Cooler omission
I read Tony Davies’s piece about marinising a Transit engine and unless the oil adaptor he mentions involves an oil cooler, he otherwise makes no mention of one.
Boxed in a boat, there will be no airflow around the sump and overheating of oil is a risk. In our 29hp Volvo Penta, there is no oil cooler and I’d guess the oil gets to around 100°C after an hour or so of running at 2,500rpm or higher.
No doubt maximum temperature depends on the oil used, but if I were boxing 70hp up in a boat, I’d certainly be checking oil temperature, if necessary adding a cooler, preferably with a thermostat. Blowing crank bearings isn’t worth the risk. Simon Westmacott, Meopham Green, Kent
2C’s Marine replies: There is an oil cooler fitted – it can just be seen in the original picture with the pipes from the adaptor running up to it. Well spotted Simon for highlighting that we omitted to mention it!