When cleaning my air to oil, oil cooler. I was shaking it to clean it thouroughly and I can hear stuff moving in there. Is this supposed to sound like that? My paint thinner was coming out clear. Sounds like there is thin peices of metal that run in the oil passage from one tank to the other? I think it is supposed to be like that but just wanted to see if their were any other people with the same experience?

 

be sure to remove the oil t-stat (banjo bolt).

 

The noise was not coming from the oil tstat. Checked for that . . .

 

Have you shaken an oil cooler before?

Air to Oil

 

Have it ultrasonically cleaned.

Ultrasonic Cleaning
Carson, CA on main street
310.327.7103

12a coolers are $40
Rx4 coolers are $45

 

You are freakin cRaZy ! ! ! I will spend the $40 plus shipping on other things, like bills!

I am not trying to find out how to clean it! IT IS CLEAN! Just wanted to hear somone say, "yea, I have shook mine and it IS supposed to make that sound"!

So no one has shook their oil cooler?

 

If i think about it I will shake mine since I pulled it off my car last week due to the hose bursting and covering my engine bay with oil. Actually I pulled it to replace the mounts but can't seem to find replacements for an 84 (suggestions). Even if I could and they are $30 each like the 86+, I might just fabricate something to replace the rubber cushions that make up the mounts.

 

Mazda trix has replacementsand they are like $30 each. Sorry to hear about your oil experience . . .

If you still have oil in it, it may not make noise. I had mine cleaned and blown out with compressed air? So mine was squeaky clean!

 

I checked Mazdatrix and they did not list mounts for the 84/85 so I wasn't sure if it was possible to make due with one of the ones they do list. But for $60+ a pair I figured I could just fabricate something to replace the rubbers cushions. I am currently pondering the idea of using compression springs.

 

Yea, you can deffinetly fab something up. I have seen people use old hose rubber in between the brackets. Something I was planning on doing?

 

If your oil cooler is clean then what is the stuff moving around in there when you shake it?

Bearing material?

Oil cooler internally falling apart?

Paint thinner will dissolve oil, but not dislodge metal that is stuck in there.

$40 to clean a cooler is a lot less than $1500 to rebuild one that had contaminated oil. Plus peace of mind. I've seen engines have bearing failure, get rebuilt, then get ruined again because of metal in the oil cooler.

 

Thats normal. Thats the inserts Mazda put in there to break up the boundary layer. thats why the stock coolers are so efficient for their size, and people who mess with aftermarket coolers dont get good oil cooling without a really big cooler. By keeping a boundary layer from forming, fresh hot oil is allowed to come into contact with the tube surface allowing for more heat transfer. Thereby greatly increasing efficiency, especially at times of hi flow (high rpms/ oil pressure).

 

Yea more than one LOL. It does that when you shake side to side right?

 

Carl, I'm impressed. Technically, they don't keep the boundary layer from forming, they keep it from fully forming. The boundary layer starts to form as soon as fluid moves. But you're right, if you can keep the boundary layer thin and disrupted, the heat transfer is much higher.

 

Its pretty common for those turbulators to come loose and slip out of the tubes.I wouldnt worry,nearly every stock RX oil cooler Ive seen has a few of them out of place.Im sure thats what your hearing.

 

so what should you use to clean an oil cooler on the outside?

 

I use my pressure washer.
Despite what people say,it wont bend all the fins if you hit it straight on.Done many,many of them,never had a problem and they always come out looking brand new.
Those quarter car wash places work fine and usually have a degreaser option that will help with all the caked on oil crud.

 

YES ! ! ! thats what I was expecting and hopeing to hear. I cleaned the outside with parts cleaner.

Thnk you for everyones input.

 

I have never changed the oil cooler lines on my 82' GS.....but i need to do it soon...the bottom line is leaking oil...is it a hard job to do or is it fairly easy....also while im there what else should i be looking out for (or cleaning)?

 

*cough*

 

It's not bad. It is a little tough to get the a wrench on the fitting properly, but not too bad.

 

Thanks, yea I guess your right. I shoulda said it keeps it thinner. I imagine that it would form as soon as flow began now that I think about it, thanks for the tip. I've picked up alot of my flow dynamics from studying the external surfaces of the airplanes I work on. You'd be surprised how much you can learn about boundary layers, turbulence, vorticies and general airf/fluidlow by careful study of dirt trails on an airliner. And of course from reading alot, and working on the flowbench. Im not really formally educated in it. But Im a tinkerer at heart.

 

Are you sure its the line and not that the cooler is cracked? Its very common to have the bosses where the fittings go into have hairline cracks from being overtightened.

 

I would say your best bet is to carefully inspect the bosses as Carl mentioned and be sure that there are NO hairline cracks running down them. if there are, just take a white ( any bright color ) solid paint marker and trace directly over them. Next, bring it to a machine shop that does aluminum welding to have them repaired. This usually costs about 30-60 dollars.
MOST IMPORTANTLY : DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN when re-installing the lines.
Best of Luck!
Mario