Oil Cooler O-Ring

[beatrich]

I am on a massive road trip with my 86 2.1 manual vanagon, and have been learning and fixing on the way. This morning, it was brutally cold, and a seal busted- oil cooler.
Is there a way to fake the o-ring behind the oil cooler for a few hundred miles? I am stuck in the middle of Utah, and will be looking tomorrow for the o-ring for the oil cooler, but have heard it isn't an easy part to get. Ther e are a few auto parts stores in town (Price, UT) but I am not sure they've got it in stock. Will a good hardware store have a suitable replacement? Does anyone know the dimensions/materials? Thanks!

[Wildthings]

If you can't find an o-ring, here is a way to get back on the road. First you need to find a nipple for the oil filter to screw into that is a normal length and not the super long one used by VW to go through the cooler. Then remove the cooler and plug the coolant lines. Screw the oil filter on using the short nipple and you are on the road.

The short nipple you need will have been used on many different cars over the years, both VW and other brands.

[vwjedi]

The same thing happened to me on my '87, 35 degree night and the next morning oil was spewing the whole way to work.

I almost cooked the engine, this is a bit of an achiles tendon since you lose oil pressure with a quickness here. I would hesitate to "jury rig" such a vital part on a road trip. I got 3 from Busdepot because they were cheap so I carry one in the van for back up. If they can't overnight you one maybe I could send you one of mine, I could use the good mojo.

Good luck.
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1987 Wolfsburg T25 still riding out. A bunch of other VW's passed on...

[?Waldo?]

Many oil filters use appropriately sized rubber gaskets. I used one on an oil cooler once on an inline-4 (same cooler).

Andrew

[vwjedi]

[Terry Kay]

Most all of your better auto parts stores have a Dormann metric O-Ring selection.
Don't depend on any Pep Boy's , Advanced, or the Zone to have a Dormann metric selection--

Any Mom & Pop, Bumper to Bumper, or NAPA store will have them.

You really don't need the locating tabs on the o-ring.

Use some contact cement or Permatex High Tack to hold it in the right location of the oil cooler and remount the cooler back up into it's proper location.

If you've found the right diameter o-ring it'll work just fine.
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T.K.

[tencentlife]

Yeah, the filter seal ring is a great idea, it could probably get you down the road a ways. TK's right that the right diameter o-ring will work with or without the ears. It's a pretty fat section ring, though. Someof the chain FLAPS have selections of stuff like that in the back, you have to ask.

Finding a suitable pipe nipple to remove the heat exchanger might be even tougher than a seal that would work, at least at an AP store. Possibly you could rip one out of an engine in a junkyard, though. It's not NPT, it's a 3/4-16 machine thread, but it is the most common filter spigot size around. You can get rubber stub caps at some of the FLAPS to cover the water pump outlet and thermostat manifold inlet, put clamps around them, and go without the heat exchanger awhile, if you can find a suitable pipe nipple.

Too bad this didn't happen while you were in NM. I have the right seal and the short hoses in my parts selection.
_________________
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Experience is death to doctrine.

[beatrich]

Well, I tried the oil filter o-ring trick. Luckily the guy at the FLAPS helped me go through boxes and find an appropriate ring. It wasn't ideal, but I went with it. Did the dismantling, remantling procedure again, and voila...it leaked massively at about 2K RPM. I don't think that the o-ring had enough height to properly seal. Luckily Napa ordered the correct part for me, and it gets in tomorrow morning. The oil cooler removal procedure is down pat by now though. Here is how I do it- feel free to add any info to this, such as how tight to turn that big flat nut, etc.

1. Drain oil, remove oil filter, wipe off excess oil.
2. Drain coolant.
3. Loosen the two hose clamps on the coolant hoses.
4. Remove hose closest to the driver's side, using a long handled screwdriver to evenly slip off hose. Be ready for a 1/2 cup of coolant.
5. Remove flat large nut from oil delivery nipple, be ready for more oil to come down. This gives you a little wiggle room on that back hose.
6. Using a good set of pliers, remove nipple from block, and slide out of cooler. Grab the nipple on the smooth part, to avoid damaging threads. This will give you a lot more access to hoses.
7. Remove back hose, and you are in the clear. Be ready for more coolant.

I found that removing/replacing the nipple at strategic points gives you a lot more access to the oil cooler and clamps. I hooked up the hoses to the cooler before I replaced it, then slid the nipple through the cooler and threaded it in. If you have the old style clamps, God be with you.

Well, I get to do the procedure another time tomorrow....Thanks for all the help!

[beatrich]

A side note....Mr. Heater rocks. It is 27 outside, and like Mexico inside.