I decided to get my oil cooler flushed/cleaned locally because I didn't think it was that difficult to do.

Well I after a week of waiting I got it back today, the fins look worse than they did before and there are tiny pebbles stuck in between quite a few.

I didn't notice all this until I looked at it when I got home and wasn't very happy, I paid $75 for the service instead of paying $150 from a place in Texas that I found members had gotten theirs done by and were happy with their results.

I question if there could possibly be pebbles inside the cooler itself and I know for a fact that the fins were in better shape before I dropped it off.

What would you do if you were in my shoes? I'm going to try getting my money back and get another cooler that's in nice condition and have the place in Texas service it, I'm uneasy about using this one after bad experience.

Here are some before and after pics, note that I straightened bent fins for 10 minutes before snapping the pics of after I got it back from the flush/cleaning.

 

Before

 

Pics?

Nevermind, there they are.

I don't see a lot of pebbles but I don't see a very clean looking cooler, either.
I would have assumed that the process involved a dip tank and the exterior would be cleaner...

 

After -

 

The before pics were before it was cleaned look at the ones I just posted as "after" yes it looks cleaner but the fins look much worse, many were crushed and/or stuck completely together.

Edit - I picked out whatever pebbles I saw and shook them out as well.

 

Should i put some water through it to confirm nothing is still in it ? I'm just very paranoid and don't want there to be something still inside that will potentially cause internal engine damage and engine failure, since it seems like they did a half *** job.

 

I would take it straight back to them, and demand that they refund your money ASAP. **** that ****.

 

At the point of transfer, you had the chance to inspect it. By taking possession of it and leaving their property, you completed the transaction. Did their service include any exterior cleaning or repair?

I wouldn't suggest going back with your clean cooler and demand your money back for bent fins on an oil cooler that had bent fins and for rocks that used to be there. That's not going to go over well.

Sit down with a pick and dedicate an hour to straightening the fins during an episode of mythbusters or something.

 

They had it in a parts cleaning tub or something of that nature, I'm just uneasy about using it since they don't seem very professional.

Is there any way to verify its all good to use? I want to get my car running , its not easy to find one of these coolers in immaculate condition to replace this one.

 

it's not going to look like new again, the oil coolers usually are pretty beat up compared to the radiator.

the only bit i could see getting annoyed with would be if the lower panel got crushed during the flush, if it was flat to start with and it got damaged during service i would have pointed it out on the spot. though it won't hurt the performance of the cooler all that much.. if it was that way to start out with i'm not entirely seeing the issue. rocks can't be removed by rinsing the outside of the cooler, if you wanted it sparkly clean then you probably would have had to pay additional for the extra effort.

 

The bottom was already like that, Im just paranoid about using it, should I be alright? I'd like to use it, they just don't seem like they know as much as a place that does them on a regular basis.

Can I reuse the crush washers or should I buy all new ones?

 

I would have just went to ******* town on that thing with gasoline and carb cleaner.

If they just stuck it in a parts washer, they really only cleaned the outside...and also dented the fins and gave you a pet rock as a present.

 

They cleaned the inside , I believe it was steam cleaned.

I'm sure I could still use it but I'd like something in better shape :-/

 

It should be fine.

Bend the fins back to where they go using a pick (as already stated) and use it.

If you want to check if they got pebbles in it, I would do this...

1)Fill the inlet side with carb cleaner...yes I know, another $3 on the things but...
2)Tip the output side toward a container to catch the fluid, but don't pour too fast, there is a reason to do it slow.
3) STOP HALF WAY THROUGH
4) If you can see well inside, or just a bit, run the carb cleaner back and forth from the input side to the output and makes sure every passage is passing the fluid
5) If it looks good from there, proceed to step 6
6) Drain the rest of the carb cleaner out, and proceed to step 7
7) PROFIT! Use that thing and stop worrying.

 

I'm not sure which side is the input, the front hose hookup or rear.

 

It really doesn't matter, as there is a small reservoir on each side. I just said input side to add clarity, but as long as you fill a reservoir with carb cleaner, you're good to go with the test.

 

stop being ******* paranoid about everything and put it back in the ******* car! RIGHT NOWWWWWW!

 

+1. You drive an FC, not a 911.

 

I'm just speechless why you would do this.
I would have just capped one end and poured in parts cleaner.
Some stuff is corrosive so can't leave it in tooooo long. Works well at cleaning up corrosion too with soft brush.

 

it looks like the t-stat is still installed. if thats the case, nothing ever got in the cooler

 

I made sure they took it out.

Do I need new crush washers or okay to reuse ?

 

How do you figure that?

 

If they dont take it out it only cleans the end tanks, they did take it out but didn't fully thread it back in.

I need to get that size socket since I don't have that big or use vice grips/adjustable wrench.

Another question , does the oil that passes through the cooler get filtered by the oil filter afterwords or no?

 

That's not how it works.

 

Okay well I'm sure mine will be fine, I only had it done because i got it from a junkyard and the original likely had metal shavings in it because engine spun bearings/bad bearings.