Condenser/oil cooler

[1998_K1500_Sub]

Does the cooler need direct air flow? I ask given I still have not decided where to place the cooler. How about a fan?

An electric fan is just another point of failure on what is, presumably, a critical component (they put that oil cooler on for a reason, right?).

Using a fan opens up a Pandora's box of related concerns to manage... thermostat(s), relay(s), fuse(s), wiring and connectors, fan reliability, fan redundancy, fan operational monitoring, cost...

I would not use electric fan in this application unless there was absolutely no other way to get the job done w/o it.

Making it work is one thing. Making it suitable for mission-critical work is a whole different ballgame.

 

[udidwht]

Now for pics...

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[1998_K1500_Sub]

This picture, copied from you above, shows the engine oil cooler lines connecting to the heat exchanger in the bottom portion of the combination AC condenser / oil cooler.

Right?

What's in other, plate-style cooler, transmission oil?

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[udidwht]

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[udidwht]

This picture, copied from you above, shows the engine oil cooler lines connecting to the heat exchanger in the bottom portion of the combination AC condenser / oil cooler.

Right?

What's in other, plate-style cooler, transmission oil?

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Yes the lines connect to the oil cooler in the lower section of condenser (dual unit). The other small cooler is for transmission fluid.

The 4th pic is where the leak is going own from cooler (dark area) but you can see where it draped oil. This was after i clean the area up somewhat.

 

[1998_K1500_Sub]

(different topic) How's the condition of the electric pusher fan... any play in the shaft, any noise in the bearings? Has the current draw been consistent over time?

 

[udidwht]

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The leak comes from here. This is looking up from passenger side The front of RV is to the right.

 

[udidwht]

(different topic) How's the condition of the electric pusher fan... any play in the shaft, any noise in the bearings? Has the current draw been consistent over time?

I replaced the electric motor back in 2018 as it was not working. Works great now. I back flushed the radiator from inside to be sure there was no debris, dirt etc... It flows good. When engine is first started the pull from the clutch fan will free wheel the auxiliary fan for the first min or so. I have no room for my flare wrenches to get onto the cooler fittings so I'll have to figure something out as I'm not going to remove the trans cooler (just changed the trans fluid and oil recently). Not wanting this to be a long drawn out process.

 

[1998_K1500_Sub]

Yes the lines connect to the oil cooler in the lower section of condenser (dual unit). The other small cooler is for transmission fluid.

The 4th pic is where the leak is going own from cooler (dark area) but you can see where it draped oil. This was after i clean the area up somewhat.

OK, so something that wasn't clear to me before (did you mention?) is that the OE design has as fan blowing into the AC condenser / engine oil heat exchanger... although only a crescent-shaped portion of the fan lies directly over the engine oil portion of that exchanger, the rest is in free air. The AC condenser gets the lion's share of forced airflow, it appears, but the engine oil exchanger gets some no doubt.

Hmm...

What triggers the relay to turn ON the aux fan? AC high-side line pressure? AC compressor clutch "ON"? Engine oil temp? A combination of the above?

 

[udidwht]

OK, so something that wasn't clear to me before (did you mention?) is that the OE design has as fan blowing into the AC condenser / engine oil heat exchanger... although only a crescent-shaped portion of the fan lies directly over the engine oil portion of that exchanger, the rest is in free air. The AC condenser gets the lion's share of forced airflow, it appears, but the engine oil exchanger gets some no doubt.

Hmm...

What triggers the relay to turn ON the aux fan? AC line pressure? AC compressor clutch "ON"? Engine oil temp? A combination of the above?

Yes it was OE. Earlier years had (2) fans then they switched to (1) 16in fan right around 91 or so. The fan is triggered by the coolant switch in the passenger side head (single wire) There are (3) on this. The drivers side one is for the dash temp gauge and the intake manifold one is for ECM.