Oil Cooler Adapter Removal

Several weeks ago I changed the engine oil cooler lines because they were leaking. At the same time I also attempted to remove the oil cooler adapter to replace the gaskets as they are also leaking. I removed the filter and two 5/16"-18 3" long bolts but could not get the adapter to budge. I now suspect I may also need to unscrew the hollow screw that the filter threads into. Is there any other suggestions any of you who have replced the gaskets have? I have the Fel-Pro gasket set, I may even purchase the filter gasket kit from a GM dealer.

Tuesday (Sept. 16) I changed oil and filter. The adapter was not leaking much but is now leaking more.



Thanks,

Chris

i would get the gasket from dealer. others on the site tried after market gaskets with bad results. the adapter should come down after removing the 2 bolts. it maybe stuckdid you give it a wack with a hammer from the side to see if it will pop off. i got rid of the cooler altogether on mine

those two bolts should be the only thing holding the adapter housing to the motor. Have you tried wiggling it? maybe a little tap from a rubber mallet is needed.

I just recently removed and replaced mine. Only the two socket head bolts were holding it on.

Mine was leaking (well, it was leaking from everywhere) and it was sealed by an O-ring. The fel-pro pan set came with an O-ring and a thicker, more rectangular gasket that fit precisely in the same groove, so I used that one. No idea if it'll seal properly or not, but I'll give it a try and see what happens.

Both times I did this, I screwed the filter back on the adapter for leverage. This works every time for me to get the adapter off. Hope this helps.

out of curiosity, what was the rubber seal like in there? was it an o-ring, or something with a square profile?

the filter housing is stuck to the paper gasket betweenn it and the block,.

aftermarket gaskets and o rings most times don't seal,.(or only for a while till they heat cycle a few times)

the paper gasket needs to be removed and the area it sits in needs to cleaned really well,.
don't use any kind of sealer, just a small dab of grease will hold the gasket up in place while you put the adapter back on,.

Nick - thanks, I know which ones of the paper gaskets I was supposed to use there. The grease sticktion technique makes sense.

There are two ring type gaskets, and both fit into the adapter. I used the sqaure-profile one. There was an o-ring in there, and it was leaking before I got in there, which is why I tried the somewhat thicker one. Perhaps that was a mistake, maybe it's too thick to seal properly?

The Dorman ones found in the help section are total trash, don't use them. I've used the Felpro ones without issue though.

Yep, these are felpro. I found the problem- the stud on the oil cooler adapter that holds the nut for the oil cooler lines wasn't threaded in all the way, so the seals couldn't clamp with enough force to work properly. I got that corrected and so far, it's not leaking anymore.