Are you saying that oil cooler fans provide an additional 20-25 degree reduction in oil temperatures compared to non-fan oil coolers? Back in 2011 2black1s posted data on the efficiency of oil cooler fans vs no fans. As the chart below shows, the max oil temp reduction was only 8 degrees with the fans running. Just curious.

DJK

 

I've had the Wards fans for 2 years, and they work to reduce engine temps even when I'm travelling at 75 mph. In stop and go traffic they are priceless! Computer fans? I don't think so.

DJK

 

Think turk is a talking about wards fans which are awesome & help more than fans on a cooler. The test data above shows data on a mild day when neither of the fans are needed much unless in stop & go. When the fans on a cooler come into play is at 90° when these hogs run like it's made to rattle. Myself could not stand so put both a ultra cooler and wards fans on to make motor happy & is much more of a joy to ride in heat.

 

I was also referring to the Wards fans. They are not computer fans by any measure. At least 2black1s was supplying solid test data, not anecdotal claims of 215 degree oil temps while riding in the desert in the middle of summer.

DJK

 

Fantastic post backed up with some facts, thanks, big help!
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/attac...addendum-1.jpg

 

looks like 2 oil temp/fan threads going at once....

subscribed....

 

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Something is off base here if your talking oil cooler and not maybe head temp thats a dif story.

So if your talking oil temp with oil cool having cooling fans vs oil cooler without cooling fans then think about this.

The physics of having an air cooled hd sitting still in summer with an oil cooler without any cooling fans to move any 100+ deg f cooler air thru the cooler lets say for example 20mins should show a lot higher oil temp then if the same oil cooler on same bike was sitting in same traffic & heat cond for same amount of time that now had a set of properly designed & sized elec cooling fans running full speed installed on it moving plenty of 100+ deg f cooler air thru the air cooler .

Those properly designed & sized cooling fans on the oil cooler will in fact remove a lot more heat from the oil (motor too in the process ) then an oil coler in nsame cond on same bike without elec cooling fans & you say there is only 8 deg f reduction in oil temp with twin elec cooling moving 100deg f cooler thru the oil cooler?

Well then i have a perfect real world example of just that for you to ponder.

I was stuck in bad traffic & heat last summer with other HD riders that had stock hd oil coolers mounted i same location as my oil cooler with twin elec cooling fans in 98 deg HHH summer heat a bad traffic jam due to accident for approx 55mins.

Oil temp on their bikes maxed at 280-300deg f & oil pressure 2 idle was in 1-2 to 3-4psi range depending on which of the other hd riders i asked.

My bike sitting next to them in same cond for same time had max oil temp of 235-238 deg F .

Their motors sounded & idled like there were suffering bigtime when mine wasnt showing any heat issues at all.

Then when we finally got out of the traffic jam and back to cruse speed still in 98deg f HHH summer heat their bikes showed approx 240-245 deg f oil temp & cruse .

But at the same time in same cruise cond & speed my bikes oil temp @ cruise was holding tough at 210-212 deg f just under the 215 deg f the elec cooling fans turn on when additional cooling is required.

At cruise their bikes oil pressure @ cruise was 30-32psi max and mine was holding steady @ 45psi + in same cond with all of us running motorcycle specific 20-50 syn bike at the time.

1 of the guys sitting next to me in the 98deg f traffic fam for 55mins that had the 300 deg f sizziling oil temp has since installed a uc oil cooler with elec cooling fans like i have on my bike and is impressed with the improvement in engine perf & all around riding comfort he & his bike got post install of UC oil cooler with elec cooling fans.

Told him he should install wards for additional cooling too but he said the improvement he got the oil cooler with cooling fans was good enough for him, but if i were him i'd still inst wards for even better running & riding bike.

For me that is real word testing and what i saw & experienced 1st hand with all bikes being HD's with oil coolers mounted in same locations too.

You can choose to believe it or not and " not " is what most of you choose to do which is fine because it's no sweat for me anymore!/LOL!!

 

I'm tired of buying stuff that just doesn't hold up under closer scrutiny. While 2black1s data was tested under mild temperatures, even UltraCools own test data shows only a 10 degree difference between fan/non-fan oil coolers, when operating under near identical conditions. They do show a maximum 20 degree difference in oil temps when head temps reached 305 degrees, but they were vague as to whether the 6 row oil cooler was operating under highway or city conditions. They were not vague when it came to their oil cooler. It makes a big difference. Real world? My head temps never exceed 240-250 degrees on the highway, and 230 degrees sitting in traffic. Thank you Jason! I have no dog in the fight, nor do I stress over oil temperatures, but I do try to be an educated consumer. I'm now headed out to my bike to remove my cooling wings that, well, don't cool!

DJK

 

Hey Wes,

I just reposted a chart posted in this thread by someone else, you dont need to convince me of anything. Except for me to say, in almost two years now I have never seen my oil temp rise above 255 degrees with the stock OEM cooler, not to say it cant, I just havent seem it, hope I never do.
Our summer temps here are always flirting around 100 degrees, 104 yesterday, and low 100s again today and always in the 90+ range all summer.
Anyway, the chart posted does carry some weight, I did sit in some backed up traffic on the interstate Saturday 94 degrees, never moved more then a few miles an hour for about 30 minutes which finally got me to the exit ramp and then took the side roads to the coast.
Anyway, in those thirty minutes the oil temp peaked at 253 degrees with my non fan OEM Harley oil cooler.
I guess if I had a fan on the OEM Harley oil cooler it would be reasonable to think maybe it would have run 10 possibly 20 degrees cooler, yet that is only guessing. But the guy who posted the chart does show only 8 degrees cooler. Anyway, not sure of the point other then with the stock fanless cooler Im good for 30 minutes of stalled traffic easy.
I think one mistake people make is .. Do keep in mind at dead idle speed even though no air is moving through the cooler the engine is burning very little fuel and producing only a tiny bit of horsepower so it does not need as much "air" as going down the interstate at full bore. I am talking the oil cooler, not the engine! *L* The oil is still being cooled to some degree the engine is not, the engine is air cooled.

Because of this I do not think the oil cooler needs as much air as some others. BUT I DO AGREE a fan is a great idea to keep oil temps under control in a major traffic jam, I am sure its not the best way to go if you would like to actually keep the engine cool, if someone really wants to keep an engine cool, the only way to do that on an air cooled engine, is to, blow air on it..

I am about to maybe pull the trigger on a 10 row Jagg to replace the OEM 6 (?) row, Im still on the fence about a fan on the cooler but I just may get it, for the rare occasion I may get stuck in traffic it will help a little bit for engine temperature and maybe give me a bit of a safety margin..

 

Good post, as these threads get long, it starts getting harder to follow.
Safe to say a 10 row cooler will always keep oil temps under control with or without a fan. But once head temperatures really get hot, the fan cooler will then really start to shine which in most cases be stuck in a traffic jam.

So begs the question, since my OEM cooler seems to be just fine the last two years but I want a bit more cooling power in my HOT climate, do I go to the 10 row Jagg without the fan or make the install more complicated and do the Jagg 10 row with the fan?

Im about to pull the trigger would be great to hear your thoughts as it seems you have really thought about it. I too, research what I am buying and why, sometimes the information from "sellers" of products leaves a lot of guess work.

UNRELATED (sort of) but I do want to know where I can buy a connector to plug into the socket under the cover that is on the left side of the bike that is connected to the AUX switch on my 14 Road King. Even if I do a fan cooler I just want to be able to flip the switch on and off. Dont think I will bother with the thermostat.