So it's okay to "delete" the oil cooler?

[CarbonFibber]

I have a 2011 L99 SS that is dripping oil. My mechanic says that its coming from the oil cooler area, only thing is they don't make the OEM parts anymore. I thought I found one online but it was listed erroneously. Now I'm reading on here that some people just delete the oil cooler, and others replace it with a high performance cooler. I don't race it I just want to drive it without leaking and without spending a ton of money (it's got 140,000 miles on it). If you all could provide some suggestions (including any mfr. part numbers) it would make my day. (And why would it be okay to get rid of a function (cooling the oil) and not have it cause problems? I don't get that. Or is it really just there for track use?) Thanks a bunch.

[CamaroDreams76]

Mishimtoto makes an oil cooler relocation.
https://www.mishimoto.com/chevrolet-...2010-2015.html
Or you can delete it for much cheaper.
https://www.improvedracing.com/2012-...dgVglSCtGd9zyi
The actual oil cooler itself doesn't leak. There's little O rings that seal the cooler to the block. Mine is leaking currently but I'm going to tackle that next oil change. Its been leaking since I've cammed my car over a year ago and could never track it down until recently.

You need 4 of these GM 12613165 and 1 of these GM 15203889. Rockauto appears to have these in stock.

Here's a good video.
https://youtu.be/aPKtu9RrEjw?si=-ur1ABvgg183-j7k

Me personally, I'll never delete it because my turbos are oil cooled so I need the oil cooler. I also can't use the Mishimtoto because the cooler mounts where my intercooler mounts. The necessity really beats me. I would keep it even if my car was stock.

[TheBrightSide]

I’ve replaced many of the circular gaskets inside of the factory oil cooler “block”, and also the gasket at the oil pan feed; and it seems like a lot also just have outright defective manufacturing, where the surface/face of the block and oil/coolant feed, are warped and just barely uneven.

The only way I fixed this for people who wanted to keep their stock oil cooler setup, was to take apart the cooler block and dry off everything (maybe have a good day in between at least), so that you can apply RTV gasket maker all along the mating surfaces. I personally used ‘90-Minute Ultra Black RTV’ (forget the brand), which worked out for a few of the leaking oil coolers I helped “DIY”.

I probably wouldn’t get rid of the stock oil cooler if you live in a super cold area/region, since the factory oil cooler actually helps to warm up everything that uses coolant (which would include the circulating engine oil in your oil cooler). Removing it isn’t bad at all IMO, but it’s probably not recommended if you track your car or drive it hard often. From what I know, the engine oil temps stay around the same; although I’m not sure if engine oil actually warms up slower (probably negligible). The post above me has a kit for some of the parts necessary after you remove the factory parts to the oil cooler assembly. Most of the parts in the kit can be bought for cheaper, or have an alternative replacement if you look around, so those are some possible options.

The Mishimoto engine oil cooler works with your factory oil cooler intact or deleted, since the main oil feed is through a sandwich adapter at the oil filter feed. There are lots of oil feed block kits for the oil pan, but you want one that has space for the ports to circulate (correct me if I’m wrong). I’ve seen a lot of just straight block-off plates online, and I’m not sure if those work for the oil feed at the oil pan…

Another popular option for aftermarket oil cooler setups, is to have the oil feed come from the oil pan ports. There’s a lot of aftermarket oil cooler kits, which include the oil cooler lines, row coolers, and the oil pan feed adapter. Most of them are non-thermostatic (no t-stat inside oil feed), so I went out of my way to find a thermostatic one, which is a lot more expensive but worth it IMO. I personally run a 200 F thermostatic oil cooler feed, which goes to my oil pan ports; and that is routed to a 25-row oil cooler.

The custom route for oil cooler is a lot more beneficial than just deleting the oil cooler; but most people just get rid of the factory one because of the constant leaking issues (on both low and high mileage vehicles). Some people have issues with the sandwich plate adapter at the oil filter feed, so the Mishimoto kit might not be optimal. However, the setup I mentioned, where the feed goes to the oil pan, is a much more optimal setup, especially for LS-style V8 engines. You’ll also need to purchase a universal mounting bracket for the row oil cooler, which will bolt up to the radiator support, just like the way the Mishimoto kit has it’s oil cooler and mounting bracket.

I purchased a long roll of titanium heat wrap to wrap my oil feed lines in, and to prevent them from wearing out from rubbing/chafing against the chassis and other parts. Aside from that, there’s really not much else to the aftermarket oil cooler upgrade. If you do go with the Mishimoto kit, I would probably recommend to get rid of the factory oil cooler; but that’s just my opinion though.

[Bluebagger06]

Did the cooler delete on mine and it actually runs cooler

[CarbonFibber]

Thank you. This gives me a good place to start. Maybe the rings and gasket are still available for more of a fix than a replacement or delete.

[0stones0]

Originally Posted by CarbonFibber

Thank you. This gives me a good place to start. Maybe the rings and gasket are still available for more of a fix than a replacement or delete.

I’ve read more than a few posts stating that after replacing all the o rings, leaks were still a problem. Just an FYI.

As TheBrightSide stated, alot of the problem is the manufacturing process of the mating surfaces.

[Pkeen]

Deleted my oil cooler 4yr ago when I built my stroker. Runs at the same Temps as before.

[RickyC]

Just did mine this weekend….. only has 4000 miles. It’s been dripping for years. So happy I did this.

[0stones0]

Originally Posted by RickyC

Just did mine this weekend….. 4000 miles. It’s been dripping for years. So happy I did this.

Not to sound lazy here but, could you give me a list of the parts needed to perform this task or a link to a “kit” if that is what you used. Not planning on an aftermarket cooler but just the delete.
Thanks

[RickyC]

Improvedracing.com. They have a kit or individual pieces. You will need the block off plate, which comes with the gasket and bolts, the plug for the coolant outlet on the block and a new GM upper radiator hose from a 2012 SS. I called and talked to Jerry, helped with what I needed and even gave me the torque specs. The pieces are definitely high quality. Hope this helps.

[SS_Dave]

Another 2lbs saved. ;-)

[0stones0]

Originally Posted by RickyC

Improvedracing.com. They have a kit or individual pieces. You will need the block off plate, which comes with the gasket and bolts, the plug for the coolant outlet on the block and a new GM upper radiator hose from a 2012 SS. I called and talked to Jerry, helped with what I needed and even gave me the torque specs. The pieces are definitely high quality. Hope this helps.

Appreciate the info. Just got off phone with Jerry and order is on the way. Got those torque specs, as well.

Thanks again!

[Trawz]

Originally Posted by RickyC

Improvedracing.com. They have a kit or individual pieces. You will need the block off plate, which comes with the gasket and bolts, the plug for the coolant outlet on the block and a new GM upper radiator hose from a 2012 SS. I called and talked to Jerry, helped with what I needed and even gave me the torque specs. The pieces are definitely high quality. Hope this helps.

I second this.

Got my delete kit, and race oil pan baffles from Improved Racing.
High quality stuff and worked great. I got their block off plate with sensor ports so I can add an actual oil temp sensor to the system.

https://www.improvedracing.com/2012-...elete-kit.html

[0stones0]

As far as fluids, does all oil need to be drained for this procedure and also, how much antifreeze needs to be drained from the system?

Thanks