i have a feeling my oil cooler is leaking from the plug. can i replace the washer or o ring with any washer the same or about the same size? or does it have to be a replacement?

 

I'm assuming this is the plug at the bottom of an air/oil cooler? Its a copper washer from the factory, they are usually very durable. Have you tried loosening it and re-torquing it? An oring wont seal as theres no groove for it in the plug. A soft aluminum washer of nearly the same size should work though.

 

do you think it could be leaking after 160,000 miles? it is from the bottom of the oil cooler.

 

But do you have an air/oil cooler or a water/oil cooler??

The water/oil cooler is a beehive-lookin' thing that sits under your oil filter.

The air/oil cooler sits below the rad, lookin' like a mini rad itself.

So which do you have?

Jon

 

my guess would be the air/oil. the washer is eaisly replaced, however one must remove the oil cooler to do so. yes, it is possible it is leaking. perhaps like carl said, the plug may have just wiggled loose a bit. it happens. also, for your own sake, DO NOT torque the plug down hard. you will crack the oil cooler and will be in a world of hurt.

 

i cant even get the plug off..... but yeah, its the air/oil cooler under the radiator. i do have it out.

 

do not heat it. perhaps try leverage on the wratchet or whrech you are using. if it is a wratchet, slip a small pole on the end of the wratchet for leverage. set he oil cooler on the ground, hold it down and try with the leverage. if you are using a wrench, hook another wrench onto that one and do the same thing, holding it on the ground. have you inspected the oilcooler for cracks at all, especially around the plug and fittings? they get weak and crack. even a hailline crack can be bad news.

 

do you think i should replace the washer and get a pressure test done? all the oil seems to be leaking from the plug. if its not the plug then its a crack right around it. but when i set it on a newspaper, there is a circular oil spot. so i should just find as much levrage as possible? ill try that when i get home. im really hoping its just the plug. and how tight do i have to tighten the bolt to insure no leaks?

 

Once an aluminum or copper crush washer has been crushed, they can not be reused as they will not reseal no matter how hard you tighten the plug. I shudder to think of how many oil coolers are cracked because people are too cheap or lazy to get new crush washers.