Adding a full flow oil filter to a ~new VMC

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Jon, I run an external cooler and filter without the sandwich and you can do so safely, BUT you do have to watch oil temperature carefully in cooler weather before putting your boot into it. I seldom drive when it's under 50 degrees, but it can take 20 minutes or more to get some heat in the engine then if all the oil is passing through an efficient cooler.

We squeezed the cooler and the filter into the rear wheel well, so weren't anxious to cram in more hardware, although it can be done. And, as I understand it, your cooler is under the car, so you should have more room to play with.

I've always felt keeping an eagle eye on oil temperature should be a natural part of your instrument 'scan' in these cars, so I didn't consider this compromise much of a hardship.

Our plumbing experts will have more specific advice on how to proceed.

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Thanks Mitch.  Yes my cooler is mounted foreword of the firewall, so the wheel well seems to have enough room for a filter, a mount, and a couple of hose connections.

My normal routine is to warm up just enough in the garage until I feel ok to nudge backwards onto my sloping driveway, then continue to idle on my driveway for a total initial warmup of about 5 minutes.  I then proceed to drive easy for another 5 to 10 minutes which is when I start to see my simple temp gage needle moving to the right.  Another 5 to 10 minutes of easy driving is needed before the needle points to what I’ve come to recognize as my normal temperature range.  Only then will I lightly hoon.  

If that process would remain the same if I forgo the thermostatic sandwich and install the filter only, I think I’d be ok.  I’d still like to understand what would be involved with the more complicated path, if only to help me arrange an initial filter-only installation in a manner that would allow a more accepting upgrade to a sandwich if the urge strikes me sometime in the future.  I have been know to go for a drive when the temperature starts in the upper 40s.

Again, thanks.

The oil thermostat will result in quicker warm-up and less engine wear.

After additional Googling, I might have inched my understanding about an inch.

What I have now is a loop that goes from the oil pump through the oil cooler back to the engine case.  When adding an external filter, I was thinking that this loop stays as a single loop, but with the filter inserted between the pump and cooler, and the sandwich plate somehow integrated with the filter.

I’m now thinking that the filter mount (such as an EMPI spin-on filter mounting adapter bracket) will make one loop connecting the pump to the filter and back to the case.  The sandwich plate, stacked onto the filter mounting bracket, has two ports that are used to make a second loop between the plate and the oil cooler.  When the thermostat in the sandwich plate senses oil temp is less than 180ºF, the majority of oil flow runs through the filter and straight back to the case, while a small portion of flow is allowed to run through the oil cooler loop (I assume it is helpful to keep the oil cooler loop primed with oil to reduce air entrapment).  When temperature reaches 180ºF, most (all?) of the flow is diverted through the oil cooler loop before returning to the case.  All oil flows through the filter regardless of temperature.  Separately, the thermostat on the external oil cooler will turn the fan on when its temperature set point is reached, which will only occur sometime after oil has reached 180ºF at the plate.

If I’m on the right track, then to use the sandwich with the external filter, I would need to run four hoses to the filter assembly - one from the oil pump, one to the engine case, and two to the oil cooler.

Compared to the option that omits the sandwich, this would entail a bit more work and involve routing four instead of two hoses near exhaust lines.  

Am I close?

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Jon, I think you've got it. At least, that's my understanding as I've never installed the sandwich plate.

With just a filter and cooler, there are only three lines:

1. Pump to filter
2. Filter to cooler
3. Cooler back to engine

Also, my cooler is right next to the filter and both are in the wheel well, so the total length of oil lines is considerably shorter than if the cooler were mounted forward, where VM has been placing them. I'm thinking a thermostatic sandwich plate will help you more than it would me, with the configuration I have.

Two of my lines pass near a header, and they have been slightly lengthened so they hang down, away from the exhaust a little. A protective sleeve has been wrapped around them where they're closest to the exhaust.

Another thought. I think VM mounts the cooler forward to avoid the issue of oil lines passing near the exhaust. It might be cleaner to also mount the filter somewhere near the cooler, although that would probably make changing filters more difficult if you don't have access to a lift. Everything is a compromise.

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The Mocal Sandwich Plate is so-called because it is the "meat" between the remote oil filter mount and and oil filter itself.

You run hoses from the engine to the oil filter mount, bolt the Mocal plate to the oil filter mount, run hoses from the Mocal to the oil cooler, and screw the filter to the bottom (sometimes the top or the side, depending on how its oriented) of the Mocal.

