Oil Cooler Continues to Leak

Gizmo

Gizmo

New Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2022
Messages
6
Location
Texas
Hey Guys forgive me if I'm creating this thread in the wrong place :) I had an oil cooler leak on my 2018 Jeep wrangler JK Sahara, so I purchased another one and installed it, it continued to leak and actually blew one of the plastic plug out of the front and dumped all my oil. So I decided to purchase another type, I got the aluminum unit and new seals and installed it I followed the instructions step by step torqued the Cooler bolts down to 106 in lbs. I got it all back together and cranked it up an let it run a while, then drove it 20 miles and looked at it and could not see any oil in the valley so I called it good 2days later its leaking AGAIN.

Am I doing something wrong? Its a brand new aluminum Oil filter housing with new seals, so frustrating any advice would be greatly appreciated .
 
The first one you installed somehow created an overpressure in the oil system? Something very much not right.

The first thing is to understand why that blowout happened, because if you have enough oil pressure to cause a blowout, you are not going to stop any leaks.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mrjp
MacGuyver said:
The first one you installed somehow created an overpressure in the oil system? Something very much not right.

The first thing is to understand why that blowout happened, because if you have enough oil pressure to cause a blowout, you are not going to stop any leaks.
Click to expand...
Thanks for replying! My oil pressure seems to be within what I assume is the normal range (although I could be wrong :) upon idle (25 to 33) and when driving highway speeds it’s between 38 and 48.
 
Gizmo said:
Thanks for replying! My oil pressure seems to be within what I assume is the normal range (although I could be wrong :) upon idle (25 to 33) and when driving highway speeds it’s between 38 and 48.
Click to expand...

According to this it can have up to 139 psi of oil pressure. Are you using the recommended oil weight for the engine?

Check out the video.

 
BLACKJKU said:
I wonder if there's a crack in the part the cooler bolts to?
Click to expand...
Yep, I still want to come back to the blow out.

So we are all on the same page, what plastic thing got blown out on the first install?
We aren't going to fix anything until we figure out what happened there.
 
From what I understand it's a 2 stage oil pump, I wonder if they have a pressure relief valve to keep it from going to high.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mrjp
hey one the first one blow out may have been a strong term it was one of the plugs in the front of the oil cooler, I'm not sure it they actually screw in or are for show, possible it was loose if they screw in, I was unable to locate it when i removed the oil cooler. I used a shop vac with an OLD filter on it to suck all the oil out of the valley i could go check to see if I sucked it up when cleaning it out to install the aluminum one. Hummmmm
 
Ok, so I suppose we just have to tally that up to faulty part.

This is the one thing I had the shop do when I had my 2014. I'm not a fan of top of the engine work, especially on these with the amount of plastic up there. Plus if it starts to leak again, I've already spent my money. But back when I had it done, the part was $350 and it was $500 total with install. The $150 was a fair price for me.
 
  • Like
Reactions: FLCoastJK and Gizmo
Mine isnt leaking yet but am tempted to do the proactive replacement with the metal cooler and do the plugs while everything is disassembled. It seems like if it isnt leaking yet, it eventually will.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mrjp
Hey FLCoastJK,

Yeah I'm about to pull mine off again and replace the coil pack, plugs and PCV value while its apart. I have also purchased All 4 O2 sensors to replace while I'm at it. I have 116,573 Miles on it so I figure its time, its been great other than the sealing issue with the oil cooler, I have ordered several different sets (Fel-Pro, Mahle, Mopar) going to try again with new set, I'm sure its just me not getting it right in one way or another lol>
 
  • Like
Reactions: mrjp
Gizmo said:
Hey FLCoastJK,

Yeah I'm about to pull mine off again and replace the coil pack, plugs and PCV value while its apart. I have also purchased All 4 O2 sensors to replace while I'm at it. I have 116,573 Miles on it so I figure its time, its been great other than the sealing issue with the oil cooler, I have ordered several different sets (Fel-Pro, Mahle, Mopar) going to try again with new set, I'm sure its just me not getting it right in one way or another lol>
Click to expand...
I agree. I would rather spend extra money and do it all at once than to have to come back later and do some of it again. Mine is under 60K, but have heard of the leaking starting at different mileages.
 
FLCoastJK said:
I agree. I would rather spend extra money and do it all at once than to have to come back later and do some of it again. Mine is under 60K, but have heard of the leaking starting at different mileages.
Click to expand...
Yes sir I Agree! next to do transfer Case and Transmission fluid and filter :-| Yikes
 
  • Like
Reactions: mrjp
FLCoastJK said:
I agree. I would rather spend extra money and do it all at once than to have to come back later and do some of it again. Mine is under 60K, but have heard of the leaking starting at different mileages.
Click to expand...
Knock on wood, 64k here but since my oil pressure sensor failed, I did the whole housing. Those things go for approx $400 bucks now 🤯😵‍💫 and the total for my replacement @MacGuyver , was well over yours. I paid close to 900 bills! And that was one of the lower estimates. Believe me, Im still piss'd at my go-to mechanic for turning down the job when I needed him.

All these common, costly "maintenance" inconveniences have me wanting to let the JKU go!
 
Threepointsix said:
Knock on wood, 64k here but since my oil pressure sensor failed, I did the whole housing. Those things go for approx $400 bucks now 🤯😵‍💫 and the total for my replacement @MacGuyver , was well over yours. I paid close to 900 bills! And that was one of the lower estimates. Believe me, Im still piss'd at my go-to mechanic for turning down the job when I needed him.

All these common, costly "maintenance" inconveniences have me wanting to let the JKU go!
Click to expand...
I havent priced all the parts recently, sounds like I should start a savings account now, :oops:
 
Threepointsix said:
Knock on wood, 64k here but since my oil pressure sensor failed, I did the whole housing. Those things go for approx $400 bucks now 🤯😵‍💫 and the total for my replacement @MacGuyver , was well over yours. I paid close to 900 bills! And that was one of the lower estimates. Believe me, Im still piss'd at my go-to mechanic for turning down the job when I needed him.

All these common, costly "maintenance" inconveniences have me wanting to let the JKU go!
Click to expand...
Yep, these threads really allow me to see the best of my 3.8. Not getting anywhere fast, but I'll get there.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ghstrydr, Vman and Threepointsix
MacGuyver said:
Yep, these threads really allow me to see the best of my 3.8. Not getting anywhere fast, but I'll get there.
Click to expand...

Yeah kinda glad I ended up with a 3.8 with pretty much zero electronics. The 2007's don't even have tpms.

Regearing solves the sluggish issue on 35's. Only downside to the older JKs is that you can't really run 37's without major upgrades in the axle beef department.
 
Top Bottom