Oil Cooler R&R/Coolant Drain
 

Getting ready to replace the original oil cooler on my '02 base with the "S" model cooler. Pretty straight forward procedure. My question is this - how much coolant needs to be drained to bring the level below the cooler and is it possible to remove that amount without draining the whole system?

I think you will find that you can't just drain coolant out of the oil cooler/engine. When you pull the drain plug and or hose, fluid will drain from everything equally. I just flushed my system and that is my experience.

If you drain into a clean container, you can refill with what came out. You might do a visual and strain it as you put it back in. Also, note that the drain plug has a crush washer under it that should be replaced and torqued to 7-11 ft lbs. Think oil drain plug but smaller. Verify by your year/car.

After thought, I suppose you could try pinching off the the three hoses with clamps that go into the block. I always thought that might weaken/damage them.

As soon as you lift the old cooler off of its O-rings, push a plastic bag under it to catch fluid. I drained a lot from the normal spots underneath and still had a lot spill.

It's a good time to replace the oil. You can't stop some water from getting into the oil. I've done it twice and got water into the oil both times.

Good point - I was going to drop the sump plate at some point and install an EBS baffle. Good time to do that.

I did the Pelican kit for my baffle upgrade. For the $$$ it’s excellent and has all the goodies. Proper sealant for tray being one of them!