Oil filtering and cooling system for compression ignition engines

Abstract

An oil distribution and cooling system for diesel engines of the design represented by the 6.4L POWER STROKE® engine. The stock oil cooler and cover are removed and a manifold is positioned in place of the removed stock oil cooler and cover. The block has oil in, oil out, coolant in and coolant out ports which align with those on the engine. Coolant is directed to an adapter plate and a relocated oil cooler which may be the removed cooler or a replacement, preferably of the oil-to-air type. Oil to be filtered and cooled is directed through the manifold to a filter and then to the cooler. Cool, clean oil is returned to the manifold for distribution to various engine locations.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of modifying an oil distribution and cooling system for a liquid-cooled diesel engine, the engine having an original equipment oil cooler cover and an original equipment oil cooler mounted at an original location proximal the upper end of the engine in the engine valley, the engine further having an oil pump for circulating oil and a water pump for circulating coolant, the original equipment oil cooler comprising a liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger, said method comprising:
 removing the original equipment oil cooler cover and oil cooler from the engine; 
 attaching a modified non-stock manifold to the engine in the engine valley, in the original location of the removed original equipment oil cooler, the manifold having oil supply and coolant supply ports aligning with existing passageways in the engine which supplied oil and coolant to the removed original equipment oil cooler, the oil supply port receiving a flow of oil from the engine oil pump, the coolant supply port receiving a flow of coolant from the engine water pump, the manifold further comprising coolant return and oil return ports aligning with existing passageways in the engine which returned oil and coolant from the removed original equipment oil cooler to the engine; 
 installing an oil cooler with an adapter plate at a location remote from the engine; mounting an adapter plate to said oil cooler, the adapter plate having a hot oil inlet port, a cool oil outlet port, a cool coolant inlet port and a hot coolant outlet port;, the adapter plate further having:  
 attaching(a) an external oil supply line operatively attached to the hot oil inlet port of the adapter plate to provide a flow of oil from the manifold to the oil cooler; 
 attaching(b) an external oil return line operatively attached to the cool oil outlet port of the adapter plate to provide a return flow of cooled, filtered oil from the oil cooler to the engine; 
 attaching(c) an external coolant supply line operatively attached to the cool coolant inlet port of the adapter plate to provide a flow of coolant from the manifold to the oil cooler; and 
 attaching(d) an external coolant return line operatively attached to the hot coolant outlet port of the adapter plate to provide a return flow of coolant from the oil cooler to the engine. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 installing an oil filter interconnected between the manifold and the oil cooler. 
 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the engine is a Ford diesel engine. 
 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the engine is a Ford 6.0 L Power Stroke diesel engine. 
 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the engine is a Ford 6.4 L Power Stroke diesel engine. 
 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the oil cooler is a plate-type oil cooler. 
 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the oil cooler is a tube-and-fin type oil cooler. 
 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the existing passageways in the engine which supplied oil to the removed original equipment oil cooler are in a common horizontal plane. 
 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the existing passageways in the engine which supplied coolant to the removed original equipment oil cooler are in a common horizontal plane. 
 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 1  wherein the oil cooler is an original equipment oil cooler removed from the engine, which is reinstalled at a location that is distal from the original location on the engine. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 1  wherein the oil cooler is an air-to-liquid cooler. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 1  wherein multiple oil coolers are installed and interconnected.