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(171,627)The oil cooler on any production vehicle is an essential engine component designed to keep modern cars, trucks, and SUVs running smoothly on the roads they travel daily. Whether you have a 2016 BMW or an older, yet reliable 1996 Nissan Sentra, the fact remains that the cooling system on any vehicle must be in working order during all types of weather and driving conditions. Although most drivers never have interaction with their oil coolers, keeping them in working order will extend their lifespan. However, like any other mechanical component, they can and often will wear out.
The purpose of the engine oil cooler is to allow the engine’s cooling system to remove excess heat from the oil. These types of coolers are usually of the water-to-oil type of heat exchanger. In most vehicles on the road, engine oil is fed to the oil coolers from an adapter that is located between the engine block and the engine oil filter. The oil then flows through the tubes of the cooler while the engine coolant flows around the tubes. The heat from the oil is transferred through the walls of the tubes to the surrounding coolant similar in many ways to the operation of an indoor air conditioning for residential homes. The heat absorbed by the engine’s cooling system is then transferred to the air as it passes through the vehicle’s radiator, which is located in front of the engine behind the grille of the vehicle.
If the vehicle is serviced as required, including routine oil and filter changes, the oil cooler should last as long as the vehicle's engine or other major mechanical components. However, there are some occasions where staying on top of maintenance will not prevent all damage potential for an oil cooler.
When this component begins to wear out or has broken, it will display a few warning signs. Noted below are a few of these symptoms that can alert a driver that their oil cooler may need to be replaced.
One of the components that are part of the oil cooling system is the oil cooler adapter. The adapter connects oil lines to the cooler itself and another adapter sends "cooled" oil back into the oil pan. Within the adapter is a gasket or rubber o-ring. If the oil cooler adapter fails externally, engine oil may be forced out of the engine. If the leak is small, you may notice a puddle of engine oil on the ground underneath your vehicle or quite possibly a stream of oil on the ground behind your vehicle.
If you notice any oil leaking under your engine, it's always recommended to contact a professional mechanic so they can determine where the leak is coming from and repair it quickly. As oil leaks, the engine loses ability to lubricate itself.
This could result in increased engine temperature and premature parts wear due to increased friction from the lack of proper lubrication.
Similar to a loss of oil, an external oil cooler failure may force all of the engine coolant out of the engine. Whether the coolant leak is large or small, you will eventually overheat the engine if it isn’t repaired quickly. If the leak is small, you may notice coolant puddling on the ground underneath your vehicle. If the leak is a large one, you will probably notice steam pouring out from under the hood of your vehicle. As with the above symptom, it's important to contact a professional mechanic as soon as you notice a coolant leak. If enough coolant leaks from the radiator or oil cooler, it can result in engine overheating problems and mechanical component failure.
If the oil cooler adapter fails internally, you may notice engine oil in your cooling system.
This happens because when the engine is running, oil pressure is greater than cooling system pressure. Oil is forced into the cooling system. This will eventually cause a lack of lubrication and can severely damage your engine.
When the engine is not running and the cooling system is pressurized, coolant can be forced from the cooling system into the oil pan. High oil pan levels can damage the engine by the crankshaft slapping the oil as it rotates.
Any of these symptoms will require flushes of both the cooling system and the engine to remove all of the contaminated liquids. The oil cooler adapter, if it is the failed component, will require replacement. The oil cooler will also need to be flushed or replaced.
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Posted by Matthew C. Keegan Know How
A working oil cooler is essential to the operation of a car’s engine, as it’s tasked with maintaining motor oil within its optimal lubricating temperature range. Some designs are tied in with the engine’s cooling system, while others use the outside air like a radiator. This unit cools the oil as it passes through coils (or stacked plates). A failing or bad oil cooler is never a good thing. The following signs indicate that a potentially serious problem is underway.
1. Leaking OilLeaking oil is never a good sign. Most oil leaks stem from bad connections or cracked oil pans, engine gaskets or seals. Another place to look is the oil cooler adapter, which connects oil lines and is itself sealed with a gasket. When the problem is a bad oil cooler, oil will puddle on the ground.