So:

Front of Engine=====Oil Filter Mounting Plate\Mocal Plate========Oil Cooler

                                                                                     | oil filter|

                                                                                      |             |

                                                                                       | ______|       

The advantage to the sandwich thermostat is how simple it makes everything. If you have a remote oil cooler, this is a slam dunk.

One line from the oil pump cover to the oil filter base (this is one of the ones already there), one line from the sandwich to the cooler, one line back from the cooler to the sandwich, one line back from the filter base to the engine oil galley (this is the other one already there).

You should have no extra lines anywhere near the exhaust.

@Stan Galat, does the oil get filtered before it passes through the thermostat check valve in a sandwich system?  

@LI-Rick posted:

@Stan Galat, does the oil get filtered before it passes through the thermostat check valve in a sandwich system?  

I don't think so. The advantage is how clean it makes the plumbing.

I’d love this to be a slam dunk, but I’m not following your description Stan.

I don’t currently have an oil filter, so no oil filter base, so no hose going  to the base.  Likewise I don’t have a hose going from a filter base to the engine galley.  All I have are two hoses running directly forward and up to the oil cooler mounted in the space between the firewall and tub.  

If I locate a new filter in the left rear wheel well without using a sandwich plate, then I think I can keep the oil cooler return hose to the galley.   I would need to replace the single hose from the pump to the cooler with a hose that runs to the filter and another hose from the filter to the cooler.  With a wheel well mounted filter, I think that requires me to route two hoses that will pass near a section of my sidewinder exhaust.  As Mitch points out, if the oil filter was mounted elsewhere, such as near the oil cooler, then I would not need to pass near the exhaust.  

If I install the filter and a sandwich in the wheel well, then I can’t use either of my two existing hoses and would need four new hoses.  If I installed the filter and sandwich near the oil cooler, then if I pick a clever location I might be able to disconnect the two hoses from the cooler and reattach them to the filter base, then add two new short hoses between the sandwich and cooler.

Working under the car to install a filter and sandwich up in the space where the oil cooler is currently located would not be pleasant with the car on four jack stands.  Oil changes would also become a bit more of a chore as would checking for leaks.

Am I still missing something?

Related question - is it acceptable practice to reuse an existing push-on hose by cutting off one end (if needing to make the hose shorter) and inserting a new push-on fitting?  Doing something like this could make my job easier, but something tells me it is far better and less risky to use new hose.  

The sandwich plate does allow for oil filtering independent of temperature.

@Jon T posted:

After additional Googling, I might have inched my understanding about an inch.

What I have now is a loop that goes from the oil pump through the oil cooler back to the engine case.  When adding an external filter, I was thinking that this loop stays as a single loop, but with the filter inserted between the pump and cooler, and the sandwich plate somehow integrated with the filter.

I’m now thinking that the filter mount (such as an EMPI spin-on filter mounting adapter bracket) will make one loop connecting the pump to the filter and back to the case.  The sandwich plate, stacked onto the filter mounting bracket, has two ports that are used to make a second loop between the plate and the oil cooler.  When the thermostat in the sandwich plate senses oil temp is less than 180ºF, the majority of oil flow runs through the filter and straight back to the case, while a small portion of flow is allowed to run through the oil cooler loop (I assume it is helpful to keep the oil cooler loop primed with oil to reduce air entrapment).  When temperature reaches 180ºF, most (all?) of the flow is diverted through the oil cooler loop before returning to the case.  All oil flows through the filter regardless of temperature.  Separately, the thermostat on the external oil cooler will turn the fan on when its temperature set point is reached, which will only occur sometime after oil has reached 180ºF at the plate.

If I’m on the right track, then to use the sandwich with the external filter, I would need to run four hoses to the filter assembly - one from the oil pump, one to the engine case, and two to the oil cooler.

Compared to the option that omits the sandwich, this would entail a bit more work and involve routing four instead of two hoses near exhaust lines.  

Am I close?

You're right on.

Your other option is to use a filter mount in-line:

Engine (oil pump) out--------Oil filter mount in\oil filter out------oil cooler in\cooler out---Engine In.

This omits a thermostat function, giving flow through the filter and cooler regardless of temperature.

