w250_93

my truck has had oil in the radiator sice i bought it about a year ago and i'm just now getting aroung to fixing it (pretty sad), and i was wondering where the best place to buy a engine oil cooler from cause none of the local parts stores have the factory replacement all they have are those aftermarket coolers that look like mini radiators. i did find a couple on ebay one of them is brand new in the box it's from some company can't remember the name it dosn't look like it comes with seals do i need to get them or could i just use silicone or do i need o-rings i haven't taken it apart yet

Ace

I'd try to get the gasket from Cummins. You can cross-reference the part# for that eBay item to make sure. There's about 5 different superceded or alternate part numbers that will work for this particular application, as I recall.

w250_93

thanks for the information now how do i find a cummins dealer around me or atleast contact them like phone number or web address

Ace

Try:

http://www.cummins.com/

w250_93

I went to the cummins web site an used the store locator and found a dealer i called and they said the cooler was $258.20 and the gaskets were near $21.00 & $14.00 should i get the one off of ebay or should get the dealer one

Ace

Do you have a part# for the eBay item? Depending on if it costs much less, and if you can confirm it is the correct part, I suppose that is entirely up to you.

woodrat

Get it from cummins and just bite the bullet. I tried a used one off of ebay, and ended up doing the job again in less than a week.

bgilbert

I would test mine before I dropped the cash on a new one. It could be your headgasket. Cummins parts only.

w250_93

the one on ebay is suppose to be brand new but from what i understand it isn't an original cummins part it's aftermarket, yes the part numbers match and it only cost $68.62 thats before taxes and shipping though. I know what you guys mean about buying only cummins parts but could you pass up a $200.00 save. I looked at his history and it's 100% every message he has got was a compliment. Heck if it goes bad i only lost 68 dollars and if it holds then i saved 200 dollars you know what i mean. It looks to me like the gaskets don't come with it and if i decide go with this route and it dosen't have the gaskets with it do you guys think it would be a bad ideal to try and just use some cork paper or some kind of gasket material and make my own gaskets or just use silicone. One more thing i went to napa and bought a termostat i put it in last night (i flushed the cooling system before hand) and i started the truck to see if i was going to work or not and i don't guess it ever opened up cause the tempature gauge keep climbing and the wasn't any heat coming out of the heater just cold air. Did i do something wrong or is it the thermostat.

woodrat

It would definitely be a bad idea to make your own gaskets. the gaskets that come from cummins are pretty special and particular looking. And yes, you might only be out the $68 for the part if it didn't work, but your time is worth something too, or at least mine is anyway...

You are also going to need to clean all the emulsified oil/water mess out of your cooling system, which was no small feat when I did mine.

Speaking as someone who tried to go cheap on this same repair, my advice is to buy all the parts and gaskets new from cummins and don't waste your time trying to save a few dollars.

Chrisreyn

there was a lengthy thread about one of our members having trouble with the oil cooler and gaskets posted a while back, dont remember who( was that you woodrat?).. try searching the forum and you'll probably find it.
From what i remember teh gaskets are critical, so I would suggest the cummins stuff over after market.

The way our cooling system is designed, you can trap air above the thermostat pretty easy... loosen the clamps on teh heater hoses and let teh engine run up to temp. Make sure the hoses are loose enough to vent the air and steam out, then when it starts spraying coolant, tighten them up. ( DONT GET BURNT) duhhhh?
The air will prevent the thermostat from opening and wont let hot coolant go thru the heater hoses, so that is what it sounds like you have there.
Also if you have the thermostat aligned improperly it can get 'stuck" in teh housing and not open.
Search this forum for thermostat and you should fins a thread with pictures of the thermostat and how to install it prperly..there are pictures in my gallery as well.


Hope this helps!

woodrat

yeah, that was me...

As far as the thermostat goes, there should be a bolt or valve even on top of the head, on the passenger side right up in front, that you can use to let the trapped air out of the system.

w250_93

thank you guys for the help and information i figured out the thermostat thing that night but now i can't get it seal completely and the oil cooler i am between job's (waiting on the union hall to call) there's no money coming in and i have all the time i could possibly use so if this dont work then i guess i will go to cummins and buy the real deal. yeah i didn't figure on making the gaskets anyway i didn't figure it was a good ideal. one more question would it be ok to spread a little bit of silicone around that rubber seal and on the head where the seal touches it to help it seal.

r69cuda

I just replaced the oil cooler on my 91 2wd dually last week. The original one had split a seam and pumped all the oil into the cooling system and out the radiator overflow. I got the replacement one off ebay for $25 and $10 shipping. The gaskets were $36 from Cummins. A new oil filter and 12 qts of oil, the truck is back on the road running great. Reverse flushing the radiator and cooling system out took longer than swapping the cooler. Mark