Some oil coolers use coolant (antifreeze) to keep the oil temperature regulated. Coolant flows through (or around) the coils or tubes, but has no contact with the oil. When an oil cooler fails, it can force all the coolant out of the engine and raise the risk of an overheated engine, which may lead to possible engine damage. If the leak is significant, you’ll notice coolant on the ground or see steam gushing out from underneath the hood.
3. Coolant Mixed With OilWhen coolant enters the engine and mixes with oil, we usually attribute this problem to cracked or warped cylinder heads or blown head gaskets. Although less common, a bad oil cooler can also cause coolant to contaminate engine oil, leading to engine damage. GM’s L81 3.0L V6 engine actually tucked the oil cooler down in the engine block where it was surrounded by coolant, and was notorious for allowing coolant to leak into the oiling system when it failed.
Just as you don’t want coolant mixing with oil in your engine, you never want to find oil in the cooling system. This problem occurs when a bad oil cooler raises oil pressure higher than cooling system pressure, forcing oil into the cooling system. Once again, you’re looking at engine damage, due to a lack of lubrication.
An oil cooler should last as long as your engine or as long as your car. Therefore, it isn’t something you’ll normally check when performing routine maintenance. But do be on the lookout for any of the aforementioned abnormalities. Other signs that the oil cooler isn’t working properly include a loss in engine power, a misfiring engine, a rise in engine temperature and an increase in dark exhaust emissions. Any of these symptoms are cause for a mechanic visit ASAP.
Check out all the engine parts available on NAPA Online or trust one of our 17,000 NAPA AutoCare locations for routine maintenance and repairs.
For more information on bad oil coolers, chat with a knowledgeable expert at your local NAPA AUTO PARTS store.
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Matt Keegan has maintained his love for cars ever since his father taught him kicking tires can be one way to uncover a problem with a vehicle’s suspension system. He since moved on to learn a few things about coefficient of drag, G-forces, toe-heel shifting, and how to work the crazy infotainment system in some random weekly driver. Matt is a member of the Washington Automotive Press Association and is a contributor to various print and online media sources.
The cooling radiator is the main element of the engine cooling system. The operation of a cooling radiator is the active transfer of heat to the atmosphere from a heated coolant.
This process is important for the efficient operation of the engine, because. coolant, before giving off heat in the radiator, this heat is taken from heated engine components and parts. So it was originally conceived by the designers, but life makes its own adjustments to the operation of the car on the road.
The situation when the arrow on the tidy starts treacherously creeping up, and, unfortunately, this arrow is not an indicator of the fuel level, but an indicator of the coolant temperature, modestly indicating the beginning of overheating of the car. Steam is pouring from under the hood, and a liquid spot from the coolant is slowly but surely spreading on the pavement. The radiator is leaking, what should I do?
Before doing anything, you need to figure out what led to this result. This may be external damage from stones, or the plastic elements of the radiator may crack as a result of impact in a minor accident.
These minor lesions are usually not immediately identifiable and develop into problems over time. In the meantime, the driver continues to operate the car, gradually, drop by drop, losing coolant from the system.
As the coolant level drops, the risk of engine overheating increases, which in turn can lead to the following problems:
Deformation of the plane of the cylinder block or cylinder head
Engine jamming
Cylinder head gasket deformation
Reconfiguration of the cooling system and incidental failure of system components
All of these cases will lead to costly repairs.
The first rule in this case is to monitor the coolant level. In fact, periodically checking the technical fluids of the car before the trip is a good rule, this will help to notice the emerging problem in a timely manner and eliminate it.
Even if the cooling radiator leak is small, do not underestimate the magnitude of the situation. Over time, the radiator leak will increase, and this moment can be overlooked. The driver will not like the result.
Therefore, in the event of such a situation, it is necessary to have a supply of coolant or distilled water. Yes, if the loss of coolant is small, then distilled water can be used for the first time, but be aware that the more distilled water gets into the system, the more we will increase the freezing point of the coolant. Therefore, if winter is overboard, you should not get carried away with distilled water, but add coolant.
In case of serious damage to the engine cooling system, repair is inevitable, the operation of the car in this case is highly undesirable. And in order not to get to the repair of the engine, the car should be moved to the technical center by means of a tow truck, in extreme cases, on a cable.
