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Leaky Oil Cooler line(s) - finally got 'er done!!

CarMech1969

Full Member
Joined
Jul 1, 2016
Messages
498
Location
Scarborough, ON
G'day folks,

Since I did an oil change on my AV the other day, I've noticed that I've been leaving oil spots in parking spaces wherever I go.
Today, I checked the oil filter to see if it loosened, and it's fine.
I then used foaming engine cleaner to degrease the whole underside of the front end, as it was a greasy oily mess.
Powerwashed the crap out of it, then went for a 20 minute drive.
Put the AV back on ramps, and looked again.
The only place I can see oil coming out is from the crimps on the oil cooler lines.
Everything else is as dry as a bone, as far as I can tell.
Regarding oil cooler lines, anyone have any suggestions as to where I could order them from?
I looked at RockAuto, and found this:
http://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/chevrolet,2002,avalanche+2500,8.1l+v8,1382767,engine,oil+cooler+line,5516
Which one should I go with? Would the roll of rubber hose work ok?
Thanks for any ideas.

CarMech1969
 
ACDelco

I don't think I would try a rubber hose it gets a wee bit warm around the exhaust header
 
Yea, rubber hose would not be good unless you could cut it off at the crimp fittings and put a raised area or flare around the end to prevent the hose from slipping off.

You have to take them off anyway just put new ones on, cheap insurance.. Part numbers below..


PN 15753773 - Outlet
PN 15065206 - Inlet
 
Thanks guys for your help.

The other thing I'm unsure of is how to determine whether the transmission pan is shallow or deep.

Google searching shows tons of 4L60 pics, but where are the 4L85s?

At some point I will do a pan drop and change the filter, and I don't want to order the wrong filter kit.

Oh yeah - 2002 2500 series, 4x4

Have a great day gents!!  :B:

CarMech1969

 
Just as a side note, I have chased a small oil leak at the point where the oil cooler lines attach to the engine near the oil filter.

Three times we replaced the gasket between the oil lines and the adapter and it worked for quite some time.

Once,  I even had the oil cooler lines completely replaced because we were thinking the mating surface were warped just enough to begin leaking after a bunch of miles.

Once again, the leaks stopped for quite a while.

This last time the leaks appeared, we dug in a little deeper and found a really, really small hairline crack in the actual oil pan.

:E:

The leak still comes and goes and is not bad enough to justify the expense of a new oil pan and the labor to install it, so I plan to just let it bump until I get a real oil gusher going.

I also suspected a weak motor mount that was allowing the engine and oil cooler line set to tweak every now and then causing the leak to form.

But, so far the motor mount seems to be in decent shape.

Crazy stuff.
 
Hey EXT4ME, perhaps you could mend the crack in the oil pan with JB Weld or something, if it is an accessible area??

CarMech1969
 
CarMech1969 said:
Hey EXT4ME, perhaps you could mend the crack in the oil pan with JB Weld or something, if it is an accessible area??

CarMech1969

Certainly worth a look.

The crack is really tiny.

Hairline, at best.

So I would think a patch might work.

I'll quiz my tech next time I'm in for service.

Really, after all of the other fixes, the oil drip is really quite small, but still, I hate it when my truck bleeds.

Even a little bit.

(n)
 
Today was a nice balmy day, so I decided to tackle replacing the oil cooler lines.
This job was not fun at all. I got covered from head to toe in greasy oily crap.
There was a lot of accumulated oil behind those corrugated plastic sleeves that protect the lines...which, of course, ended up all over the place.
Finally got them switched out, and got the truck all buttoned back up.
Went to start it - no start. Uh-oh  :eek:
After an extended crank during the second attempt, it started up and ran...then I was greeted by the 'Service Engine Soon' light!!
I'm thinking, WTF??  :E:
Pulled out the code reader, and got a P0342 , Camshaft Sensor low voltage.
Had to get back under the truck again to see what the hell was going on, and lo and behold - the connector for the camshaft sensor had come unplugged. The plastic clip has no tension anymore, and just tugging on the wires a bit during the re/re of the oil cooler lines was enough to make it pop off.
Sure had enough drama for today. Lol!!

CarMech1969
 
CarMech1969 said:
Today was a nice balmy day, so I decided to tackle replacing the oil cooler lines.
This job was not fun at all. I got covered from head to toe in greasy oily crap.
There was a lot of accumulated oil behind those corrugated plastic sleeves that protect the lines...which, of course, ended up all over the place.
Finally got them switched out, and got the truck all buttoned back up.
Went to start it - no start. Uh-oh  :eek:
After an extended crank during the second attempt, it started up and ran...then I was greeted by the 'Service Engine Soon' light!!
I'm thinking, WTF??  :E:
Pulled out the code reader, and got a P0342 , Camshaft Sensor low voltage.
Had to get back under the truck again to see what the hell was going on, and lo and behold - the connector for the camshaft sensor had come unplugged. The plastic clip has no tension anymore, and just tugging on the wires a bit during the re/re of the oil cooler lines was enough to make it pop off.
Sure had enough drama for today. Lol!!

CarMech1969

Glad that you were quickly able to troubleshoot your camshaft sensor issue!
 
Durwin said:
I've now got to replace both of my oil cooler lines on my 2500.

CarMech, how did it go?

Durwin

Durwin,

It's fairly straightforward job, but it is time consuming and very dirty job.

Prepare to get covered in every kind of dirt, grease, and oil known to man....lol  ;D

Just be careful when pushing the new lines into the oil filter block on the engine. They are a very precise fit, and if you push it in a little bit crooked, it will fight with you a bit. Don't force it. You don't want it to get cocked in there and scratch the bore. Just be gentle and patient, and keep trying until you get the angle just right, and it will slide right in.

CarMech1969
 
To me the hardest part was removing and replacing the bolt/bracket that holds the lines to the block.. Otherwise it's fairly simple, if you could put it on a lift it would make it easier.
 
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