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How To: Install An Oil Cooler On A Brute

80K views 212 replies 57 participants last post by  NMKawierider 
#1 · (Edited)
So many people have asked for this writeup I decided to post it here for everyone. Please read it completely as it was a work in progress and some changes were made by the end of the project. This is just one type of oil cooler and other types can be used.
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ENGINE OIL COOLER

Oil Coolers. Some of us have them on our quads but most don’t. Listening to all the things our bikes are going through with seals, bearings, leaky gaskets, damaged cylinders, premature ring failures, cam & chain problems…etc sounded like the same type of things that happen to engines with high engine oil temperatures. Then I noticed HL had an engine oil cooler kit for the Brute Force…at a pretty penny so I waited. Then they dropped the line so I started looking to se what I could put together myself. I found an oil filter adapter on eBay and several roads lead me to Perma-Cool.com which is now out of business.. for the units themselves. After reading about what they can do for you and how Perma Cool’s coolers have an advantage over the rest,
I decided to see if I really needed one. Grabbed my Fluke equipment and out the door I went.. headed for the desert. Rode for about 45 minutes over several types of trails and hills and out on the flats for a little run. Stopped, killed it, took the dipstick out and stuck the Fluke probe way down in the oil. To my surprise it climbed up to 234.6 degrees, and I had not been really pushing it. This told me it could get even hotter.. which is already hot by Perna-Cool’s charts. Ok, so it looks like the Brute could use some help. Bought the oil filter adapter from ebay for about 45 bucks but I can't find one there anymore so here is a link to another that works.

http://www.etrailer.com/Engine-Oil-Coolers/Derale/D25772.html

and went back to Perma Cool’s web site to do some shopping. Alamo motorsports sells these coolers. They use the same one for engine and transmission coolers.
http://www.alamomotorsports.com/pmc/Cat_page09.html
They do have a universal ATV oil cooler, but the dimensions would have blocked a good portion of the air to the radiator, and we all know how good those stock radiators are. Better not block them too much. You guys with the HL triple-cores probably shouldn’t worry about it. They did however have the #1310, which was for a 125 horse engine and it was 14”x 3.5”x 1.5”. Perfect fit high either behind the radiator or in front. I bought it. When these two parts came in I just needed to get some 90 degree fittings, some hose & clamps. Because the airflow behind the radiator was so poor, I decided to mount it up front. Figured where I wanted to mount the cooler so I could still get most of the airflow to the radiator, then pulled the plastics. Pre-drilled some small holes and tapped them with some self tapping screws.
** UPDATE: SEE FINAL TEST RIDE NOTES BELOW ON LOCATION AND GUARD **
http://i483.photobucket.com/albums/rr196/B...ilCooler004.jpg
http://i483.photobucket.com/albums/rr196/B...ilCooler005.jpg
Then slotted the mounting holes just a bit on the cooler, installed the fittings and installed the oil filter adapter with the fitting pointing toward the lower radiator hose.
http://i483.photobucket.com/albums/rr196/B...ilCooler001.jpg
http://i483.photobucket.com/albums/rr196/B...ilCooler007.jpg
Got some 1/8”(1/4 or 7/16 would have been better) black expanded metal from Lowe’s and cut a piece 10-1/8” x 10” marked and bent it to rap around the cooler then tied the back side with a couple of wire ties. This should protect it from any sticks or trees that might find their way in there, The tube is stout, bit those fins may get bent if you jam brush up in there. It is air restrictive though. A larger mesh would be better if you need something.
http://i483.photobucket.com/albums/rr196/B...ilCooler009.jpg
http://i483.photobucket.com/albums/rr196/B...ilCooler010.jpg
Then mounted it and ran the lines starting at the cooler, down to the lower radiator hose and along the hose to the oil filter. Used two clamps per connection. Remember, the hot oil coming from the engine goes into the top cooler connection, and the return is always the lower connection.
http://i483.photobucket.com/albums/rr196/B...ilCooler011.jpg
http://i483.photobucket.com/albums/rr196/B...ilCooler012.jpg
http://i483.photobucket.com/albums/rr196/B...ilCooler013.jpg
http://i483.photobucket.com/albums/rr196/B...ilCooler014.jpg
http://i483.photobucket.com/albums/rr196/B...ilCooler015.jpg
http://i483.photobucket.com/albums/rr196/B...ilCooler016.jpg
A note on the lines, the instructions call for 300psi rating or better. I first got just some 3/8” fuel line but changed to 3/8” Fuel injector line because it looked like the plain stuff was going to pop. The injector line I believe is rated at 100psi, but the temp it can handle is 275 I think. I later got the right stuff. See update below.

