RE: Oil Cooler Failure

["Ned Ritchie" <NED@IntendedAcceleration.com>]

I've seen it happen twice now.
The stainless steel hose acting just like a file.

A welding shop with aluminum experience can fix the pin hole

Ned

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-200Q20V@pdikeman.ne.mediaone.net
> [mailto:owner-200Q20V@pdikeman.ne.mediaone.net]On Behalf Of Paul C.
> Waterloo
> Sent: Thursday, November 05, 1998 4:28 AM
> To: 200 list; Adam Jung
> Cc: INTERNET:quattro@coimbra
> Subject: Oil Cooler Failure
>
>
> My oil cooler sprung a pin hole leak in it the other day, when I was about
> 90 miles from home and about 10 miles from where I needed to go. Was
> driving down the highway to my sales call (a nuclear power plant) and saw
> my oil pressure fluctuating about .4 bar. Still about 4 bar at 2800 RPM,
> but had never seen it before. The oil temperatue was just on the fat side
> of 60 C, well below normal.
>
> I stopped at the first gas station, and found to my delight, that
> there was
> a large pool of oil under my right front of the car at the oil cooler.
> Looked at it, everything was full of oil! I moved the braided stainless
> steel lines around and found there was oil pissing out of the cooler
> (engine still running). After closer inspection, I found that the braided
> hose that goes around to the passenger side of the cooler was rubbing the
> cooler on the driver's side. Just barely touching it, but over the weeks,
> months, or years, had worn it away to where it expose the cooling coil and
> broke into it. Only about 1/4" into the cooler.
>
> Bought some duck tape and rags. Placed the rag over the hole and duck
> tapped it in place. Added two quarts of oil and was off ten miles to my
> sales call. After I got done, I posted to the 20V list and quattro list
> that I needed a used oil cooler (from the power plant). Our list mister,
> Dan, left me a voicemail within five minutes of somebody to get a cooler
> from (Cool!). Bendon Hull also left me a voicemail with a cooler from a
> trashed 91 200q for $75 which I bought.
>
> In the meantime, went out to the parking lot, had some tools with
> me (thank
> god) and pulled the cooler off its mounts. Then taped it better with more
> rags and duck tape. Drove 15 miles to the closest town, stopped at Wal
> Mart, got some price slashed 72 cent oil (five quarts) and figured it
> leaked about 1 quart per 30 miles. Watched oil pressure and temperatuere
> closely, everything back to normal and drove home the 90 miles stopping
> three times. Oil level never went below the low mark on the dipstick,
> YAHOOOOO!
>
> Got the cooler coming tomorrow, on a business trip to another power plant
> outside of Houston, will replace the cooler on Friday......hopefully only
> $75 plus some seals and oil.
>
> So you might want to tie wrap those stainless steel lines away from the
> cooler, they just might wear it down someday and cause a leak!
>
> Paul
>
> 91 200q
>
> Oak Park, IL
>