I have developed a slow drip on my engine oil cooler lines where the hard line is connected to the rubber flex hose.

I have seen a couple of posts where some have pulled the front diff in order to get access to the engine cooler lines. Some even have done a oil cooler delete.

From what I have see these lines fail at the point where the soft line attaches to the hard line going to the radiator at the crimp point. Which brings up a couple of questions, is it possible to replace the lines without removing the front diff on the 08/
Second, is it possible to carefully cut the crimp and a small section of the rubber and re-attach it to the hard line possibly with an oetiker clamp or even using a hydraulic crimp tool to re-compress the existing clamp to stop a small leak?

Obviously its just cheaper to replace the line rather then buying a specialized hydraulic tool to re-crimp the line but if re-crimping the line would resolve the problem it would be worth it. Comments, suggestions?

 

Pardon my ignorance.


I have an 08 too, is the Oil Cooler that little radiator looking unit that sits on the grill side of the radiator at sort of an angle?

 

the engine oil cooler is in the driver side of the radiator,

I believe your referencing the power steering cooler,

Neal

 

Unless you tow a lot, delete is the way to go. So glad I went that way.

 

Looking at the Mitchell manual it only takes 2.0 hours to replace the line, the steps do not include removing the diff.

If I remember correctly when I replaced mine I removed the fans as the lines are wedged in there tight against the fan shroud, then removed them without issue.

Neal

 

My preference is to keep the engine oil cooler in place, it adds a good bit of cooling capacity to the cooling system for the engine.

Neal

 

Neil, thanks for checking the Mitchell manual, so it is possible to swap it out without removing the front diff no doubt it wont be fun its really tight in their. Since i'm knocking on the 100k mile mark I am thinking I might just replace the radiator at the same time as I am concerned with the trans cooler lines in the engine. We all know what happens when they deteriorate.

Considering I pull a small trailer around from time to time I think keeping the oil cooler would be in my best interest.

 

I don’t remember if you saw my previous thread about making new oil cooler lines. It’s pretty expensive but still less than $200 using Evil Energy AN -10 fittings from Amazon. You can usually find a kit with the hose and fittings included. Then you need the radiator fittings and the cooler block on the motor. If your interested I can give you more details. I’ll try and see if I can find my previous thread on this.

i find that this is better than deleting it especially on 08s with piston slap. The “cooler” heats the oil up quicker in the radiator and reduces the noise.

 

Thanks Gavin, I somewhat remember your original post but forgot if you did that to get around having to replace the line or if it was because you wanted a better setup or if it was because of the aftermarket radiator, either way knowledge is power, if you can find the thread let me know. I have been avoiding this and the radiator issue like the plague but I can't keep rolling the dice on the radiator anymore and the cooler line leak is an aggravation I need to resolve.

 

Alright here’s what I used. Found it in my notes app.

- Jegs Oil cooler adapter(goes on the motor) - https://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS/555/1260...0aAgq0EALw_wcB

- Evil Energy Radiator adapter fittings(m20x1.5 - 10an; this should be correct for your radiator. If not, they aren’t very expensive and there are other options there) -

- Evil Energy Hose and Fittings (ptfe hose. This is what I used. Harder to assemble and less flexible but will last forever) -

- Alternative CPE(rubber) hose and fittings(easier to assemble, more flexible, won’t last forever as rubber wears out) -

- Conical seals(goes between the fitting’s mating surfaces between the hose fittings and the oil cooler adapter. When mixing different brands of an fittings this is necessary) - https://www.summitracing.com/parts/ear-169110erl?seid=srese1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAy9msBhD0ARIsAN bk0A9nqjZP3rhecjMo_iFrjwLHuOMJ9e7o9gGutxIHZ1sSNQhu 19CqQSwaAukiEALw_wcB


I also made a YouTube video on the process. It’s not the best and not exactly a step by step but it’ll give you an idea of how i did it as well as which of the included fittings I used. I cut the rubber hose on the old cooler and sawzall’d the back half of the lines to get them out. Then feeding the new ones in was pretty easy