![]() High volumes of Stoddard solvent flush at high pressure-with reversing direction of flow every 60 seconds-is the key to thoroughly flushing a cooler. ![]() Wayne Thomas at Pacific Oil Cooler Service in La Verne, California (and the sister company of oil cooler manufacturer Aero-Classics) described the time-consuming cleaning process it performs on a cooler during overhaul.Īfter ultrasonic cleaning, each cooler spends time on three different flushing machines. Simple flush-cleaning probably won’t do it much good. By nature of its design, the oil cooler makes for an effective secondary filtration system, catching carbon, metal and other engine contaminants. Remote coolers can live as long as you, but only if serviced regularly and properly.Ī hard failure isn’t the only reason to service or replace a cooler. Common failure modes include stress cracks and corrosion-induced leakage. Most specialty shops told us the average lifespan of an engine-mounted cooler can be around 10 to 12 years. Still, engine-mounted coolers live harder and shorter lives because they sustain more engine vibration than firewall-mounted remote models. The obvious advantage to the direct-mount Continental design is its lack of external oil transfer hoses, a source of potential leakage. On larger Continental engines, the oil cooler is mounted directly to the engine, while Lycoming engines connect to remote coolers. On the inside, the oil flows through the oil passages and is slowed by a turbulator plate, dispersing the oil while radiating heat into the air fins-subsequently radiating heat into the ambient airflow. Reassembling a radiator, an oil cooler has rows of air fins separated by narrow oil passageways. Luckily, there are relatively inexpensive replacement and overhaul options that might provide insurance against premature engine wear. Often one of the most neglected components under the cowling, the oil cooler on your engine could be in desperate need of servicing, even if it’s not begging for attention by dribbling oil on the hangar floor. You wouldn’t install a used oil filter on a new or overhauled engine, would you? Of course you wouldn’t, and for the same reason, you shouldn’t reconnect the oil cooler without replacing it, or at least having it properly serviced.
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