Would the oil cooler housing ever go bad? Is the access easy after the front end of car is removed?
10-31-2005, 12:49 PM
#1
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Would the oil cooler housing ever go bad? Is the access easy after the front end of car is removed?
The dealer is telling me that the leak from my oil cooler may be from the housing and not from the supply/return tubes and o'ring. He even made a comment that the mechanic had seen the leak was from the housing seal area!!!
Can The oil cooler housing go bad? It cost ~$1000. Dealer is charging approx $950 for labor.
Paul W - if you read this - how long will it take to follow your procedure for removing the front end? If I follow that, is there easy access to the parts that need replacing on the oil cooler and how long will that take?
Can The oil cooler housing go bad? It cost ~$1000. Dealer is charging approx $950 for labor.
Paul W - if you read this - how long will it take to follow your procedure for removing the front end? If I follow that, is there easy access to the parts that need replacing on the oil cooler and how long will that take?
10-31-2005, 03:34 PM
#2
Hmm this seems a common issue ..
I have the now famous oil cooler, coolant leak too.
Have parts in hand to fix it but haven't allocated eight hours yet to do so.
Do it at let me know how it goes
<ul><li><a href="http://www.audipages.com/Tech_Articles/enginemechanical/oilcoolerremovalreinstall.html">Clicky leak~ thank you audipages... again</a></li></ul>
Have parts in hand to fix it but haven't allocated eight hours yet to do so.
Do it at let me know how it goes
<ul><li><a href="http://www.audipages.com/Tech_Articles/enginemechanical/oilcoolerremovalreinstall.html">Clicky leak~ thank you audipages... again</a></li></ul>
10-31-2005, 07:17 PM
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I think the dealer is screwing you hard.
I don't know what he means by "housing seal".
there is
1. a metal coolant tube which has an o-ring around the outside where it mates with the oil cooler.
2. a plastic tube which has an o-ring at each end and conducts coolant between the oil cooler and the engine block. This often cracks but honestly, I don't think that it will leak because the breaks are "outside" of the o-rings so any leakage through the cracks should still be contained by the seal. At any rate, that would be a coolant leak.
3. a funky siamese-twin OO-ring which seals the oil passages to/from the block. If there are oil leaks, they must be coming from this seal.
Unless.
Unless the cooler itself is cracked or broken, but it's a cast hunk of aluminum, and I can't imagine what it would take to break that.
I did this repair recently, and I found the posted procedure to be fairly accurate, with a couple of minor amendments.
a. I didn't find it necessary to raise the engine off the mount at all on my 99.
b. The audipages procedure says that it is terribly hard to get at the rearmost/topmost two bolts of the oil cooler, that you need a socketed hex bit, a flipflop joint, two extensions, etc. Instead, I used a single straight Allen wrench, albeit an unusually long one, with my bottle jack handle as a cheater. The Allen wrench I used is about 7" long - PM me for the exact dimensions. Too long and it will interfere with the fender, too short and it will interfere with the exhaust header.
I would say that the estimated time to remove the front end is based on having done it once or twice before. The first time you do it will take 45 minutes. It will help to have an extra pair of hands. The trickiest thing for me was finding some place to put the radiator&c that wouldn't unduly strain the transmission fluid lines.
Putting the front end back on is a little trickier - getting everything lined up neatly. I think Audi must use some kind of jig during installation. A light-colored marking device and/or a scratch awl can help you mark the bumper supports before removal, so that you can get them close to right when you reassemble it. Before you remove those supports, think for a few moments about how you need to mark it -- it will be five minutes well spent.
As for the r&r of the oil cooler itself, I'd guess that took a couple of hours. Definitely not nine.
Once you have all the oil cooler bolts out, it is a real 3D puzzler how to get the thing off the block and out of the engine compartment. Pay very close attention to the way it comes out, and practice finagling it back in and removing it several times immediately when you do, or you'll never remember how it goes once you've cleaned it up and are reinstalling it.
there is
1. a metal coolant tube which has an o-ring around the outside where it mates with the oil cooler.
2. a plastic tube which has an o-ring at each end and conducts coolant between the oil cooler and the engine block. This often cracks but honestly, I don't think that it will leak because the breaks are "outside" of the o-rings so any leakage through the cracks should still be contained by the seal. At any rate, that would be a coolant leak.
3. a funky siamese-twin OO-ring which seals the oil passages to/from the block. If there are oil leaks, they must be coming from this seal.
Unless.
Unless the cooler itself is cracked or broken, but it's a cast hunk of aluminum, and I can't imagine what it would take to break that.
I did this repair recently, and I found the posted procedure to be fairly accurate, with a couple of minor amendments.
a. I didn't find it necessary to raise the engine off the mount at all on my 99.
b. The audipages procedure says that it is terribly hard to get at the rearmost/topmost two bolts of the oil cooler, that you need a socketed hex bit, a flipflop joint, two extensions, etc. Instead, I used a single straight Allen wrench, albeit an unusually long one, with my bottle jack handle as a cheater. The Allen wrench I used is about 7" long - PM me for the exact dimensions. Too long and it will interfere with the fender, too short and it will interfere with the exhaust header.
I would say that the estimated time to remove the front end is based on having done it once or twice before. The first time you do it will take 45 minutes. It will help to have an extra pair of hands. The trickiest thing for me was finding some place to put the radiator&c that wouldn't unduly strain the transmission fluid lines.
Putting the front end back on is a little trickier - getting everything lined up neatly. I think Audi must use some kind of jig during installation. A light-colored marking device and/or a scratch awl can help you mark the bumper supports before removal, so that you can get them close to right when you reassemble it. Before you remove those supports, think for a few moments about how you need to mark it -- it will be five minutes well spent.
As for the r&r of the oil cooler itself, I'd guess that took a couple of hours. Definitely not nine.
Once you have all the oil cooler bolts out, it is a real 3D puzzler how to get the thing off the block and out of the engine compartment. Pay very close attention to the way it comes out, and practice finagling it back in and removing it several times immediately when you do, or you'll never remember how it goes once you've cleaned it up and are reinstalling it.
10-31-2005, 09:18 PM
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Re: I think the dealer is screwing you hard.
OvO,
Thanks for the detail instructions. I really apprecite your time in writting the detail instructions. I hope to find time to get this done on my own.
Best Regards mohsen
Thanks for the detail instructions. I really apprecite your time in writting the detail instructions. I hope to find time to get this done on my own.
Best Regards mohsen
11-01-2005, 05:58 AM
#5
"I don't think that it will leak because the breaks are "outside" of the o-rings".....
<center><img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/24433/coolant_pipe_break.jpg"></center><p>
That is precicely where it needs to break to leak coolant. Any crack between the O rings will potentially allow coolant to leak outside of the engine/cooler onto the ground. This is the failure that so many on this forum has had to deal with, and it was discovered because of coolant leaks being found.
That is precicely where it needs to break to leak coolant. Any crack between the O rings will potentially allow coolant to leak outside of the engine/cooler onto the ground. This is the failure that so many on this forum has had to deal with, and it was discovered because of coolant leaks being found.
11-01-2005, 03:58 PM
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Guess I was just lucky, then
mine was broken differently. I wonder how long until the new one breaks 
I was thinking that OP had an oil leak. As I now understand that he has a coolant leak, then I agree it seems likely to be that pipe and/or the other o-ring.
Definitely not $1000 worth of parts.
I was thinking that OP had an oil leak. As I now understand that he has a coolant leak, then I agree it seems likely to be that pipe and/or the other o-ring.
Definitely not $1000 worth of parts.
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