Has anyone removed the stock engine oil cooler? How did you block off the coolant supply and return?

JET

 

I am doing it on my car right now and I will be welding it shut I think. Assuming we are talking about the port on the thermostat.

 

I don't think you have to weld them shut...the only thing that went thru them
was the water, but you have to put a piece of pipe or nipple so the coolant
lines can be reconnected to each other so it can return to the radiator.
Water just went in one side (factory oil cooler) and out the other. Nothing
will leak if you don't do anything with them. Just make sure to reconnect the
water lines with each other.

 

You can do that too. I'm just welding mine shut because I got rid of the nipple completely on the passenger side. Also, the water does not come from the radiator if I am not mistaken. It actually bypasses the radiator and acts as a oil warmer.

I could be wrong though. I will look through the manual to confirm.

 

I would agree that it is to a point an engine cooler and warmer so we are both correct.

However it does bypass the radiator.

 

the oil cooler gets the coolant from the coolant hardpipe that runs alongside the engine on the passenger side and the coolant then is routed to the front of the engine to the thermostat.

I welded shut the nipple or exit from the hardpipe and the just put a T in the coolant hose that runs in front of the engine at the top and right in front of the thermostat and connected it to the thermostat, I just didn't feel comfortable removing that flow into the themostat as it might affect the operation of the thermostat.

 

Larry,

YOu can get special hose pliers that squeeze off the hose so fluid won't come out. I got mine from Snap-On, but I think you might be able to pick them up at Advanved or Auto Zone.

they look like this:

 

Here's a pic of them open.



you just squeeze and they hold themselves in place. They work well. I had to use one when moving my power steering cooler.

 

You would still have the bypass tube that goes across the front of then engine so you would still be fine.

My setup is different since I don't run a thermostat, bypass tube or a stock oil cooler.

 

its actually not an oil cooler but an oil warmer. we remove it all the time off of cars, you just need a small piece thats threaded to completely remove it or just put a straight piece in the coolant lines to bypass it.

 

Exactly. Or you can weld up the ends, if you want to remove that hose completely. I like less hoses in my engine bays.

 

Nissan sees it differently. It is referred to as an 'oil cooler' throughout the FSM. Its purpose is to maintain oil and coolant temperatures relatively the same. It is a warmer ONLY when oil temperature is below outlet coolant temperature. It is a cooler the rest of the time. Also, the 'normal' band for most oil temperature gages runs somewhere between 200 and 275 degF, significantly above coolant temperatures.

 

Hey westpak, do you have a pic of your setup to see how the T you put in works. Sounds like a good idea. I'd like to see how that would work.

 

I completely removed mine and installed an Earl's custom setup. All I did was thread the rest of the fitting that held the stock oil cooler on and then cut it to the correct length for the new sandwich adapter. Then I removed the lines and welded them closed...

Here is a pic of the final setup.

 

I don't get it, why would anyone want to remove this? It seems like a good thing to have for multiple reasons. Does it not let oil flow as well or something?

 

Thanks for the pic, but I am curious about what the pipe on the passenger side looks like (plugged or capped, or welded shut, and then is the issue about how does the Thermostat get coolant if you stop the bypass fluid route.
Westpak use a T from the top hose crossing in front of the engine. What did you do?

 

yes but I wanted the comfort of having the coolant also on the front side of the thermostat not just the back of it with that bypass you mention.

see attachment below

 

Thanks Westpak. That is pretty cool.

 

To each his own and props for still doing it

 

Bump for some info regarding the benefits or problems with such a mod?

I do plan on adding an external oil cooler w/ a thermostat & would love to get rid of the extra hoses associated with the OEM oil cooler (especially the one that runs from the upper drivers side, across the front of the engine, then to the oil cooler). I just want to be sure that I won't be causing any undue damage to the engine by doing so.