So, ran it in the shop without the plastics and it took another third if a quart to bring it back to full. Ran it for an hour around the place and check the oil temp. It only got up to 184. Then I put the plastics back on and ran it for another hour around the place. Now it got up to 192.4 . That’s still pretty good, except I would like it better if it was closer to 180. Taking the guard off would help. Still need to take it to the desert trails and test it hard. If it does get over 200, I will be taking that expanded metal guard off for sure.

In the meantime, it's high and out of sight. Can’t even see it. You guys with the HL radiators could probably mount it more in the center...especialy if yours radiators are top mounted. Here's a few shots moving lower each time.
http://i483.photobucket.com/albums/rr196/B...ilCooler018.jpg
http://i483.photobucket.com/albums/rr196/B...ilCooler019.jpg
http://i483.photobucket.com/albums/rr196/B...ilCooler020.jpg
Have to get on the ground and look up into it to realy see it.
http://i483.photobucket.com/albums/rr196/B...ilCooler021.jpg
One funny thing is that I have one exhaust valve on the rear cylinder that is set just a little loose so it ticks until it gets warmed up. Well, now it never stops ticking so the block is defiantly running cooler. Guess I’ll have to set the valve after all now.

So, the costs were:
Cooler -61.76, Filter Adaptor-45.00, fittings & clamps-12.00, 7 ' of line-28.00. That's about 146.76. The full sheet of black 1/8" expanded metal that I later didn't use.. another 18 bucks

I’ll be going out for a good test run in a few days and will report the results.

UPDATE: 5/22/09. The ride went well today however there were some adjustments made. After an hour of hard riding and climbing the oil temp was 222. Like I said earlier, if it went over 200, I was going to remove the guard, so I did on the trail. Another check an hour later showed it was down to 203. Still not under 200 and still a long way from 170, but much better then the 234 at the start. So I though..Now what? Lower the cooler so its more in the airstream? I had brought enough tools to remove the mounting screws. Lowered it down about 2" and used wire ties to hold in in place for now. The cooler bracket fit like it was made for it in a little craddle on the frame.

Rode for another hour and horse-beat it as best I could. Didn't bother the radiator at all or make the fan run any more often....in fact...it hardly ran at all! That brought the temp down to 183.2 degrees as long as I was moving. That's a 51 degree reduction. Close enough for me! When I ride it easy it will be even lower. It seems to like this lower temperature. I believe it ran better. Maybe something to do with less expanded engine parts or just lower combustion chamber temperatures, but it likes being under 200 degrees. The lines held up fine, but I did get peace of mind with these new hydrolic lines I had make-up at my local hydrolic shop. Good for 210 degrees F @ 3000psi (300 @below 100psi), armored in steel The lengths are 36" and 38".

Also got the right fittings for this new line. Both lines and the fittings for about $44.

I did not follow the lower radiator hose around the back side of that last frame just before the filter adaptor because ir was too tight of a bend in my opinion. Still wire-tied it to that frame though. Looked good and works just fine.
One other note, it had sat several days and I check the oil before starting it today, and it was still on the full mark...not over full...meaning the cooler did not drain back to the engine. It stayed full. Another plus. Should drain when the filter is off. Might take a little time though so do it hot.

So, same as above but no guard and mount it at least 2" lower and get the good lines. This was a great and needed mod to do. I believe your Brute will thank you with longer life, better performance and fewer seal problems.
Last edited by NMKAWIERIDER; November 12th, 2009 at 01:24 PM.
 
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4
#2 ·
That's a great write up. I am going to try and do this to my 2010 Brute. Thanks for the info
 
#5 ·
like this post ...
thanks
 
#6 ·
I got the same cooler set up for my 05 BF Ive got it mounted and going to get the hydrolic lines tomorrow. My question is whats the best way to go about filling the oil to make sure I get enough in it to fill the motor lines and cooler without putting too much in? Can I just run it with the oil filler cap off and wait for it to cycle a bit and then keep putting a little in at a time or is there any other trick to this or anything to be careful NOT to do?
 
#8 ·
A different oil filter sandwich adapter. (with pics)

I am in the middle of doing some mods to my 2010 Brute, (oil cooler, larger fan, temp gauge, etc.)

