oil cooler -shop or me do it?

[scha0786]

so after my restore restore plus flush I plugged my oil cooler.

My ECT = 190 and my EOT has hit 212 on easy driving. So I know it is plugged. My question is should I tackle this myself? I have done the EGR delete myself like 2 years back and took my like 1.5 days to do.

My dilima is that I know I can replace this myself but I am worried that it will plug up again on me and have to do it all over again. I talked with some shops and one qouted me $1350 with full cooling system cleaning and that would give me 12 month 12,000 mile warranty.

what should I do

[dereku]

someone makes an aftermarket cooler for like 1200

[scha0786]

just got a quote from local ford parts store for 335.43 for all the following parts:

oil cooler rebuild kit
3 gal of coolant
turbo install kit
fuel bowl rebuild kit
intake gasket kit
up-pipe bolts (4)

still nervous about installing the new cooler and then it plugs up again, 1000 miles down the road.

I spent like 6 hours yesterday flushing the system. The radiator seemed to be where all the silicate drop out was stuck. I would almost like to pull the radiator and give that a good flushing.

deicisions, decisions

[FordWake]

Do it yourself. Its not that hard especially if you did the egr delete yourself. Its getting to it that is the pain. Then you know its done right.

[Evil Eye]

It isn't too difficult to do yourself. Just be patient and take your time to document how things go together. It is just a tedious process to remove everything and put it back where it goes.

[PGreenSVT]

I agree with the above. I am always a proponent of doing your own work if you can. It is cheaper and will give you a better understanding of how your motor work. You can get your parts cheapest fro Tousley Ford Parts. The oil cooler rebuild kit is about $200. DO NOT use the Ford coolant. Get yourself a CAT EC-1 rated ELC. It seems like the Zerex is the easiest to locate. It can be had from Napa under part# ZXED1. Make sure to use the concentrate whichever brand you choose. Make sure the system is flushed well before tackling the oil cooler. (I know you said you just flushed it) Then just take your time. It is not technically difficult, just time consuming. You can do this job for under $350 doing it yourself. I'm sure you can find better things to do with the $1k that stays in your pocket.

[rockbound]

Originally Posted by PGreenSVT

I agree with the above. I am always a proponent of doing your own work if you can. It is cheaper and will give you a better understanding of how your motor work. You can get your parts cheapest fro Tousley Ford Parts. The oil cooler rebuild kit is about $200. DO NOT use the Ford coolant. Get yourself a CAT EC-1 rated ELC. It seems like the Zerex is the easiest to locate. It can be had from Napa under part# ZXED1. Make sure to use the concentrate whichever brand you choose. Make sure the system is flushed well before tackling the oil cooler. (I know you said you just flushed it) Then just take your time. It is not technically difficult, just time consuming. You can do this job for under $350 doing it yourself. I'm sure you can find better things to do with the $1k that stays in your pocket.

agreed, just did mine! easy but time consuming, took me and a buddy from 11am to 7pm to do egr delete and oil cooler last saturday.

[scha0786]

thanks guys, I just hope the new one doesn't clog up

[rockbound]

Originally Posted by scha0786

thanks guys, I just hope the new one doesn't clog up

probably clogged during you flush/cleaning, i wouldnt expect the new one to clog. you probably trapped all the gunk in the old on, and will come out with it.

[scha0786]

The stuff that kept coming out of the radiator(only cause both upper and lower were disconnected) was like white to off white flakes. I wonder if this was from corrosion or silicate. Does the radiator flow from bottom to top or top to bottom?

I would like to take the radiator out but sounds like getting the tranny cooler lines off is a gamble at best, espicially for northern salty climates.

Might keep driving it for a little bit and keep flushing the radiator like once a week until I am happy with the cleanyness. or should I just replace the damn cooler and be done with it?