oil cooler change NOW!!!!!!!! - Page 3

guardian · #21 (**permalink**) 12-14-06, 06:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tmkktm

Ok, just would like to clarify, because there's a major confusion between some of the guys in the thread- one of them is talking about transmission problem, thus the transmission oil cooler. The other one is the heat exchanger(as caterashaker mentioned) which is also called the oil cooler, but the engine oil cooler and it's replacement is NOT so easy, because it's located in the "valley" between both engine heads and you have to take the whole intake and vacuum hoses and so on to get to it. That's the one that I will be changing some time soon, because I have engine oil in my coolant. I would like to know if you are talking about that one and if yes, I've been trying to buy the whole kit and change the thing, but every time I try to get the part and go online or ask on the phone everybody thinks I'm talking about the transmission oil cooler or some other kind of external cooler, which makes it very hard to find unless you have the right Part # (thus my final point, what is the freaking part #:-)

Thanks!

Sorry do not have P/N but, yes, I was writing about the heat exchanger in the valley of the engine. It cools the engine oil.

Do not know much about Cat transmission oil cooler. It does not fail anything like as frequently as the Cat heat exchanger IMO. You do not see many complaints about Cat transmission oil coolers.

Cat heat exchangers should have been the target of a recall IMO. It never happened. But you hear about a lot of heat exchanger failures.

contourbs · #22 (**permalink**) 12-14-06, 06:55 PM

goto ebay and type catera oil cooler. thats what you need. its a very easy job to do

contourbs · #23 (**permalink**) 12-14-06, 06:56 PM

took me about 2 hours to change the cooler and radiator

tmkktm · #24 (**permalink**) 12-15-06, 11:43 AM

Hmmm, easy job to do- say 2 hours, I hope so:-) I'll be using this thread:
http://www.vauxhallownersnetwork.co....ad.php?t=63566
pretty helpful, has pictures too, but by looking at it and by the comments of the other guys , everybody says its an all day job(with the occasional beer and wings break of course) and that's considering I have some experience(which I do, but not with cateras). We'll see- I haven't looked into it that seriously, once I started getting oil in the water I stopped driving tha catera and drove my other car, but now I'm starting to miss it

.
Besides the oil in the water it has a pretty big coolant leak behind the engine, but only when you turn off the car- weird, but I guess I'll look into it all at once. By the way, everybody is compaining about the oil cooler, it's design and location and so on and that's fine, but has anybody really thought about the actual purpose- I think it's not mainly to cool the oil "that much", but as to provide for some kind of an "outlet" in case the car overheats and not mess up your headgasket- I haven't heard of a lot of catera head gasket problems, only oil cooler problems, right? Anyway, I'll stop blubbering, but thanks.
p.s.: Rockauto.com has the oil cooler kit for $60 but they can't find it unless I have the original part #- somebody else told me they bought it form them:-)

contourbs · #25 (**permalink**) 12-15-06, 04:22 PM

oil cooler is dealer item only, your gonna need a heater control valve to the way you said the coolant leaks when you turn the car off. where do you live?

tmkktm · #26 (**permalink**) 12-15-06, 05:23 PM

Yea, I was thinking that too, might as well change the HCV while in there. Still having some doubts if I wanna do the job anyway or just sell the car cheap($1300- 1400 bucks), but the engine sounds really good and if fixed, it could be a nice 2nd car. Thanks contourbs! (for the radiator tip as well, although I did check that and I didn't see anything, will check again when I get back home).

contourbs · #27 (**permalink**) 12-15-06, 07:44 PM

where do you live? or anybody looking for catera work im in southwest florida

tmkktm · #28 (**permalink**) 12-15-06, 10:09 PM

I'm in Atlanta, georgia- just above you:-)(well, about 1000 miles probably if you are down south florida.

contourbs · #29 (**permalink**) 12-16-06, 11:39 AM

im in fort myers florida, yeah if you wanna get the job done down here let me know and save some money then going to the dealer. i get employee prices at the dealer

tmkktm · #30 (**permalink**) 12-17-06, 12:29 PM

well, one problem- how would I get the car down there, since the temperature goes to the red once I drive it for about 30, 40 miles and if I don't stop afterwards I'm sure it'll overheat- especially with the HCV needing to be replaced as well as the thermostat, although it opens after it heats up- you can see the t gauge going down while idling, but then it goes back up when I drive the car. I'm sure the oil in the cooling system also doesn't help it cool down.