Dash01

How best to remove the stock oil/air cooler (black, size of a small brick, fits under washer bottle for headlight and windshield washer juice, NOT the oil/coolant heat exchanger)?

I simply want to swap in a stock oil/air cooler in place of the original, which was dinged, using the original tubes and fittings.

It appears that removal of the washer fluid bottle and left pop-up headlight may give some access to the upper compression fitting for the oil line, and removal of the bumper cover/batwing gives access to the lower oil cooler fitting.

I've read that crowfoot wrench extensions of 27mm and 32mm are used.

Any guidance on shortcuts or a simple way of making this swap would be much appreciated.

gpr8er

Dash01

Thanks much.

From your picture above, is it correct to assume a 1 1/8 flare crowfoot attachment will work for the 27mm wrench? What about the 32mm nut, to counterhold?

Is the upper oil/air cooler fitting accessible from above by removing the washer bottle?

Otherwise, what's the most efficient way to remove/swap the oil/air cooler?

FRporscheman

If you're not taking out the hoses, then it's easy, just get under there and remove it. The only thing in the way should be the batwing.

I haven't been under my street car for a while, though.... My track car has no PS, no AC, and no batwing, and I was just looking at the oil cooler today - it looked very accessible.

Dash01

The trouble with that theory is that the 1 1/8' crowfoot may be a smidgen oversized, and so rounds off the points on the 27mm nut on the oil/air cooler fitting.

Don't ask.

After rounding off the points of the lower 27mm nut on the lower oil/air cooler fitting because the 32mm nut appears fused onto it (even after heating with propane torch twice and multiple soakings with PB Blaster), the problem now is still how to undo that fitting, leaving the lower hose and 32mm nut on the car.

It may be easier to remove the upper hose still attached to the oil/air cooler once that hose is disconnected just below the radiator and so easily accessible, then remove it from the cooler when off the car and on the bench. Stanley makes a combo adjustable/vise grip wrench ($12 at WalMart) which tightens to any nut or fitting between ~1 1/4" and zero, and which will fit the 27mm nut.

Stay tuned.

Any further suggestions or insights much appreciated.

Dash01

Regarding stock air/oil cooler swap, a few observations:

The hoses to and from the stock cooler are poorly routed, especially the upper hard line tube which comes off the top of the cooler. Turns out that the tube is not needed, as the hose it connects to is long enough to re-route past the power steering pump.

27 mm wrench: Home Depot sells a 27mm combo wrench 12 pt. spanner for about $10, cheap enough to simply grind it down to narrower width, if needed. This is to counter-hold the smaller nut on the oil cooler. If the aluminum flash on the cooler is filed off, a normal width wrench works fine, so no need for a thin wrench, and only needed to loosen the hose.

Or, WalMart sells a hybrid adjustable wrench for about $13 which opens wide enough to use on the 32mm big nut. It's a hybrid because it has ViseGrip type mechanism to tighten down a smidgen and really grab a nut, with no play or looseness.

Does anybody know if the stock OEM hose fittings plug & play with a common aftermarket oil cooler?

In other words, what's the best bang for the buck in suitable plug & play aftermarket oil coolers? This is not for track use, but as a daily driver in a temperate climate where max summer temperature is less than 90 degrees F, but with occasional travel through high mountains.