I found another alternative to the Perma-Cool sandwich adapter. Its the Derale Performance Low Profile Sandwich Adapter Kit part #25772. (20mm X 1.5mm engine thread size)
Text Technology Material property Label

It is one inch thick, has 3/8 NPT threads, and comes with a built-in pressure relief valve.
Auto part Household hardware Hardware accessory Cylinder
Auto part Circle Metal

It fitted right up with no problems, and I can still use the full-length oil filter I normally use. You can pivot the adapter plate about 90 degrees back and forth before you tighten it down to get the oil lines aligned the way you want, I opted to keep my lines on the far side of the filter, so they wouldn't be in the way during filter changes.
Light Auto part Fuel line Pipe Automotive exhaust
Tire Auto part Technology Vehicle Automotive wheel system

This adapter cost $29 from etrailer.com, they also have a decent selection of reasonably priced oil coolers. (look under power-steering coolers for ATV-sized coolers)
A word of caution though, I would call and ask if a particular item was in stock before I ordered from etrailer.com , because my adapter was backordered for 2 weeks. I received a very polite e-mail from a lady the next day after I placed the order explaining the backorder situation and offering to cancel my order if I was in a big hurry for the part. Since I wasn't starting this project until I had all the parts anyway, I opted to wait it out. She sent me an update every couple of days until my part arrived at their location and was shipped to me.(They didn't charge my card until they shipped the parts to me.)
I took a chance on this adapter not fitting up to the bike, since I couldn't find any Brute owners who had tried it, but one has now.........WoodDuck.
 
#11 ·
I am in the middle of doing some mods to my 2010 Brute, (oil cooler, larger fan, temp gauge, etc.)

I found another alternative to the Perma-Cool sandwich adapter. Its the Derale Performance Low Profile Sandwich Adapter Kit part #25772. (20mm X 1.5mm engine thread size)
View attachment 6251
It is one inch thick, has 3/8 NPT threads, and comes with a built-in pressure relief valve.
View attachment 6256 View attachment 6253
It fitted right up with no problems, and I can still use the full-length oil filter I normally use. You can pivot the adapter plate about 90 degrees back and forth before you tighten it down to get the oil lines aligned the way you want, I opted to keep my lines on the far side of the filter, so they wouldn't be in the way during filter changes.
View attachment 6257 View attachment 6258
This adapter cost $29 from etrailer.com, they also have a decent selection of reasonably priced oil coolers. (look under power-steering coolers for ATV-sized coolers)
A word of caution though, I would call and ask if a particular item was in stock before I ordered from etrailer.com , because my adapter was backordered for 2 weeks. I received a very polite e-mail from a lady the next day after I placed the order explaining the backorder situation and offering to cancel my order if I was in a big hurry for the part. Since I wasn't starting this project until I had all the parts anyway, I opted to wait it out. She sent me an update every couple of days until my part arrived at their location and was shipped to me.(They didn't charge my card until they shipped the parts to me.)
I took a chance on this adapter not fitting up to the bike, since I couldn't find any Brute owners who had tried it, but one has now.........WoodDuck.
Can I get a link to this? I cant find it anywhere.
 
#14 ·
???

So can you use the same filter as befor the adapter was put on.Think im going to do this with the etrailer adapter.Like the kawi filter will fit on the adapter its the same thread.
 
#15 ·
So can you use the same filter as befor the adapter was put on.Think im going to do this with the etrailer adapter.Like the kawi filter will fit on the adapter its the same thread.
Yes, The Kawie filter and all the filters listed in the filter cross reference will work...even the longer ones still work.
 
#18 ·
quick question for you guys and gurus! My service manual is telling me that the oil pressure should be standard at "62.6 psi @4000 rpm with 120(248)degree of oil temp)
With this oil cooler, are you cooling it too much? when you took your temp reading at the begining, it was in the ball park. and now you have it under 200, could this be a problem? I am just curious, I just bought everything to do this oil cooler project, but upon reading I wasn't sure if it was good or not. I Guess I am worried about maybe the oil not getting warm enought to lube everything correctly. ........Tim
 
#20 ·
quick question for you guys and gurus! My service manual is telling me that the oil pressure should be standard at "62.6 psi @4000 rpm with 120(248)degree of oil temp)
With this oil cooler, are you cooling it too much? when you took your temp reading at the begining, it was in the ball park. and now you have it under 200, could this be a problem? I am just curious, I just bought everything to do this oil cooler project, but upon reading I wasn't sure if it was good or not. I Guess I am worried about maybe the oil not getting warm enought to lube everything correctly. ........Tim
Don't worry. Anything above 180 is fine. Anywhere between 200 and 220 is considered ideal and most builders will tell you anything above 240 is undesirable and hard on many things including seals.

