Daniel and GR8_ASP,
Thanks for responding. No blockages. Hoses routed correctly (I have a 2006 SRTC that is still stock to use as a reference).
Here’s the latest. I thought that some of you’d want to know.
I spent the weekend testing and re-installing the big old oil cooler (air cooler mounted in front of the radiator).
During the testing, I found that the coolant was actually heating the oil. With the car running at idle for about 30 minutes, coolant temp 185 F, 70 F air temp, the oil temps from the engine into the OE oil cooler were 176 F. The oil temps coming out of the oil cooler were 216 F.
The coolant temp (taken with an IR gun at the coolant feed line) was about 215 – 220 F.
Bottom line, the oil cooler works well as a heat exchanger; the coolant running into it from the engine was just too warm to help cool the oil and actually heated it.
I theorize that the Stryker heads remove more heat from the engine and transfers that heat into the cooling system right where the oil cooler feed line attaches. Unless my engine block has been modified (not likely), this could be a concern for anyone installing Stryker heads on an SRT-10 and utilizing a larger radiator.
I also theorize that the triple pass radiator that I installed slows the coolant flow down enough that this “coolant warming the oil issue” can be a problem at extended periods of idling in stop and go traffic on a warm day with the Stryker heads.
AFTER re-installing the big "air" oil cooler, oil temps came down to 170 – 180 F running the car at idle and while driving conservatively, lower while driving.
I tested the 180 F thermostat (that was in the engine previously) and the 170 F thermostat (that is in it now). I found that the 180 F thermostat installed with the engine rebuild did not fully open, even at 212 F. This is likely why my engine has run warm since the first engine rebuild. I could have saved myself a bunch of time and trouble by just checking and changing the thermostat first (isn’t hind sight great!).
The 170 thermostat opened fully at about 180 F and works as it should. The rear “opening” portion of the thermostat was a tight fit in the thermostat housing, so I polished the edges of the housing with emery cloth to allow the T-stat to open easier.
Oil cooling is no longer an issue.
On the subject of my water pump wearing out, it's possible, not likely. Last night on the freeway at 80 mph with an air temp of about 60 F, my coolant temp reached and remained steady in the 130 F range. Too cold. (Oil temps were 170 F). I could nudge it up to about 133 F by running in 5th gear, but that's all.
It's much easier to put the heat back into this car than it has been to take it out.
Dan