Oil cooler fitting with power steering

[Lauren]

Have been really looking at how to get this oil cooler fitted. With power steering and aircon it really is making it difficult. The bracket for the power steering is very close to the oil filter, so you can't take the pipes forward to the front of the car.

The sandwich plate can also not point to the rear of the engine as the starter motor is in the way. It can't point down because the engine mount is in the way.

About the only position it can go is about 1 O'oclock. This has it pointing at the exhaust manifold so I can't use the supplied fittings. Then it would have to double back with an elbow straight off the sandwich plate. Even then it's still got to clear the exhaust.

Looks very tricky as there is not a lot of room down there. Going to likely have to remove the exhaust manifold, distributor and get a friend to get some hard pipes made up with appropriate bends to do it as they will take up less room than hose. Then I think we'll join to the flexi hose and take that round the side of the rad by enlarging the hole where the aircon pipes go through to the condensor.

Then there is the small matter of making a mounting bracket for the cooler which is not that straightforward due to the air con rad being in the way so it will have it to be mounted much closer to the front bumper.

Fortunately my friend Tom is going to get all the pipework and mountings sorted out, but it's going to take a bit of sorting.