I have had this one on mine now for years and my Brute thanks me every time I start it. It will take a few extra minutes to warm up to that 180 though.
 
#19 ·
does the service manual mean 120 celcius?
 
#31 ·
120 Celcius is (248 fahrenheit)
 
#22 · (Edited by Moderator)
is the sandwich adapter going to fit the BF650 and 750 or are they different?
 
#24 · (Edited)
For those of you who like to save a little $$, check ebay for a Polaris Trail boss oil cooler. I paid $25 for one shipped to my door. Two of the 3 bolts on the factory radiator fan bolt right up. The cooler is ~7x7" and I am going to mount it in the stock radiator location.
 
#25 ·
Looking into doing this mod myself, but I have a couple of questions, does anyone that has the oil cooler have a temp gauge on the coolant side and if so what kind of drops did you see in the coolant temp. Also my radiator is racked. Is it going to work any better or worse if I use a larger oil cooler with no fan and put it in the stock radiator location? Like the trail boss oil cooler, Would the larger fin area compensate for the lack of a fan.
 
#26 ·
Looking into doing this mod myself, but I have a couple of questions, does anyone that has the oil cooler have a temp gauge on the coolant side and if so what kind of drops did you see in the coolant temp. Also my radiator is racked. Is it going to work any better or worse if I use a larger oil cooler with no fan and put it in the stock radiator location? Like the trail boss oil cooler, Would the larger fin area compensate for the lack of a fan.
I don't have an oil temp guage on either side, but my sump oil (the oil sitting in the crankcase) had a 30+ degree drop in temp. And if I had it to do again, I wouldn't shy away from a 4-pass 1/2" tube cooler. Also, after doing this, the engine temp dropped enough so that my fan hardly runs any more...but keep in mind I trail..so I am moving most of the time.

Its just my opinion that if you don't do much thick, deep mud'n, put it in the old radiator location. If you do deep heavy mudd'n though, put it up top in front of the radiator..won't hurt anything.
 
#27 ·
Mostly trail ridding here and clean creek riding, barely ever see bad mud, So you think the 4 row that perma cool makes that they can put the 3/8 NPT fitting on might do fine without a fan down there on my application? Also I meant a coolant temp gauge, not an oil temp gauge. Thanks for your reply. And I bet the 4 row would almost require a whole full quart extra of oil lol.
 
#28 ·
also the only 4 row i have found has the 5/8 inner pipe diameter, but have the 3/8 inner and outer. do you think this is to big??
 
#29 ·
also the only 4 row i have found has the 5/8 inner pipe diameter, but have the 3/8 inner and outer. do you think this is to big??
Not too big. I choose the two-pass with the 5/8s tube with the 3/8" ends so the oil would flow slower through the cooler but quickly to and from it. Mine with the lines holds about an extra 1/2 quart.

I wouldn't think twice about mounting it back in the old radiator spot. Just kinda center it so the air hits it in the center if possible.
 
#30 ·
Thanks so much. Gonna find a good place to order one. And I will report back at a later date
 
#32 · (Edited)
Took NM's advice and had some custom hydraulic hoses made up for me. Unfortunately, the cheapest in town was twice what he paid ($86 for both), but it's ultra heavy duty stuff. The specs are as follows:
Long side: 56" 3/8" 100R2 Hydraulic Hose - 1/2 male NPT on one end, 3/8 NPT 90 deg male on the other end
Short side: 46" 3/8" 100R2 Hydraulic Hose - 1/2 male NPT on one end, 3/8 NPT 90 deg male on the other end

I routed both up and over the rad, and the log side along the top of the rad. Then sort of followed the lower rad hose down to the oil filter adapter. I pointed the outlets down so that my 90's would thread right into them, but still clear my skid plate by 1/4" or so.

Also, I chose to use a B&M plate style cooler (B&M 70273). I trimmed the stock rad screen to where it stopped just behind the top mounting lip of the oil cooler. I trimmed off the lower lip corners of the oil cooler off so that the inner most two wholes lined up perfectly with the rad screen mounts. So the bottom of the cooler is bolted onto the old rad screen mounts, and the top, I just used the cheap plastic cooler mounts. The hoses are so stiff, and the bottom mounting so rigid that the plastic mounts do next to nothing. By the way, those two ****ed rad screen screws had to be cut out. Those stupid screws would NOT budge. Those two little screws probably took the longest of any single step of this.

