What causes a oil cooler failure?

[JD F350]

What are you guys finding as the root cause? Lack of maintenance and not running clean oil? A bad EGR cooler taking out the oil cooler? Or an inherent design flaw?

How are those of you monitoring oil and coolant temps? I'd like to install issapro analog guages but will the 12 degree difference I've been reading about be that noticeable, or is electronic the way to go? Thanks John

[doubledrop]

EGR Cooler was the culprit with mine.

[JD F350]

Originally Posted by doubledrop

EGR Cooler was the culprit with mine.

That seems to be the culprit with alot. Anyone else seen a oil cooler failure after the EGR cooler has been deleted?

[JD F350]

[bismic]

Originally Posted by doubledrop

EGR Cooler was the culprit with mine.

Definitely not completely disagreeing at this point, but can you please explain how an EGR cooler can cause an oil cooler to fail.

[Big Mule]

My buddy slash ford tech showed me an oil cooler that failed, it was plugged up with sand and other debris. That is what happens with the egr cooler as well. He advises people to have there coolant flushed every 30,000 miles to keep it clean, and to have a coolant filter installed.

[uga33]

I thought it was the other way around. The oil cooler takes the egr cooler out right?

[bismic]

Coolant flows first through the oil cooler AND THEN through the EGR cooler. Sand will plug up the oil cooler (small passages) on the coolant side and then stop coolant flow to the EGR cooler. Both coolers will fail this way, but it is the sand in the oil cooler that is the originating failure mechanism.

Now I guess it is possible that if the EGR cooler fails first, that you could get some exhaust gasses into the coolant and this could cause "two-phase" flow. This type of flow will cause extra pressure drop and consequently restrict the coolant flow somewhat. If the coolant flow is restricted, it will impact the oil cooler also. The issue I have with this theory is that it is much more common for the coolant to be at higher pressure and therefore the coolant will flow through a leaking EGR cooler, mix with the exhaust gas and flow into the intake.

Edit (to clarify I guess):
The second paragraph was just "theorizing" how it could be possible for a failed EGR cooler to cause problems with the oil cooler. The first paragraph (oil cooler failing first) has been proven to happen quite frequently.

[05StrokeStack]

I was told that when the oil cooler gets plugged up it doesn’t let enough coolant into the egr cooler just burns up?