I pulled this from my car's service manual and it might help to visualize things (if I can get it to post).  The filter mount has two hoses going to it, one from the oil pump and the return hose to the engine case.  Those do not get touched when installing a Mocal sandwich plate switch.

Bear in mind, that I have this gizmo because I live in New England and drive my car in outside temps down into the 20F range and I wanted it to warm up quickly when cold.  In the summer we can see temps of 100F so I need the oil cooler to keep the oil temp at 200F or so no matter what.

The Mocal plate screws right into the oil filter mount in place of the filter and has a hose out to the cooler, and a return hose from the cooler, both screwed into the adapter plate.  The oil filter is screwed into the Mocal plate on the filter mount.  

The Mocal plate is in line with the filter output port and re-directs the oil filter output to the oil cooler when hot enough. The return from the cooler screws into the Mocal plate.  If it isn't hot enough, the Mocal passes the filter output right through to the engine as if the Mocal isn't there.

A picture is worth 1,000 words, from my Service Manual:

2.5.4 Oil Cooler Flow Thermostat.

The oil flow to the external oil cooler is not needed when the engine temperature is below 180°, so the flow is managed by a mechanical flow, sandwich-plate thermostat located between the spin-on oil filter and the filter mounting bracket. The thermostat used was a MOCAL Thermostatic SandwichAdapter from Aircooled.net, model MOC-SP1T and here is the flow diagram:

For reference, and to help explain my mindset, here is a photo that I snapped underneath @NTrav ‘s VMC sometime last year.

He has a wheel mounted oil filter.  The hose between the oil pump (cover?) and filter threads through part of his exhaust piping and is therefore covered with insulation.  The hose connecting the filter to his cooler runs forward and above the driver side valve cover before heading toward the cooler.  He has a third hose, exactly like mine, that connects the cooler to the galley seem at the very bottom of the photo (both of my current hose run side-by-side in that location.

I don’t have a filter, so I have no hoses to the wheel well.  Nick’s set-up, which I assume is much like many others, is what I have been planning to do.

My questions and confusion relate to how the addition of a sandwich plate changes things.  In my head I see four hoses that would need to be routed to the filter/sandwich.  If that location is in the wheel well, then it seems to me that would be a lot for that location.

OK, I see your confusion.

"In my head I see four hoses that would need to be routed to the filter/sandwich.  If that location is in the wheel well, then it seems to me that would be a lot for that location."

Yes, there will be four hoses in the filter mount stack-up IF you use a sandwich plate oil switch.  If you choose to go without the sandwich plate switch, then there is one hose from the oil pump to the filter, another from the filter to the oil cooler and a third from the cooler back to the engine.  That's three.

If you go the sandwich plate thermostat route, there are Two hoses to the filter mount, one in from the pump, and one out, back to the engine.  Think of the filter mount taking the place of your current oil cooler, if that helps.

The other two hoses go to and from the oil cooler, but instead of going to the filter mount, they both would go to the Mocal switch, one out to, and one in from the cooler.

My hoses go near the exhaust pipes but do not touch the pipes.  Mine are high temp hoses and shielded by stainless steel protective wraps and seem to be fine after over a decade.

@Gordon Nichols posted:

If you go the sandwich plate thermostat route, there are Two hoses to the filter mount, one in from the pump, and one out, back to the engine.  Think of the filter mount taking the place of your current oil cooler, if that helps.

The other two hoses go to and from the oil cooler, but instead of going to the filter mount, they both would go to the Mocal switch, one out to, and one in from the cooler.

Yes - that is my current understanding.

Which means if I used a thermostat sandwich plate with the filter mount, there would be four different hoses terminating at the filter mount/sandwich stack, no matter the location of the filter.  

If I already had a filter in the wheel well, but no sandwich, it would look much like the photo of Nick’s setup which is comprised of one loop using three hoses (pump to filter to cooler to galley).  Adding a sandwich to Nick’s set-up would require converting his single loop to two loops and a fourth hose (pump to filter, filter to galley, sandwich to cooler, and cooler to sandwich).

So it seems I need to assess the work required to install a filter only compared to a filter + sandwich and decide what I’m willing to tackle.   Filter only addresses my main objective but I need to ponder the sandwich inclusion a bit more.

Thanks all for the help.  

You should read this, too:

https://www.speedsterowners.co...-part-4-installation

I have read all parts but it’s been a while. I will certainly read it again.  Thanks Gordon.