If the design of the radiator allows, then you can use a heat-resistant adhesive sealant, better known as cold welding. In some cases, you will need to remove the radiator from the car.
Cold Weld is a special two-component sealant that may contain metal chips. Such sealants allow you to quickly restore plastic or metal parts.
The gluing process itself is not complicated:
· Before applying the sealant, the surface must be prepared, cleaned and degreased.
· Prepare the sealant for use by mixing the two components. The components must be thoroughly mixed to obtain a homogeneous mass.
The sealant is applied to the part.
The compound will set in 3-5 minutes, but it will take from an hour to a day to fully cure, depending on the composition.
If the radiator leak is formed on the aluminum part, then sealing is possible.
The process is complicated, and we would recommend entrusting it to professionals, because. If you fail, you will have to redo everything again.
· You will need a powerful soldering iron and the ego must be well warmed up before work.
The radiator walls will also need to be thoroughly warmed up.
· Thoroughly clean the surface before soldering.
· To ensure a good soldering quality, a solder with a high tin content must be used.
This method will require the removal of the radiator from the car, which means that when installing the radiator back after repair, it is advisable to completely replace the coolant.
There is another way to fix a radiator leak that does not require partial or complete disassembly of the system. It's a sealant which works inside the cooling system. For example, Liqui Moly - Kuhler-Dichter Cooling System Sealant.
This tool seals small leaks in the radiator, the porosity of the metal at the soldering points, hairline cracks. Seals damage that is rather difficult to localize (determined only by a drop in the coolant level). You can use the product with all types of additives in the cooling system and any antifreeze. Suitable for all cooling and heating systems.
Contains water-soluble monomer and plastic chips suspended in a monoethylene glycol solution. With a pressure drop and with the access of oxygen, the polymerization reaction is activated and the polymerization products seal the leaks of the coolant.
Application of sealant very simple:
· Shake the bottle before use.
· Add sealant to the cooling system at the rate of 250 ml. additives per 10 liters. coolant.
Let the engine idle or drive the vehicle for at least 10 minutes
sealant can be in the cooling system for the entire life of the coolant.
To avoid major repairs, you should regularly check the cooling system for the slightest malfunctions and leaks, change hoses and pipes in a timely manner, and monitor the temperature of the antifreeze during operation. Also, do not forget to change the coolant in a timely manner, as over time it loses its properties, which can lead to malfunctions of the entire system.
Untimely repair of the cooling radiator leads to engine failure, and as a result, to high restoration costs. The radiator grill performs rather a decorative function, protecting the engine compartment only from the ingress of large objects. But gravel, stones, sand and other debris are harmful, and the reagents that are sprinkled on roads corrode even alloys that are not subject to corrosion.
And as soon as a leak appears, it is necessary to take immediate measures to eliminate it.
Even if there is no leak, this does not mean that the radiator is in good condition and cools the power unit. Overheating is detrimental to the motor. But even poplar fluff clogging the sections leads to the fact that there is not enough air circulation. The situation is exacerbated if timely maintenance is not carried out. The audit is carried out at least once every six months.
The operation of the air conditioning radiator is also checked. If the heat exchanger is clogged or leaking, the air conditioning system is not working efficiently. As a result, fuel consumption increases, power drops, and vehicle dynamics deteriorates. The maintenance schedule for radiators is indicated in the technical documentation for the car. Again, once every six months, it is necessary to conduct a diagnosis.
The main enemy is debris, dust, gravel, small stones, which at speed damage not only the heat exchanger fins, but also the channels themselves. And even if the pipes and connections are in order, the risk of freon or antifreeze leakage is always high. The reason to turn to auto mechanics is the presence of stains after the car has been idle. Regular inspection is required. And outgrowths from dirt and fluff lead to the fact that the channels are clogged, the airflow worsens, and the radiator ceases to function. Our specialists can carry out high-quality flushing of the radiator , both external and internal, depending on the situation and need.
Exit easy. Call the numbers listed on the site. We will solder aluminum, copper as required by GOST, so that you do not have to change the radiator. The stove, air conditioner, intercooler, air conditioning system, engine cooling system will function for many years if you are serviced by us.
