redline racer510- Thanks for sharing that info. I was actually thinking the same thing because after everything was warmed up wih the cooler installed and the thermostat open, the oil pressures were relatively normal (to the best of my knowledge), within about 2psi of what pressures were w/o the cooler. Plus, unlike the powersteering system or brake system the fluid in the oil system is constantly flowing in one direction wih pressure changes. I'm thinking I may have to flip the cooler, just to test the effects, so we can take that factor out of the equation.
Mikester- The air pocket trap at the top of the cooler you described makes sense. Generally, gas is more compressible than liquids, so... despite the oil pump putting out the correct pressure and volume, the air pocket could be compressing and acting as a buffer to reduce the oil pressure. Thanks for sharing that info about your oil pressures too, the more info the better, even if its a different engine its still relevant to the oil pressures with an oil cooler.
Yeah that would be great if you guys were near me, but Im assuming you guys will not be near philly anytime soon. Well with the info we have so far, it seems as if the -10an lines should not make a difference. Searching around, I found some info on another forum too where -10an lines to a setrab style oil cooler were used without a problem.
LINK:
Oil Pump Pressure for KA24DE - to Shim or Not to Shim?? - IT.com Forums
They also talk about, in general, 10psi increase for every 1000 rpm. They mention larger bearing clearances for a cause of low oil pressure and shimming the oil pump. For now, I'm just going to focus on the oil cooler system. This "polar vortex" weather nonsense in the eastcoast is killin my motivation to work in the garage, but I'm going to plan on running a pressure test with the oil cooler fittings on top soon; maybe this weekend if it doesnt snow again. I'll report back with my findings, in the meantime keep the ideas coming, I'm listening.