I think I have a leak in my oil cooler. My car has all the symptoms. I'm not under warranty and can't afford to have it done. I'm going to try to fix it myself. I know the Yahoo Catera Group has some great references, but I still have some questions.

1) Does anybody have any information on bypassing the stock cooler and replacing it with an aftermarket unit?

2) Does anybody have any pictures or scans from the manual that could help with the repair?

3) What is the GM part number for the stock oil cooler?

4) If I used an aftermarket cooler could I plug the stock cooler and redirect the oil lines to the front of the car, or would I have to loop the oil lines and use the an oil filter adapter to run new lines?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I'm trying to plan it out before I take apart the intake manifold.

The oil cooler can be easly eliminated by cutting & bypassing the lines. Just use high pressure oil hoses and good clamps to get the job done. Remember to bypass every line and don't get the hoses kinked!
Good luck.

Hi,

Do you think you could explain this a little bit better.....step by step for the novice. Please?

Jack your car up and secure it on stands and locate the oil filter,
You'll see two pipes secured to the side of the engine block by the oil filter, these pipes are the ones that carry oil to the cooler and back, unbolt them and cut them to bypass them.
Make sure all the pipes are bypassed right.
Start the engine and watch for the oil pressure to come up and finally check for leak. Make sure the hose and clamp you're gonna use are good enought to handle the pressure.
Good luck..

For those of you with a V6 Catera, here is a "how2" change the oil cooler done by a friend of mine.

http://www.cavweb-forums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=63566

We have the same engine in a car called the Vauxhall Omega in the UK.