Assembling and Testing the Oil Cooler

After painting the oil cooler pieces, acquiring the correct O-rings, waiting for a pressure tester, and waiting to recover from oral surgery, I'm finally ready to put the oil cooler back together. On the left side, all three O-rings are in their proper locations (you can't see the two smaller O-rings that are in the header). On the right, you can see the order in which everything goes in.

The oil cooler being tested. Not having the proper-size clamps, I used two smaller C-clamps (arranged in a haphazard manner that, amazingly enough, worked) to keep the end caps from popping off. This was strengthened by a bar connecting the two plates that make up part of the tester. The tester works by pumping air pressure into the oil side of the cooler, with the other end of the oil side blocked off. There are two hoses at each end of the coolant passages, and the goal is to not hear or feel any air escaping out of these hoses. The air pressure goes through a regulator so that you can set the pressure. As my oil pressure never goes above 60 psi, I carefully brought the pressure up to that level and held it for a couple of minutes, and pressure held properly. This means that the oil cooler O-rings are in good condition, and it's safe to mount the oil cooler onto the engine.

Special thanks again to Bill Miller for shipping out the oil cooler tester that he built himself, for me to use as long as needed, for only the cost of shipping. The peace-of-mind is well-worth it.

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Main Page

Introduction to the project

Before the project begins

Removing external parts and accessories

Removing cylinder heads

Heads, gaskets, and the block after head removal

Removing timing gear cover and camshaft

Cleaning the piston tops

Cleaning the ins and outs of the engine

Final engine block cleaning with compresed air

Oil cooler disassembled

Parts ready for painting

Final painting preparation

Parts after painting

Installing BajaGringo drains

Installing the camshaft

Re-installing the camshaft

Assembling and testing the oil cooler

First steps of modifications for the turbocharger

Comparing the stock head bolts to ARP studs (lengthy!)

Installing the cylinder heads

Installing the head studs

Installing the valvetrain

Installing the intake manifold and injector pump

Assembling and installing the turbocharger

Last touches on engine assembly

Installing radiator

The Finished Project