Oil cooler line-replacement

[Mighty GTS]

Man, when it rains, it pours. Previously I posted about my big bang in the
rear, and thanks for the many replies. Well today I get up, go in the garage
and there's oil on the floor. Holy SH*t. I jack it up and check for the
source. One of my oil cooler lines has a rub hole in it from the other line
line. I've heard of this happening on stainless braided line before, but just
my luck. A $.10 piece of foam insulating the lines from one another would
eliminate the problem, but now I have to replace the line. At least it wasn't
anything serious.

Anybody have this problem? I did a search, but found nothing. I hope its not
too much work. I'll give the wizard a call tomorrow and order it. Any tips
or tricks would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[DEVILDOG]

Unfortunately, you're going to have to remove the front fascia in order to get to the oil cooler connection. Be careful when reconnecting to the oil cooler as the threaded male connection is aluminum. Be sure you tighten it securely and run the engine at high revs to get the oil pressure up to max operating pressure and engine temperature BEFORE reinstalling the front fascia. The connections are made of different metals with different heat expansion characteristics. Let cool down and test again to put it through another pressure and temperature cycle and retighten if necessary. Make sure to check for a leak by using a cloth not you're bare fingers ( fitting is d@mn hot! ) to rub around the connection for any signs of oil. Also, make sure you check the oil filter adapter connection as well. Additionally, make sure the oil line is not twisted...yes it can be done. Sounds anal but trust me it beats removing and reinstalling the fascia multiple times. Also, you may want to take the opportunity to upgrade to the ACR filter adapter if you want your engine oil to continue to be pumped through the cooler while at idle. Good luck!

 

[Mighty GTS]

YOu sound as though your speaking from experience. How much work is it
to remove the front fascia. I tackled the battery, the headlights, the
short shifter install, HVAC control head replacement, and brakes and rotors.
Am I in over my head on this project. I don't know how many hours the dealer
would charge, or what the part costs yet, but I still need the B&B's and
high flow cats. Anywhere I can save some scoobies...I have to. Besides,
my time is very cheap!!!! thanks, Joe.

 

[Mighty GTS]

Update:
Since the wife and kids were visiting the mother in law
most of the afternoon, I decided to take a crack at removing the fascia. Took about 2 hours and the bit&^ of
it was those [******] plastic christmas tree plugs on top.
Not just getting to them, but removing them. I found
a "wonderbar" works quite well when used with the utmost
in care. Now I am 1/2 way there, just need my new hoses
from the wizard. I would guess reassembly would take
1/2 as long no being experienced at the removal and not
having to remove, but only install the [******] plastic plugs.
I will keep everybody updated, but today I am feeling pretty "froggy" about my success. Joe.

 

[DEVILDOG]

The worst is over. Now you know why you want to be VERY sure you have no leaking from the oil cooler connections. As senior memory serves me the oil lines are about $50 each through Dodge dealership. Check with JonB at PartsRack for any mod parts.

 

[Jerome Sparich]

jandcryan where are you at in Bucks county?

 

[Mighty GTS]

Jerome you have PM

 

[Ron]

A through under car inspection will reveal many areas that require a piece of old heater hose as insulation from the exact problem you faced. Oil cooler lines, radiator hoses, p/s lines, a/c, etc.

 

[Mighty GTS]

Oil cooler line-replacement *UPDATE*

All is well again with the "Beast". The wizard sent me my new lines and I had
them in two days...awesome. As some of you have already read, I removed the front fascia and it was not nearly as difficult as I thought, a lot of bolts
and fasteners, but pretty straitforward. The cost of lines is around 110 for the one, and 100 for the other, less the wizard's 20% discount, so not too costly. I recieved a huge tech tip from one of the guys here that cannot be understated to anyone contemplating this repair. "INSTALL THE LINES, START
THE ENGINE AND GET THOROUGHLY HOT, LET COOL AND REPEAT" This tip saved me a lot of labor. I even took my car for a 10 minute ride each time without the fascia. The first time I came back, I had a tiny leak in the fitting at the
cooler. I tightened it hot and let it cool overnight. I checked the fittings
again the next day, did the same test drive, hot, cool down, and so forth. The next cycle I had no leaks and replaced my fascia....It took two days all total but I could think of nothing worse than removing that fascia again to tighten a leak because I was IMPATIENT.....

Another tip, my own, Fabricating a special wrench for tightening the fittings.
The fittings need to be really tight to seal properly. The nuts on the fittings are 1", but a 1" wrench is really big and there is "limited"
room to swing a wrench. I took a Craftsman 1" open end and using a grinding
wheel, cut it in half. This worked great, and now I have a new tool. LOL.

Kudos to the wizard for awesome parts and advice!!!!!!

 

[DEVILDOG]

Re: Oil cooler line-replacement *UPDATE*

Glad my tip helped you out. I know what you mean about the wrench being too big...fortunately I was able to get mine tight. Nice idea about grinding the wrench down I'm sure it made it easier to get that fitting tight.

 

[Viper Wizard]

Re: Oil cooler line-replacement *UPDATE*

Joe, Your VERY Welcome! I'm glad I could get you back on the road quickly!

Hey, now that you can take apart your Viper, you need a job?