in almost every fiesta ST that is serious about racing. Even the road race guys.... And I could be wrong, but that oil cooler looks like it may not fit those taller, thicker intercoolers ( look up the DHM one on this forum to see how big it is ). That being said, if you make it like you have it and it still fits huge coolers, than awesome !!! And you may have already thought of this and think people will have to make a choice between one or the other, IDK... But I wanted to bring it to your attention before you guys stamp out 7,000 of these. If someone posts a $340 bolt-on intercooler with brackets to ditch the crash bar, that is as big as DHM on ebay tomorrow, 1/2 the forum would be buying them within a week, lol. No question DHM coolers is way way higher quality, but just to be honest, $340 would be a big selling point. Anyway, not trying to force you in any direction, just wanted to make you aware

As a member in Florida and as someone that has seen the effects the ecu has on the fist when coolant/oil temps rise, I'm really loving this stuff guys. I'm just trying to help

 

[MOFiST]

Looks great. Shame it doesn't look like a direct bolt on for an Australian car as we don't have that middle bar above the crash bar. On the plus side that means a bit more air to my radiator. Still, it might be worth looking at another bracket for ROW market?
Anyway looking forward to seeing how this progresses.

 

[Hijinx]

#2 sooner or later, everyone is going to know that DHM sells the only intercooler worth buying right now. Even DHM goes out of business, someone else will make a similar product. Honestly; someone in china is likely working on copying Russ's design right now. AGP had the only game in town for srt4 intercoolers that were huge and they charged like $750. Now? Look on ebay... Same giant sized intercoolers for $260 shipped, and.... They work great. What I'm getting at is that the crash bar is going to be removed or modified or changed in almost every fiesta ST that is serious about racing. Even the road race guys.... And I could be wrong, but that oil cooler looks like it may not fit those taller, thicker intercoolers ( look up the DHM one on this forum to see how big it is ). That being said, if you make it like you have it and it still fits huge coolers, than awesome !!! And you may have already thought of this and think people will have to make a choice between one or the other, IDK... But I wanted to bring it to your attention before you guys stamp out 7,000 of these. If someone posts a $340 bolt-on intercooler with brackets to ditch the crash bar, that is as big as DHM on ebay tomorrow, 1/2 the forum would be buying them within a week, lol. No question DHM coolers is way way higher quality, but just to be honest, $340 would be a big selling point. Anyway, not trying to force you in any direction, just wanted to make you aware

He brings up a great point. The most serious of us, who will want an oil cooler may be swapping out their crash bars. I get that you want to market to the bigger audience, and a lot of the others "not so serious" guys will buy. But I think if you guys found a decent compromise, you could bring all of us in. As it stands, if I have to use the OE crash bar to mount, I'm out because I won't have anything to mount it to.

 

[Rhinopolis]

I am interested in doing as many things as makes sense for my needs, and in order to better protect my engine and promote a longer and more trouble free operating life.

With that being said and not to intentionally thread jack, but can someone please explain to me how exactly increasing oil temps impact performance? Let's assume 1st that we have a radiator doing its job of keeping the coolant under acceptable control. After that and also taking in to consideration that the FiST uses a calculation based off of coolant temps to "estimate" oil temps, how do increasing oil temps negatively impact performance?

Thank you,

Ryan

 

[Sourskittle]

The quick response is oil gets thinner as it gets hotter. Thinner oil = more wear. Both lead to more heat and faster oil degrading. Less friction more power. Its a balancing act though because too thick of an oil weights more and takes more power to move/pump. So best case.... To use the correct oil and keep it in the correct temp range.

 

[Rhinopolis]

The quick response is oil gets thinner as it gets hotter. Thinner oil = more wear. Both lead to more heat and faster oil degrading. Less friction more power. Its a balancing act though because too thick of an oil weights more and takes more power to move/pump. So best case.... To use the correct oil and keep it in the correct temp range.

I hope that others feel my question is relevant to the thread, and perhaps Mishimoto can chime in too. I changed out my factory oil at 500 miles to a 0W-30 full syn that looks to be thinner on initial startup and thicken with heat. Am I understanding correctly then that our ecu pulls timing on hot coolant temps and not hot oil temps? I guess that would only make sense if current oil temp readings are only calculated best estimates based off of actual coolant temp readings?

 

[Hijinx]

Imagine sprinting a mile in 100* F weather. Naturally your performance is degraded and if you keep pushing it you'll sooner or later experience a catastrophic episode.

 

[Rhinopolis]

What I am asking might not have been evaluated yet, but I believe that it's relevant. What is the optimal oil temp operating range that the FiST oil temps should be maintained within? Obviously we want the oil temp up hot enough for the oil to properly do its job, so at what temp is hot enough and at what temp does it cross over in to the "unsafe zone"?

I have read that 200F with regards to coolant temps is when the ecu starts to pull timing, so obviously on coolant we want the temps kept below 200F. Before I invest in an oil cooler, I would like to better understand the range for ideal oil operating temps. Example, 170f-200f?

 

[Izzy]

175 to 190 is what I would be shooting for.