w22 - oil cooler is leaking

[mgscott4]

Look carefully along the side of the radiator, look at the coils, they change diameters, they are riveted along the side metal flange. The radiator on top, trans cooler in the middle (follow the cooling lines coming from the transmission) and the oil cooler on the bottom, (again, follow the cooling lines coming from the engine near the oil filter). The AC condenser may be in the way in front, look from behind.

You can see the difference in each one. You can drill out the rivets on the mounting bracket, raise the radiator a couple of inches, and lift the oil cooler out of the slot (channel) it is resting in. Take it to a radiator shop to be repaired.

[TheRealDeal]

I just replaced the two washered seals at the oil cooler block that connects to the oil cooler rad. Bought them at Napa. So far, So good.

[JimCal]

I just replaced the flat washers with 'O' rings. Have gone 1500 miles since with no more leaks

JimCal

[prsmith]

Thought I had best give you an update.

Yesterday I ordered the replacement oil cooler assembly. Workhorse does not provide replacement component parts so one has to order the whole assembly (tranny cooler, engine oil cooler, air conditioner component)

Ours is badly corroded.

Very, very expensive - it will end up costing me about C$2600 for the part when all is said and done. I plan to install it myself and may have to hire a mobile refrig tech to handle the purging and re-installation of the ac lines
http://www.irv2.com/forums/images/smilies/nonono.gif

Will let you know how it goes

P

[mgscott4]

I will bet the hole is in the bottom of the oil cooler from rubbing. Clean out the slot the assembly sits in and install a piece of rubber or cork to sit the new oil cooler assembly on.

Poor design, it should hang on rubber grommets from mounting brackets on each side like normal cars and trucks.

[prsmith]

Mgscott,You are probably right on. You provided some great advice

There was no leak when I parked the rig beside the house in November. When I moved it out to the driveway in May the leak showed up immediately on the passengers side. The combination of corrosion and rubbing probably did the nasty

I have not removed the old one yet. Am awaiting the new one so that I know exactly how it is mounted. I will post pictures so folks can see what the stand alone component looks like

Hopefully it will look like this picture that Dale Olsen (OEMY) sent me

I will appreciate any advice on how to remove the air intake since I am sure that it will have to be removed.

Thanks

Preston

[mgscott4]

Good luck, it took me and 2 friends and a 12 pack of beer to get it out. One of my biggest issue was working through the small hood opening on my Fleetwood Flair MH. I am a big guy.

[prsmith]

The band marches on.

I have received the new engine oil cooler, transmission oil cooler and a/c condenser (a/c drier is included) assembly. At the end of the day, I paid C$2772 shipped to the house.

I had a local refrig tech come to the house and remove the 134 refrigerant.

All fasteners have been removed so the assembly is floating in the pocket to the front of the radiator

There are 2 a/c lines that must be disconnected - one from the assembly's top driver's side that disappears back toward the engine; and a second line between the drier canister (front passenger side) and the the equalizer valve located on the passenger side of the bulkhead. Big problem here - these joints use steel nuts with aluminum tubing and in the case of the equalizer valve, its aluminum body. Steel nuts and aluminum create a corrosion problem. Penetrating oil, long periods of tapping and heat just did not work. So when I turned the nut on the line entering the drier, the aluminum line twisted because of the corrosion. I had to cut that nut off close to the nut. In the case of the valve, the nut would not move at all. So I cut it off and used my air impact wrench to remove the nut. It came out along with about 1/2" of thread filled with aluminum torn from the valve.

I made some phone calls and visited a number of hydraulic and a/c shops to get a new hose. Ouch!! Nobody makes a/c lines any more (they just order them from the vehicle's manufacturer). One hydraulic shop said they could do it and then were unable to source the needed fittings used on the hose. I have asked a truck shop (Workhorse service Centre) in Toronto to see if new hoses are available - no word back yet)

I tried yesterday to remove the second a/c hose and immediately saw that the aluminum line is twisting - more corrosion

So I still have a problem disconnecting the remaining a/c line. Any ideas among our mechanics??

Moving on to the two transmission lines. From the fixed fitting on the assembly, there is a pipe nipple then another connector nut followed by a piece of rubber (collapsible and about 1/8" thick) and what looks like a piece of brass before continuing on to the hose. This whole connection is located under the master cylinder among a couple of heavy wire bundles - hard to see. Some small part of me thinks that this may be a quick connect of some sort. Can anyone enlighten me please?

Finally, I have not tried to remove the engine oil lines. Does anyone have any tips for me in this regard?

Throughout my agro, Dale Olson of Oemy's Performance has provided me with copies of available manuals. Thank you ever so much Dale

I will really cherish any tips and ideas that you might be able to provide me

I really need help. By the way there is no Workhorse dealer in Atlantic Canada

Thanks for listening,

Preston

[RetPay2]

Corrosion can be/is a major headache an any vehicle. Another problem with fasteners is caused by over torquing, particularly where the actual sealing is done by something other than the compression of the fitting, such as where there are o-rings, etc. Since the sealing is by the seal, the fitting only needs to be tight enough to not come loose. This is really applicable where soft metals are present.

Penetration of moisture into a threaded joint can be minimized by the use of a compound such as Neversieze. Also helps prevent galling. Must be careful not to contaminate. Remember that neversieze promotes overtorqueing, so be sure to compensate for that. And, never use a lubricant such as oil or anto-sieze where a mfgr says not to, such as wheel nuts on your rig. That info came not from Workhorse but from the hub mfgr's.

Manufacturers also publish info on such things as recommended torque figures for aluminum fittings, etc. Too many mechanics use the feel of their biceps, or their impact wrench on one setting fits all, rather than a torque wrench.

I got a/c pipes & hoses from Brazels where I could not get them from local suppliers such as NAPA.

O-rings are available indiividually from good auto parts store, you just need diameter and cross-section.

Always remember that Workhorse only fabricated the chassis frame, almost everything else they purchased, mostly off the shelf. Unfortunately there are probably a few items made exclusively for them, but if the mfgr is still around they can maybe be sweet-talked into one exception for you.

Sorry if I am sounding preachy, but I have spent a lifetime avoiding paying someone else, and trying to prevent repeating my mistakes.

[prsmith]

Thanks RetPay2

You make excellent points. I do not hear anything preachy about what you are saying.

i have one more a/c line to tackle. Because of the proximity of a 2 " wire bundle I can not use heat. Last night a friend suggested I try to use cold - turn a dust remover spray can upside down and use it to freeze the aluminium tube to make it shrink. I will try it - nothing to lose.

[mgscott4]

You can pick this up at your local autoparts store. Don't know if it works, but CRC puts out some good products.

http://www.amazon.com/CRC-05002-Free.../dp/B000TFTH00