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[guncharmer]

hello,can anyone tell me from what year stainless steel oil coolers were fitted to the V6 engines,also are there still problems with this type not seating properly?,thanks for any replies.i havnt been able to find the answer with forum searches

[JamesV6CDX]

Hiya - I think it was from around 1999/2000 onwards, but I'm not 100% sure, and stand to be corrected.

Never heard of an issue with a cooler not sealing properly, if the correct sealant is used, and left to harden...

[tunnie]

as above, really, never heard of sealing issues. Thats just cowboys doing it wrong.

Thought it was 1998 for stainless oil coolers, but have seen failures later than that, prob caused by poor coolant maintiance

[Markjay]

as above, really, never heard of sealing issues. Thats just cowboys doing it wrong.

Thought it was 1998 for stainless oil coolers, but have seen failures later than that, prob caused by poor coolant maintiance

The (supposedly stainless steel new type) oil cooler failed on my 2.6 Y-Reg 2001 when it was still under warranty! i.e. less than 3 years old, and only 20k+ on the clock.

Vx replaced it FOC but this has to be down to poor design/manufacture, you can't blame the coolant for an oil cooler failure on a nearly new car.

Obviously poor coolant maintenance makes things worse, but I think that there is a basic flaw in the way Vx implemented the oil cooler, they just fail far too often on both old and new cars.

[Markjay]

Also - he said seating, not sealing.... I can't answer that as mine was done by Vx.

[guncharmer]

thanks for the replies,it would seem an oil cooler failure is a fact of life with a V6

[TheBoy]

thanks for the replies,it would seem an oil cooler failure is a fact of life with a V6

Whilst it does seem to be a problem, mine is 11yrs and 161k old, and running on original cooler.

That said, in my ownership, it has fresh red antifreeze every year, and nice oil every 3k, so maybe servicing is a key thing

[guncharmer]

definitely servicing is the key,had a 2.5 transit diesel metrocab taxi with an auto box,sold at 370,000 miles running perfect,double driven so it worked night and day.engine and auto gearbox oil changed every 4 weeks from new.it seems to me that the 20,000 mile service interval on the V6 is way too much and as i am trying to buy one, full service history is not all its cracked up to be!

[Andy H]

When I did the head gaskets on my 1994 2.5 V6 (about 7 or 8 years ago) I fitted new sealing washers to the oil cooler and resealed the mounting plate.

It looked like it was stainless steel to me but I couldn't tell if it had been disturbed before (at 134,000 miles).

It was still fine at 200,000 miles when I traded it in for my current Omega V6.

My new 2003 V6 had a new oil cooler just before I bought it (at 111,000 miles).

I assume the oil coolers are welded together, though they might be crimped. My guess is that failures are caused by the hydraulic shock loading of oil pressure inside the cooler causing the joints to flex rather than due to corrosion from the outside.