Here it is mounted up:


If I had to do it over again, I'd take a couple of inches off the hoses I made up (54" long side and 44" short side) and would probably use something a little less heavy duty than 2 wire hydraulic hose (like 100R1 hydraulic hose, which is still WAY overkill). Routing this stuff is tough as it is so stiff.

In the end, I think it looks great, almost factory, and is tough as nails (both the cooler and the hose). Should never have to worry about this again.
 
#38 ·

Looks nice and neat, also looks like a GM cooler from a pick-up, but I have one question. Wouldn't it be better to mount the cooler with the hose connections down. When you change oil the cooler will have old oil trapped inside with no way to drain.
 
#34 ·
Ride report:

Went out this morning and rode for a couple hours. All desert trails, mostly slow, tight and climbs with some more open spots (~25mph). Was a bit cooler today, about 88 deg f. Took my infrared thermometer with me and took some measurements. For most of the ride, the oil in the sump read about 180 deg f. On slower climbs, I'd jump off and take a quick measurement. The highest I saw all day was 191 deg f. Thought it might be a little too good to be true, so when I got back home I took a regular food thermometer to verify, and it was only a couple degrees different than what the IR thermometer said. I would assume that on a hotter day the oil might be about 10-15 degrees hotter. One neat thing is that once the fan kicks on, the oil cooler will get cool enough to rest your hand on it within a few seconds.

All in all, I'm happy with it.

On a side note, I'd installed a Streamline steering stabilizer at the same time. Wow, what a difference. At the softest setting (1), it's basically no different than without any stabilizer. At the hardest setting (7), it'll wear your arms out. But at about setting 3, it's just right. Tracks much better in the rocks and ruts. Doesn't feel like the bigger stuff is going to rip the bars out of your hands. Went back and forth between setting (1) and (3) just to nullify any placebo, and it really was night and day.

Second side note: When installing the oil adapter and consequently changing the oil (I use Rotella T6 5w-40 synthetic in the bikes and now the BF, by far the best "cheap" synthetic you can get), I went ahead and added 150ml of Lubro Moly MOS2 to the oil. I've been a fan of this stuff in my vehicles and motorcycles for a while now. I run the recommended 2% on my dirtbikes and street bike, since they all have a wet clutch. Since the BF doesn't have a wet clutch, I thought I'd be safe running the 5% recommendation. Seems to work like a champ. Engine runs real smooth and quieter, and I can't help but think it contributed to perhaps a degree or two of the cooler running. For half of the $5 can, I can't complain.

Final side note: It's not all positive. I ordered a Moose rack back at the same time as the rest of this stuff. I should've learned from a MX jersey I bought from them. I normally prefer Klim gear, but I was cheap one day and bought a Moose Sahara jersey. Compared to Klim gear, it was cheap and not well put together. That was a couple years ago. When looking for a rack bag, I looked at several (online) and like the features of the Moose bag. But when I got it in, I was again disappointed by the material quality. Just feels cheap and flimsy. I know it's not going to last forever.
 
#36 ·
this is my next priority to do....ima order all the parts to do it wen i get my new big gun exhaust so wen i have all the plastics off to put the exhaust on ill put this together
 
#37 ·
Heads up on cooler

So fired up the brute yesturday and all of a sudden heard a bubbleing noise looked at it real quick and shut her down.The oil cooler hose clamp broke so the line blew off the fitting and lost a bunch of oil in the garage.So i got luckey and this didnt happen on the trail but there are two hose clamps going on all the fittings now untill in can get the screw in type oil cooler but now im going to be worried on every ride untill then.I did get some ss clamps from work that are made in the usa and look alot stronrger then those cheap little ones that it came with.For those thinking motor damage it only ran for like 5-7 seconds so i should be fine find out in the morning.
 
#39 ·
So fired up the brute yesturday and all of a sudden heard a bubbleing noise looked at it real quick and shut her down.The oil cooler hose clamp broke so the line blew off the fitting and lost a bunch of oil in the garage.So i got luckey and this didnt happen on the trail but there are two hose clamps going on all the fittings now untill in can get the screw in type oil cooler but now im going to be worried on every ride untill then.I did get some ss clamps from work that are made in the usa and look alot stronrger then those cheap little ones that it came with.For those thinking motor damage it only ran for like 5-7 seconds so i should be fine find out in the morning.
Yeah that was my biggest concern about the lines. Either the clamps or just getting caught on something and tore-off. That's why I went with the armored hydraulics. No worries now...lol. If you Do get the swivel ends on both sides.
 
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