Pretty sure I have a leak from the oil cooler. New pretty good leak from front of engine on my '73 2.0 with drips on bottom of cooler which has spread over the front of the engine shroud, etc... Original cooler which I didn't replace when rebuilding engine 6-7 years ago as it wasn't giving any issues then.

I see options at pelican etc with prices from under a 100 to about 200. Says genuine Porsche NLA and cost of almost 500.

Opinions??? Or experiences??

expect it's the 2 seals & not the cooler itself.

Bumping this one back to the top. I'm curious about the tribal knowledge.

Can't imagine there are more than a couple of companies that are making Type 4 coolers.

What explains the spread in prices? Maybe just marketing?

I've only seen them fail at the seals. I'm sure a cooler could crack from age or vibration if the supporting brackets crack (i've seen that) but I haven't sifted though more than a handful of them in my 914 life and never had one that was bad.

I rebuilt the engine in 2012 and it has less than 2500 miles on it since then. Seems funny that the seals would just start to leak, and leak significantly. They obviously weren't pinched when I put them in or they would have leaked from the get go...


And, I also wondered what the big spread in cost was as well since they aren't listed as OEM or original Porsche (or VW for that matter since it's really a VW engine, not a Porsche)

Don't discount the seals - either way plan on dropping the engine to address it. Though it may not have leaked initially with an improperly installed seal, vibration and heat cycling has a way of loosening things. Likewise, is your oil pressure relief valve functional? A stuck valve forcing cold, high viscosity, high pressure oil though the cooler can "blow out" the seals. The pressure relief valve is there to protect from this scenario.

Also, are you sure it's coming from the oil cooler area? There are plently of other potential leak sources in the front of the engine. (Main seals, loose galley plugs, etc.)

Once you have the engine dropped and the cooler accessible, a local radiator shop could pressure test your cooler if you suspect it is leaking directly out of the cooler.

Coolers rarely leak except the seals. I did have one that was warped from a gorilla mechanic who didn't know what a torque wrench is for.
They're under $100 new from CIP1.

Hmmm. I had a similar problem with my '74 2.0L. We first suspected the oil cooler seals and/or the oil cooler itself, but the actual leak was two oil journal plugs in the case with access restricted by the oil cooler. Oil was first seen across the front, then migrated on to the SS heat exchangers...lots of blue smoke.

I would think it would be the seals. You can always get the cooler cleaned and pressure tested to be sure.

Never seen a T4 cooler that leaked, the smaller version used on the later T1's likewise the old VW metal cooler could crack,however the 6 cyl 911 type can fail,ask me how I know .
Made a test plate and checked @ 10 psi ,cost me big time for a replacement in my country...got to love past owners .
Click to view attachment

Clean it all up and try to better locate the leak. If it turns out its the seals you can replace them without removing the engine (did it last week). Also, check the oil pressure sensor from up above and be sure thats not leaking.That would be a super easy fix! lastly, the intermediate flange of the oil filter may leak but I don't think that would drip down the oil cooler.

Back to the top.

Who has experience with lots of T4 coolers? Any difference among the various T4 offerings on the net that explain large price differneces?

I think we all agree seals are highly suspect in most cases, but, who has seen a leaking T4 cooler and was it abused or not. So far I think we have one instance of leaking cooler ID'd by Mark but was explained by mechanic failure to use proper torque on the fasteners.

https://lnengineering.com/type-4-store/type...oler-stock.html

$55

I have a bolt on pressure testing plate, if you want to borrow it

German vs Chinese. the cheap new coolers are made in china. I've used a few of the China coolers with no issues so far.

I had what I thought was an oil cooler leak years ago. Called Dr 914 and he told me you can put 100 PSI trough a Ty 4 and no leaks . He told me to change the oil pressure switch which will leak down on the oil filter and look like a cooler leak. Changed the switch and have never had leak since. I have mechanical gauges on both of my cars and when cold with 20/50 I can read 80 PSI at start up. Look for the easy fix first

Now that's useful information backed by practical experience beyond one off's. Thanks Mark.

I've got a known-good* oil cooler I'm willing to ship for costs.

*means "working and not leaking when I removed it last October to install Tangerine's remote oil cooler setup"...

probably the oil cooler seals or the oil pressure switch. Coolers are very very cheap if yours is actually leaking, but check the pressure switch first.


quote name='SKL1' date='Mar 14 2020, 10:58 PM' post='2794361']
Pretty sure I have a leak from the oil cooler. New pretty good leak from front of engine on my '73 2.0 with drips on bottom of cooler which has spread over the front of the engine shroud, etc... Original cooler which I didn't replace when rebuilding engine 6-7 years ago as it wasn't giving any issues then.

I see options at pelican etc with prices from under a 100 to about 200. Says genuine Porsche NLA and cost of almost 500.

Opinions??? Or experiences??
[/quote]

@dr914@autoatlanta.com
Come on Doc . . you're killing me . . . in you life how many coolers have you actully seeen leaking? Do you see a difference in parts quality depending on German OEM or China sourced?