oil cooler cleaning

[7M4EVR]

I know our oil coolers or rather our entire oiling systems are widely covered topics, but does anyone have a good method for cleaning and reusing an oil cooler during a rebuild?

I have decided to stick with my stock cooler for now, just purchased new lines and new pump. But I spun a rod bearing and would imagine there is shards of metal that ran through my cooler (there were in my oil filter). I would say pressurize it and run some kind of cleaning agent that wouldn't hurt anything through it, but haven't dug in to see how I would go about doing that yet. Any tips or ideas?

 

[supraguy@aol]

I know they make a tranny cooler flush in a can. Knocked alot of crap out of my Trooper's cooler.

 

[7M4EVR]

But the engine is out of the car so I would have to find a way to pressurize the lines to get the cleaner to run through the cooler.

 

[hvyman]

Fill it up and let it soak. Then rinse. Parts washer could get a good amount out as well.

 

[CyFi6]

Best bet is to just replace it. Nothing would suck more than trashing a brand new engine because of debris left over in the cooler. Personally if I couldn't replace it I would have it professionally flushed. A lot of AC shops may have heat exchanger flushing equipment and they might be able to do your oil cooler for you. You can pour solvent in it and blow it out with air, but you will never know if you got everything out.
You can probably find an aftermarket cooler of similar size that you could use.

 

[supraguy@aol]

But the engine is out of the car so I would have to find a way to pressurize the lines to get the cleaner to run through the cooler.

Good. The can that i refer to IS pressurized. You spray it into one line, and crap runs out the other, into a waste container.

 

[7M4EVR]

Best bet is to just replace it. Nothing would suck more than trashing a brand new engine because of debris.

Hey I hear ya loud and clear. Said that same thing to myself about everything else which is why I have over 5 grand in engine parts alone waiting to go in lol

 

[7M4EVR]

Good. The can that i refer to IS pressurized. You spray it into one line, and crap runs out the other, into a waste container.

Perfect. Remember the name of the stuff? I could find something similar if I walk into a parts store I'm sure.

 

[Poodles]

seeing as how the return is to the oil pan... it's not going to hurt anything even if it does have anything in it (unless it's water)

 

[7M4EVR]

seeing as how the return is to the oil pan... it's not going to hurt anything even if it does have anything in it (unless it's water)

But shards in the pan getting sucked up by the pump is no bueno.... on a side note, has anyone had any experience running a larger than stock oil filter?

 

[Dan_Gyoba]

on a side note, has anyone had any experience running a larger than stock oil filter?

If you have an oil filter relocation kit, the Fram PH8A filter is the same mount. It's the one for the older Ford engines found in 5.0 Mustangs. Just remember that it's not about can size, it's the size and quality of the filtration element inside it. Well, unless the point is to have a larger volume of fresh oil in the system after a change.

 

[7M4EVR]

I was going to try and hunt one down that was bigger but wouldn't require relocation there has to be one, even though its no big deal to move it. All in the hope that it would provide more oil preasure (due to better filtration) and keep more oil in the system at the same time.

 

[Poodles]

But shards in the pan getting sucked up by the pump is no bueno.... on a side note, has anyone had any experience running a larger than stock oil filter?

There's a reason there is a screen on the pickup... Also, doesn't the oil cooler get oil from after the filter?

 

[CyFi6]

Cooler relief valve is pre-filter. I wouldn't chance it personally considering a full flow filter cant catch the small stuff and if it were to go into bypass any debris would be sent right to the bearings.

 

[jetjock]

But he'd get more pressure due to better filtration :icon_razz

 

[7M4EVR]

But he'd get more pressure due to better filtration :icon_razz

Lol I said all in the hope of...meaning I don't really know what I'm talking about. But my thinking was bigger filter=better flow=better pressure? Please inform me better, that's what I'm here for...and what your supposed to be here for. Lol

 

[jetjock]

The only thing a larger filter will do, other than add a little to the volume of oil in the system, is increase holding capacity. In other words it'll last longer before going into bypass. Since a full flow filter doesn't do much anyway that's not something you should really care about.

 

[CyFi6]

The only thing a larger filter will do, other than add a little to the volume of oil in the system, is increase holding capacity. In other words it'll last longer before going into bypass. Since a full flow filter doesn't do much anyway that's not something you should really care about.

So a brand new stock filter and brand new large filter will have the exact same pressure drop across the media? I would think more filtering area would result in less pressure drop albeit probably very small but a difference nonetheless.

 

[jetjock]

Splitting hairs. Only when surface area is large enough to reduce flow will pressure drop across it decrease.

 

[Nick M]

But shards in the pan getting sucked up by the pump is no bueno.... on a side note, has anyone had any experience running a larger than stock oil filter?

Just get rid of the old cooler and buy a larger unit from B&M already.