Patent ID: 6955150

Claim:
An oil-cooling system for lubricating oil of a vehicle engine, the system comprising: a radiator having an oil inlet and an oil outlet communicating with internal passages of the radiator; an electrically-operated fan interfaced to the radiator in a manner to urge air through the radiator over the internal passages, the fan turned on and off by a temperature sensitive switch sensing oil temperature; a valve having a first inlet, a first passage through the valve through a first chamber to a first outlet, a second inlet, a second passage through the valve through a second chamber to a second outlet, and a translatable valve closure element controlling a passage from the first chamber to the second chamber; and a temperature-operated translation element positioned in the first chamber in the path of oil entering the valve through the first inlet, and connected to the translatable valve element in a manner to progressively close the passage from the first chamber to the second chamber at higher oil temperature, and to progressively open the passage from the first chamber to the second chamber at lower oil temperature; characterized in that, below a first oil temperature the passage between the first and the second chamber remains open allowing oil coming in the first inlet to bypass the radiator to the second outlet, the passage closes gradually as oil temperature rises, closes completely at the first oil temperature so that all oil coming in the first inlet must pass through the radiator and none may bypass, and in that the temperature-sensitive switch operating the fan causes the fan to start at a second oil temperature higher than the first oil temperature, enhancing ability of the radiator to cool the oil.