Oil cooler delete

[alpinecrick]

I better let my dad know that his 350 with no oil cooler that has made it 300k miles is in danger.

But seriously, many, many 350s have lived very long lives with no oil cooler. You’re not going to hurt anything by removing them. I was tired of the leaking lines, even when new, so I removed them.

Chevy SB's went 100k's of miles with tiny radiators and no oil coolers, by the time the GMT400's came along the TBI's and Vortec's needed more cooling and lubrication. I wonder why GM went to 6 quart capacity with the LS motors? May as well just run 5 quarts--it'll do fine.

No doubt the factory spent all that R&D, cost of manufacturing, increasing the cost of the vehicle, so somebody could "improve" the design 20-30 years later by deleting it.........

Just like the guys who delete the trans cooler.

Seriously, it increases the odds of a shorter lifespan of the motor. In both cases the "coolers" in the radiator are really heat exchangers, serving to warm the fluid as the coolant warms up. Cold starts and driving the motor and trans when they are still cold is allegedly the hardest on the engine and trans.

AC Delco lines and new O rings in the connectors will last a long time without leaking or seeping.

 

[AuroraGirl]

I mean, obviously engines can go a long time without then, but if you use your truck in heavier duty applications (extreme weather, towing, high revs, etc), it becomes doubly beneficial for these coolers. I'm trying to retrofit some In lol

 

[geeeee89]

Chevy SB's went 100k's of miles with tiny radiators and no oil coolers, by the time the GMT400's came along the TBI's and Vortec's needed more cooling and lubrication. I wonder why GM went to 6 quart capacity with the LS motors? May as well just run 5 quarts--it'll do fine.

No doubt the factory spent all that R&D, cost of manufacturing, increasing the cost of the vehicle, so somebody could "improve" the design 20-30 years later by deleting it.........

Just like the guys who delete the trans cooler.

Seriously, it increases the odds of a shorter lifespan of the motor. In both cases the "coolers" in the radiator are really heat exchangers, serving to warm the fluid as the coolant warms up. Cold starts and driving the motor and trans when they are still cold is allegedly the hardest on the engine and trans.

AC Delco lines and new O rings in the connectors will last a long time without leaking or seeping.

My dad’s is a GMT400 with no cooler. I know it’s only one example, but my uncle also went 650+ with no cooler on his GMT400. Now neither of them tow really heavily either, but for a normal daily driver that tows occasionally it won’t hurt a thing. 2 trucks aren’t a big enough sample size to mean anything, but it was enough for me.

My stock lines leaked. I replaced them with new GM lines and new O-rings. By the next oil change they were already dripping again. People can keep messing with them if they want to. I tried to keep mine. But I can’t stand having a vehicle that drips in the driveway. So out the window they went and it’s been perfect since then.

I do some towing but nothing too heavy, don’t go off-roading very much, and it doesn’t get cold where I live. I think it will be okay.

I’m also thinking about going to get hydraulic lines made that will definitely not leak. Deleting mine was good enough for the time being, especially when the truck isn’t in daily driver status, but whenever I get around to finding someone to make the lines for me I may just go that route for the peace of mind.

basically I can see both sides of this argument. I resisted for a long time before finally deleting them.

 

[badco]

The oil cooler keeps the oil at whatever temp the coolant in radiator is, so whatever thermostat you run now your oil is around same temp, now i could see a external oil cooler working great but not in radiator. Sure it help towing in extreme heat and hilly roads but just normal driving and towing drag car like i do. my oil very seldom gets to 180. acording to temp gun.

 

[alpinecrick]

Sigh........

 

[oohunter04oo]

While I appreciate everyone’s concern for my engine, I’ve owned 4 gmt400’s and this has been the only one with a oil cooler. I do agree that is better for the engine, keeping the oil temp down, but I drive this truck a handful of time a month at best, I do not tow with it, I have a Cummins for that. Plus if I do kill this 350 that will be incentive to LS swap it.

the whole point to this thread was to show Driveshaft clearance for the oil filter because I’ve seen it brought up in old threads with no good answer.

 

[stutaeng]

Yes, my understanding is that engine oil cooler was more of a severe use thing, such as towing. In fact, didn't the towing package have this as standard? Along with all the "other" oil cooler options?

My K3500 has a big mess of oil leaks under it. I know at least one of the sources is engine oil cooler lines, I think right at the oil filter.

I would like to fix them, just don't know how to go about it. Folks are split between deleting them, replacing them with OEM or doing some AN aftermarket parts. The rest live with them leaking or don't have them, I suppose.

 

[L31MaxExpress]

I put dorman lines on mine and new ac delco quick disconnects in 2014 after my stock lines started seeping at the hose crimps. Was leak free for years and leak free after. For the 383 I had the hoses replaced with hydraulic hose and replaced the radiator. I flushed the cooler adapter and the metal lines. (Had bearing particles from the 350 passed through the system) Leak free.

The oil cooler stabilizes the oil temp and provides not only cooling but quicker warmup in cold weather preventing sludge buildup.

 

[Erik the Awful]

Several years ago I endurance raced my Jag with the original XK motor and nice sized factory oil cooler. We blew a head gasket early on, but just keep turning 10 laps, pitted to dump water, and went back out on track. Near the end of the race we realized the checkered flag would fly during our next pit stop, so I told Jim to drive it until the end of the race or the engine blew. At the end of the race he drove it back into the pits. The temp gauge goes to 140*C - about 290*F, and it was pegged. We drove the car onto the trailer and it never seized up.

The moral of this story? If an oil cooler is available, I want it.