Oil Cooler

Thanks. I agree it’s not the most elegant solution. I’ve never heard of the rub through failure though I can certainly visualize it. Always learning.
 
I recently became aware that my Infiniti G35 also has a sandwich-style oil-to-engine coolant oil cooler setup sort of similar to the three example in one of Dr. Jeff's previous posts.

After years of changing filters apparently the base worked its way a bit loose, and thus was seeping enough oil from the bloc-to-cooler joint to allow a very slow drip. Once I noticed it I bought the two o-rings from Nissan (only one used but it could have been one of two part numbers depending upon engine serial #). At the next oil change I asked the mech to change the o-ring and make sure the base was snug to the block and so far so good.

No info as to whether the thread pitches are compatible with a DOHC block, but I can say that the diameter and overall size of the filter on the G35 is much smaller than on the X1/9, so chances are this particular example won't work, but the idea is the same.

Here are a couple of pics I stole from an eBay listing for same, the seller was asking $49.60 plus shipping:
0074-part-1-1037_600.jpg


0074-part-1-1041_600.jpg


0074-part-1-1043_600.jpg
 
Infiniti G35 also has a sandwich-style oil-to-engine coolant oil cooler
That's a very compact looking unit. In some applications it might help to clear a tight area. That is an issue with the X1/9; there isn't enough space between the block and body/frame to add a cooler under the filter. It also seems like the smaller unit might have a little less heat exchange compared to a larger unit, but everything has tradeoffs. As you say, the question would be if the threads are the same. Interestly Fiat used a common SAE thread for the oil filter - compared to all the odd threads used everywhere else. That makes it the same as many vehicles, which opens up alternative possibilities.

On the subject of oil filter thread size. My "shop truck" is a custom late model Ford F150 with a very common V8 engine. When it was under warranty I had the regular oil services done by a shop so there would be official records for them. But after the warranty ended I started doing the services myself (I'm not very trusting of shop work). I found out the hard way that Ford made those engines with two different sizes of oil filter threads, apparently depending upon when and where the block was manufactured (although there isn't much info on that). And most of the oil filter part listings from common suppliers only listed one or the other filter for some reason. One is a SAE thread, the other a metric thread. Why? Especially with the F150 being the largest selling vehicle in the world and that engine one of the most common out there, you would think something like the oil filter (perhaps the most frequently replaced part on the vehicle) would be a no brainer. Dan's example of two O-rings for the oil cooler reminded me of this.
 
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