GSXR1100 Earl's OIl Cooler Size

[Spirit]

What is the common size of Earl's Oil Cooler used to replace the standard Suzuki waffle iron on a GSXR1100? How many rows? 

[SiBag]

For a little extra cooling most use a 19 row cooler.

As far as fittings go there is some debate. Some say AN10, others say AN8.

Personally I'm running AN8.

And it makes no difference if your hoses connect at the bottom or the top of the cooler.

[Spirit]

Which shape though? The narrow or the regular or...?

[clivegto]

50mm

[MeanBean49]

Depends what your using bike for, a small 9 row 330mm one has better cooling capacity than the stock cooler and would be fine for stock motor.

If your motor is tuned

A 19 row 330mm wide is the best option, seem to be cheaper than 16 rows.

If your bike is tuned and does a lot of hard use, like track days its a good idea to also fit a head cooler using 6/9 row cooler

I always mount mine fittings on top purely because if I have to change one at the track quickly you dont have to worry about the oil thats in it going everywhere

[MeanBean49]

Have a look on JJC race and rally, APS cooler range. Much cheapness and jyst as good as Earls

[matt]

I recently fitted a 19 row Mocal on my 7/11, cheapest place I found was a place called Matt Lewis Racing (no connection), I initially though their price was plus VAT, but it was already included:)

http://www.mattlewisracing.co.uk/product.php/1199/1218/oil_cooler___matt_lewis_racing

[Spirit]

Matt, but you don't say, how did it work out? Do you do oil temp on the bike, and if so, what difference did it make? 

[Paulm]

19 row coolers are the accepted fitment for most people on oil cooled engines,they are fine for everyday use,I have one on my turbo ET as do a lot of people on here. 

[matt]

Hi, No temperature gauge so hard to tell, just done 2.5K miles around Europe with no issues and the weather was hot.

As Paul says 19 row seems to be the size to go for as a replacement, although you do need to mount it as high and as close to the frame as possible as there is not much clearance on the front wheel on full suspension compression.

[Rysi]

Does it matter if a HEL oil cooler is upside down on a GSXR-1100?

[Fazz711]

33 minutes ago, Rysi said:

Does it matter if a HEL oil cooler is upside down on a GSXR-1100?

No

[clivegto]

He's right you know 

[Dezza]

If you fit your cooler upside down (fittings at the top) then when you drain the oil the cooler will remain full of old oil so to get it all out, you have to remove the cooler to drain. You'll also find the overall capacity of oil will be higher than if you have the fittings at the bottom because oil from the cooler does not run back into the sump when the engine is switched off.

[Gixer1460]

1 hour ago, Dezza said:

 You'll also find the overall capacity of oil will be higher than if you have the fittings at the bottom because oil from the cooler does not run back into the sump when the engine is switched off.

First bit is no bad thing, but is equally applicable if cooler is mounted, fittings down,  oil DOES NOT drain at engine off - its an urban myth perpetuated by people who don't understand physics! If the feed lines to the sump remain under oil, air cannot enter cooler so it cannot drain. When changing oil there is a stong chance that these lines will be uncovered and so cooler will drain so be prepared for additional oil in catch basin and for filling - most coolers will hold between 0.5 - 1.0L - just fill sump to regular line after oil has circulated.

[Dezza]

2 minutes ago, Gixer1460 said:

First bit is no bad thing, but is equally applicable if cooler is mounted, fittings down,  oil DOES NOT drain at engine off - its an urban myth perpetuated by people who don't understand physics! If the feed lines to the sump remain under oil, air cannot enter cooler so it cannot drain. When changing oil there is a stong chance that these lines will be uncovered and so cooler will drain so be prepared for additional oil in catch basin and for filling - most coolers will hold between 0.5 - 1.0L - just fill sump to regular line after oil has circulated.

When the oil is drained for a change, the feed pipes are no longer under the oil as the sump is now empty. The oil remians in the cooler as it cant flow up into the top positioned fittings so the cooler has to be removed to drain all the old oil from the system. Otherwise the new oil becomes contaminated with old oil. Fitting a 19 row cooler and a small head cooler upped my oil capacity by 1 1/2 litres and both coolers have to be removed to drain the system properly.

[Captain Chaos]

1 hour ago, Dezza said:

capacity of oil will be higher than if you have the fittings at the bottom because oil from the cooler does not run back into the sump when the engine is switched off.

this implies that the oil WILL run back into the sump when the engine is switched off, when the fittings are at the bottom.

This will not happen because of the reason 1460 mentioned.

[Joseph]

Surely new oil gets contaminated by old anyway, i mean, its not possible to get it all out is it ?

I removed my sump the other day after draining, then removed the strainer.

Upon doing so an extra halfish pint treacled out no trouble, (vaccum broke and realesed from the pump or something ?) So that area is not by a simple sump plug oil drain and all that will be there to welcome the new oil in ?

Doesn't the manual state something like over 0.5L of oil difference between full engine rebuild amount and simple service amount ?

How much does said Factory cooler hold, in the case where it wouldn't get flushed out during a simple drainage ? Something like 200 ml ?

[Dezza]

44 minutes ago, Captain Chaos said:

this implies that the oil WILL run back into the sump when the engine is switched off, when the fittings are at the bottom.

This will not happen because of the reason 1460 mentioned.

Yes, this is true. I  shoulld not have stated 'when engine is switched off' as that suggests it's still full of oil. My point is when the sump is drained. If the cooler has bottom fittings, then when the sump is drained (most of) the oil from the cooler will drain due to gravity. When the cooler has top mounted fittings, it can't flow upwards and then out due to gravity so remains in the cooler. To get the oil out of the cooler thus means the cooler has to be removed, whereas for a bottom fed cooler this is not the case . 

[george 1100]

I drop the oil then run the engine on idle for about 5-10 seconds to get most of it out

Edited February 2, 2023 by george 1100

[DAZ]

6 minutes ago, george 1100 said:

I drop the oil then run the engine on idle for about 5-10 seconds to get most of it out

Seriously? No oil pressure to the crank or cams ? I understand that there is no load but there would be metal to metal contact , how long does it take to build oil pressure sufficiently to protect the bearings ? Not say what you do is wrong but it's not something I would do 

[george 1100]

I was waiting for that. Absolutely no chance of metal to metal even after a minute of idle

[DAZ]

Well you seem confident,and I understand that there is a residual oil film so to a degree I realise that with no load it should be ok ,hell I've had junky old cars that have had next to no oil pressure at idle and had the oil light flicker at low idle speeds but I never cared about them 

[coombehouse]

1 hour ago, george 1100 said:

I drop the oil then run the engine on idle for about 5-10 seconds to get most of it out

 Running the engine without oil just to remove some oil from an oil cooler seems a little counterproductive to me. 

[TonyGee]

1 hour ago, george 1100 said:

I was waiting for that. Absolutely no chance of metal to metal even after a minute of idle

maybe not George but the thought of it gives me the ebee geebies    a lot safer on a roller bearing crank