Oil Cooler Gasket – Common Problems and Symptoms
Gaskets are very important parts of car engine applications. They provide sealing between the engine components and different kinds of other applications. Also, the oil cooler gasket is another important gasket. Here you can find detailed information about the oil cooler gasket applications.
What is Oil Cooler Gasket?
An oil cooler gasket is a gasket that prevents oil leaks from your engine in the oil cooler system. The oil cooler system is a very important integrated system that provides the cooling of the oil inside the cooler. They are a very simple system in that there are fins and tubes inside the application. When the oil passes through this system, it cools down. So, there needs to be a gasket that provides the required amount of seal to prevent oil leakages.
Without the oil cooler gaskets, all the oil in the engine system will leak outside. And this will drain the oil inside your engine.
Problems with Oil Cooler Gasket Applications
There are different kinds of problems that we need to consider about the oil cooler gasket systems. If we know these problems, it will be much easier to apply the required solution to these systems.
- Leakage: The improperly installed gasket, worn or damaged gasket will cause leakage problems in your engine.
- Clogging: If the gaskets are improperly tightened, this can cause problems such as clogging. To prevent this, we need to install the oil cooler gasket applications in a better way.
Also, another common thing to consider is, if your engine is overheated for a certain time, the first thing to happen is the melting of the gaskets. Because the gaskets are made from plastic materials in general. And these plastic materials can melt in high temperatures. And this can cause damaged or worn oil cooler gasket applications.
How to Replace the Oil Cooler Gasket?
The replacement of the oil cooler gasket is not an easy thing. You need to be familiar with car mechanics. And you need to have the proper tools to deal with this task.
- If you are dealing with the oil system of your car, you need to drain the oil of your car from the drain plug of your car. The drain plug is at the bottom of your car. You need to place a pan and drain the engine oil in it.
- The place of oil cooler is generally near the oil filter in your engine. And the oil filter is in the oil filter housing which is connected to the engine block directly.
- You need to remove the oil cooler application to reach the oil cooler gasket of your car. Remove all the fasteners that hold the oil cooler application in place. And track the fasteners and their places for the installment.
- Use a scraper application to remove the old gasket. Also, you can use various gasket removers to remove the gaskets from the engine. It is a very basic task to do in general.
- After removing the old gasket, clean the area thoroughly. It makes it very clean the remove the debris from this place. You can use different kinds of solvents to clean the area.
- Place the new oil cooler gasket and make sure that you are aligned according to the oil cooler system. And reinstall the oil cooler system to its place again.
- Refill the oil of the engine into the system again. Check the system if it is leaking or not.
So these are the general things that we can state about the replacement. It is a very important process to do.
Replacement Prices
Giving exact prices of this replacement application is a very hard estimation. Because it is directly related to the model and brand of your car. But we need to state that the oil cooler gasket is not a high-price application. You will probably pay somewhere between $20-$50 according to the brand and model of your car.
But the labor costs are the important costs of this replacement. Because it requires a specific amount of expertise and labor for this replacement. And the total price may increase somewhere between $100-$500.
What Happens if Oil Cooler is Leaking?
As you understand that you lost engine oil if this system leaks. So, eventually, you will run out of engine oil. And the engine oil warning light will be on and you need to add engine oil to your engine if you want to drive your car.
If you ignore it, you will harm your engine because of the lack of oil inside your engine.
Can You Drive with a Leaking Oil Cooler?
Also, this is a very common question that people are asking. It depends on the leaking level of your oil cooler application. If the oil leak is at a very significant level, after a few kilometers, your engine will run out of oil. And if you continue to drive, you will harm your engine and you will face much bigger problems.
But if the leakage is not at a high level, you can drive your car. But, you will get the engine oil sign on your dashboard. You need to add engine oil more frequently.
Conclusion
These are the general things that you need to know about the oil cooler gasket applications. If you have additional comments and questions about this topic, please leave them below. Your precious feedbacks are very important to us!
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