I've been looking for a place to get my oil cooler flushed and I've had a hard time finding any place that has experience with them.

I have talked to several radiator shops , one sounded promising saying he would put it in cleaner for 2 days then steam clean it with 400 psi, though like I said they don't normally do oil coolers and I'd have to show him how to take out the thermostat and plug the bypass hole?

I've talked to Kevin @ rotary resurrection about it and he told me the basics of how it needs to be done, ill be relaying that info to the place that flushes it and see if they can do it.

The only other place I've read about is a place in Texas that does them for $150 and does a great job, but I'd like to avoid the hassle of shipping and hope to find a cheaper price locally.

 

Radiator shops should be able to clean them. I've talked to my old school radiator guy and he says he can do them no problem. I know another gentleman locally who had his done by a place that does mainly aircraft work. They were also able to clean it as well as rebuild/verify the operation of the thermostat. If the shop doesn't have any clue I'd move on to the next shop.

For local places ask around for people who do circle track racing or do hot rods (HAMB forum in particular). They will know all the old school radiator shops and who does good work. These are also typically the shops that can build custom radiators (oil and coolant) as well as clean/seal gas tanks.

 

The place that does it in Texas that I've read about I've heard they straighten all the bent fins and do a great job , but the fact that you have to ship it concerns me since our oil coolers can get damaged easily since they're aluminum.

All the places I called really don't have much of a clue and say they'd have to look at it, I'd rather have a place that has experience with cleaning oil coolers, ideally one that's done our rx7s oil cooler but as rare as these cars are 99% of the places you call have never done one even if they clean oil coolers.

I'd like a place that does like you said, cleans everything , flushes it, and checks to see the thermostat functions properly, checks if it holds pressure and doesn't leak, repairs bent fins etc. I want the whole shabang.

I'm near Richmond VA , I am definitely getting it cleaned as well as my radiator..I've tried calling a few aircraft repair shops, even airports, and searched online. I feel like I'm looking for a needle in a haystack.

My radiator is aftermarket I hope its a Turbo radiator (last owner didn't maintain this car well).

I got a water temp gauge so I can keep an eye on it , is there a way to know if the radiator is turbo? I could measure its thickness, height, and length.

 

i think the only places that clean out oil coolers are going to be airplanes, because its the law, and maybe racers.

99% of street cars don't have oil coolers, and 99% of those never get cleaned ever

there is no such thing as a turbo radiator, NA and T2 use the same one

 

Ah I thought Turbo was bigger, it really is smaller? I plan on upgrading in the future.

I guess I'll have to keep searching, Im not sure if I want to take my chances with a local place, I may end up sending it to the place in Texas, I just think its rediculous to send it that far, shipping will probably be expensive.

 

you can shim the bypass pellet forwards just like in the crank snout..

i use a tank with diesel.. and old fuel pump and some rigged hoses to make it all fit..
i stand the oil cooler up on its end ( thermostat in the air ) .. and flush in both directions
.. just leave pump going for an hr each way

 

I appreciate the tips , unfortunately I don't have access to all that stuff , Id rather leave it to someone that knows what theyre doing.

 

american cooler service in TX

I have had probably half a dozen cleaned by them. They are reasonably quick and most of what they do are airplane coolers.

| American Cooler Service, Inc.

 

How much do they charge, and how extensive is the work?

Ill call and see what they say, seems there's no place locally

 

they are the same size... or by your logic, they used the turbo radiator in all the FCs...

 

I just figured Turbo has more cooling demands then a na so it would have a bigger radiator, mine is some aftermarket black one.

Instead of getting it flushed I may just get an aluminum one if I can find one that's not too expensive, can't afford a koyo but I want something that mounts stock and will hold the stock fan shroud.

I see alot on eBay but the quality and fitment is questionable.