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subwoofer
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Location: Sandefjord, Norway
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Since I am swapping engines, I really need to clean out the oil cooler. At the moment, I am struggling though, as I can't get the hoses loose. Does anyone have any tricks up their sleeves, or should I just cut the hoses and get new ones from my local hose supplier? What are the threads on the cooler and on the sandwich plate?

I'm a bit reluctant to heat the couplings too much, oil is after all flammable.

Once I get the hoses off, my plan is to clean it out with diesel fuel and shop air.

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Joachim

Last edited on 03-23-2010 11:55 pm by subwoofer

Art DeKneef
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My experience with the oil cooler hoses and fittings is that they are really tight. I used an open-end wrench and a long piece of tubing I had as an extension and slowly applied pressure until they started to move. It also helps if you can either brace the other fitting or have someone help you.

On the GT engine I am working on from the sandwich plate there is a fitting with male threads on both sides and then the oil hose. Removing the hose from here is difficult as you can not turn the hose enough to get it off. I've better luck removing the hose from the oil cooler. Then you can turn the hose as you remove it from the engine.

I cleaned out one of the oil coolers I had with a long flexible cable with a small brush on the end and clean oil heated by the weather. Granted I'm in Arizona and did it when it was over 100 degrees outside but I think it would work anywhere. Everything was left outside for a couple of hours so it was nice and warm, poured in some clean oil and used the brush. Repeated a couple of times and was ready to put back in the car.

Art

subwoofer
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Got it! Pulled the hoses forward, so I got the oil cooler out in the open. Then it was just a question of using a spanner with a bit of an extension to get the couplings loose. Then I pulled the hoses back to get the whole thing free.

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Joachim

907heaven
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I am not really a fan of cleaning oil coolers; for what they cost I prefer to change them - in the process of cleaning them it is often possible to loosen sludge and debris that then comes free after you refit the cooler, it can then find its way into somewhere you don't want it - like an oil gallery to a main bearing.  It is possible to have them ultrasonically cleaned; which does a more thorough job, but I've still known people to have problems afterwards. 

subwoofer
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I see your concern. I'll probably change it when a properly rebuilt engine is installed at some stage, just to be safe. For now, three days of soaking in diesel and being emptied and blown through with shop air (both ways) will have to do.

The filter is inline and placed after the cooler, so in theory (TM) any stuff coming loose should be caught there, as long as there isn't a flood - in which case the bypass opens and all bets are off.

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Joachim

jdenglish
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The oil cooler and sandwich plate use 5/8-BSP (5/8 British Standard Pipe) fittings. I re-plumbed all the oil lines with AN8 fittings and Aeroquip hose which of course necessitated a new cooler.  There did not seem to be any way to adapt the them to each other.  13-row oil coolers with AN8 or AN10 fittings are widely available on Ebay.   



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