engine meltdown/ oil cooler cleaning..

m glassburner

m glassburner

New member
A few months ago I had a engine melt a piston...is there any way to clean
the inside of the oil cooler and make sure it gets completly clean?? And I
mean without a doubt...I'm not willing to risk the new engine what so ever
thanks...mdg. #19 omni B)
 
Mike,

I've got a link to an ultrasonic cleaner who did my RX7's oil cooler after the motor blew.
www.sracing.com IIRC. They race FV's from out of Tenn. Probably be at Gateway this weekend.

Be sure to tell them that I sent you!

In the meantime, if you can figure out how to hook up an RX7 cooler to work, you can borrow my spare for the weekend
 
i had blown a motor and was getting low oil pressure on my new motor so i got my oil cooler ultrasonic cleaned as i determined it was causing the blockage. it looked great and im sure the ultra clean cleared plenty of gunk out, but if there is a major obstruction in the cooler, an ultrasonic clean does not guarentee to clear it out. iv had two fouled coolers ultra cleaned and in both cases it wasent enough. had to get new cooler.
 
I just ordered a new one :D I even looked up the old receipt...2001..119$...now 149$ oh well
at least I'll have peace of mind..mdg. B)
 
The golden rule for us old farts was "throw the cooler away."
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That's how I learned also. When I first started racing, I junked a motor and was trying to save a few bucks on the re-build. A veteran guy said just figure a new cooler as part of the re-build price.
 
I just ordered a new one :D I even looked up the old receipt...2001..119$...now 149$ oh well
at least I'll have peace of mind..mdg. B)
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Due to the every expanding Chinese and Indian markets the price of raw materials (especially oil, aluminum, copper and steel) have gone up tremendously. Get used to it.
 
Theoretically, the safest way to route it is filter, then cooler. This should protect the cooler from the junk that the blown engine generates. However, that is no guarantee that you'll save the cooler when an engine blows. I learned this very expensively, many years ago.

The sequence:

First weekend (Watkins Glen)- Blew newly rebuilt engine. Installed spare. Blew that in ten laps. Ended weekend.

Second weekend (Road America)- Started losing oil pressure every session - bearings going away. Replaced bearings three times. Started race dead last with 6 total laps of practice. Passed 6 cars on first lap, before spinning out. At the Kink! And I didn't hit anything!! Stalled the car and ended the race there, which is just as well because the bearings were going again. Asked Dodge expert what could be going on. He said - "Replace the cooler". I knew this couldn't be right because the filter was before the cooler and thus protected.

Third weekend (Topeka) - Still losing oil pressure and kill a crank. Start race on my last spare block. Decide, "What the heck" and run the race with the cooler bypassed. Problem goes away.

Bottom line - If it blows up, replace the cooler, regardless.
 
you can take the thing to the local airport. they do tear downs before engines blow up.thank
god. they can clean it but its going to cost as much as the 150.00 one you have coming. the lines may be the only offset in the price. Just may get it done for 75. I would just throw it away and save the time and gas.
 
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