bz7

I don't know if I'm overthinking this, but my FD's stock oil cooler with -10an fittings welded in is leaking. The seller gave me a stock RX-8 oil cooler with -10an fittings that he cleaned with kerosene. I put mineral spirits in, let it sit overnight periodically sloshing it around, poured it out. It was a little brown, but no particles. I filled it again with mineral spirits and let it sit, repeated.

However, I've been searching and reading through various forums online, many cautioning against used oil coolers since the donor could've spun a bearing or such and left metal debris in the oil cooler. Many say that even kerosene and other solvents may not get these particles out since they may be imbedded in the softer aluminum of the oil coolers, only to be released when oil is flowing through it.

Some recommend ultrasonic cleaning, steam cleaning by a radiator shop. Others say that this won't even get all the debris out and it's better to just buy new ones.

Is this a concern with used rotary oil coolers? Should I just bite the bullet and buy new aftermarket oil coolers instead of gambling with my engine? Or am I being overly paranoid?

Thanks in advance!

misterstyx69

iTrader: (142)

doesn't the oil go through the filter before it hits the cooler?

Tripple 7's

I've seen first hand the same oil cooler fry 3 separate engines after it was professionally cleaned after each happening. I stepped in and scraped out the cooler before they did it a 4th time.

And another where we told the guy to scrap out the cooler after he lunched a motor only to watch the new motor crap out shortly after start up due to oil contamination.

If it was pulled from a good running engine though i wouldn't worry too much, only if there had been problems.

DaleClark

iTrader: (55)

Rotary engine failures that would leave trash in the oil cooler are less common. Most times it's a broken apex seal or a bad water seal that kills the engine.

You most likely will be fine. Few things that you could do -

- Install the oil cooler, run it with fresh oil and filter. Run the car around the block and warm everything up. Change oil and filter.

- If you are really paranoid, send it off to be professionally cleaned. There is a company that does aircraft oil cooler repair and cleaning, search on the forum for it. They CERTIFY that the cooler is clean and is free of debris. They flush the cooler with a fine micron filter and check the filter until the particle count is below an acceptable threshold.

Mind you, that service is a bit pricey. It really depends on how lucky you feel or how paranoid you are .

You could also fill it with kerosene then dump that into a coffee filter and look for any shiny metal bits.

Dale