LBZ: oil cooler leaking coolant?

[adrenaholc1]

I think I have coolant leaking from my oil cooler. I'm looking for part numbers for gaskets. Can the cooler be removed and gasket replaced without disassembling the cooler? I'm also assuming the oil and coolant will need to be drains to perform this repair? Great timing as I have a potential buyer for the truck hopefully pulling the trigger by this weekend. Any help would be very appreciated.

 

[Chevy1925]

Its a bitch to do but the short of it is, yes you will need to atleast loosen all the bolts that hold the cooler on to be able to replace it. Had to do it on mine twice cause i got in a hurry the first time. The mid plate makes it a pain

 

[adrenaholc1]

Found this link with a pic that leaves a lot to be desired
http://www.tonkinonlineparts.com/showAssembly.aspx?ukey_assembly=854740

 

[adrenaholc1]

Is this all thats needed?

 

[adrenaholc1]

http://www.merchant-automotive.com/gasket-oilcoolerelbow.aspx
http://www.merchant-automotive.com/gasket-oilcoolertorearcover-duramax.aspx

 

[Chevy1925]

http://www.merchant-automotive.com/gasket-oilcoolerelbow.aspx
http://www.merchant-automotive.com/gasket-oilcoolertorearcover-duramax.aspx

so its leaking at the elbow? those would be the two seals you need then. Be sure when you put the rubber seal in with the elbow, it doesnt roll out of the groove it sits in. that was my first mistake.

My other issue was the steel seal was leaking due to the coating that was on it. i had to pull it out, sand all the black coating off, and black RTV'ed it. then let it sit overnight with no coolant in it to dry.

a short 1/4 drive with a short 10 or 12mm socket is your friend for this as well as ratchet wrenches. you will have to remove the studs that are in the elbow to get it out. a 6 or 7mm socket works well for that.

i wound up pulling the 3 or 4 bolts that hold the cooler/oil filter housing to the block out to make it easy enough to get the elbow in or out. be sure not to loose the o-ring that is on the back side of the housing.

make sure you got lots of towels and drain pans. its a mess under there when you first open it all up, drained coolant or not

 

[adrenaholc1]

Thanks james Sounds fun. Almost 100% sure its coming from elbow. Can't see above it cause of the manifold. I'll try to take some pics and get someone to post them.

 

[Chevy1925]

No prob. if i could remember more, id tell ya so dont hesitate to post up if you cant get it, it may spark my memory

 

[Harbin_22]

At least I'm not alone. Getting ready to do this tomorrow morning.

 

[adrenaholc1]

Good luck. I'm still waiting on gaskets from the stealership. Is yours leaking at the block also?

 

[Harbin_22]

Mine is leaking where the wedge part bolts to the adapter housing

 

[Harbin_22]

Got it wrapped up in about 2.5 hrs. Wasn't real bad to do just messy. It was very obvious that the rubber gasket on the adapter side was the culprit. I took the wedge part loose first, removed the studs from the 2 nuts from the wedge out, took the oil filter off, took the 5 bolts that hold the cooler on out, had to use a small amount of persuasion with a pry par on the cooler to get out far enough, and slipped the wedge out. Wasn't too bad going back together. The thin metal gasket was the hardest part. Was hard to pry out on the cooler and slip the wedge with the gasket on it at the same time, but eventually got it. Leak free now.

 

[Harbin_22]

I think the oil leak from my head deteriorated the gaske

 

[adrenaholc1]

Great pic. Don't sound too bad. I look for mine to be leaking at the same spot. So the cooler was just loosened or removed completely to get the elbow off? Thanks

 

[adrenaholc1]

Also were there o rings to replace where the cooler bolts to the block?

 

[Harbin_22]

I took all the bolts out that hold the cooler on but did not completely remove it. It was still attached to the water pump pipe. There is an oring where the cooler attaches to the block but I did not mess with it. It's not leaking

 

[matthew]

Hey guys! First time up.Just replaced Water pump and know see that I am leaking near this oil cooler thing.I have no idea what part is leaking and cant see it because the front end and 4wd differential is in the way.I guess I am going to just take it off at the block but not take it apart as I hear that is the wrong thing to do.Hopefully I can see whats wrong.The guys on the other thread say the gasket or Oring is a real pain and they used sealant without any issues.I sure hope this is all it is.I just cant afford the big bucks for a repair right now.Thanks to all for the information and the pictures.I would love to see a step by step video on the Fuel pressure regulator as well.I have an 05' 6.6 dually.:rofl: