Last winter about this time my original 94 oil cooler decided to puke antifreeze all over the driveway when I started it up in the morning. The o rings finally gave it up. Since it had the old rear header with the staked in valve I took the whole cooler off my wifes 97 and tore it all apart, cleaned it to look brand new inside and out and painted the tube section. Then put it all back together with a new Ford gasket and o ring kit. It leaked oil at the front header where it goes against the timing cover.
So I took it off again replaced the front gasket again and put it back on again. Still an oil leak at the front. Then I was pretty pissed because it was 10 degrees out and snowing and I was working outside so I took the front two bolts off, slid the gasket out, covered it in gray silicone after thouroughly cleaning everything and put it back together. No more leaks.
Till now! It's doing it again in the same place. I torqued the thing right too and just can't understand this piece of junk. For lack of a better idea I'm about to go degrease that front header and smear some more gray silicone on the joint again just on the outside but why the heck is it leaking? I checked the header flange for straightness the last time it was off. Also for cracks. And I looked at the timing cover the best I could and everything seems fine. Anyone got any ideas? I don't even think the oil side of that header has any pressure on it. OIl comes in the back end then just dumps out this end and falls back in the sump right?

This morning when I noticed it was leaking, the truck had been parked int eh driveway overnight and it was 15 degrees this morning. I started it up and came back 10 minutes later to find about a 6 inch diameter oil spot on the concrete from the cooler. Same place as last year was leaking again. It stopped as it warmed up but we're about to go on a 3000 mile trip next month and this is aggravating.

 

Mines sloowly (thank god) getting worse.

I really don't want to mess with it. =(
It's got a dirt seal at the moment. haha.

 

washing the dirt off is about the worst thing you can do sometimes. Mine still looks new. Maybe I should go find a mud hole somewhere.

 

Yeah. I hate dirt and grease buildups under the truck, though the Power Steering leak made the steering linkage look like it was painting black. Looks mint now. haha.

I really just need to find a new truck and move everything over.

 

Well, I just cleaned it off and smeared some more silicone around the joint. I replaced the thermostat while I was in there too with a good MOTORCRAFT one! I'm so sick of aftermarket junk!

 

Odd that you keep having this problem. When I did mine I didn't use a torque wrench or anything. Just made sure the gasket surfaces were very clean before I mounted everything back up. Tightened down the bolts snug, then about a half turn past that and called it good. No leaks as of yet, but it hasn't gotten that cold down here yet.

 

I know. That's why I don't understand it. I do everything by the book on this truck and this is the only thing so far that has bit me in the butt really. My back brakes too but I figured that out now. It's just cheap shoes. This cooler better not let me down again. I'll put a bullet in it.

 

Well it just did it again! I'm about to set this whole truck on fire now. It only got in teh 20's last night and I just went out to start it and a half gallon of brand new rotella synthetic hit the ground. It's spraying out the back side of the front header flange. It will spray for about 10 seconds then stop.
I have new 5w40 in it. New mobil 1 oil filter and can not figure this one out. The front header is not cracked or warped but this is the thinnest spot on the cooler header and the front cover. There isn't much there for the gasket to really grip.
I have a 97 rear header on it with the snap ring. I am really thinking it's over pressurizing on cold starts. I can not figure why.
Someone help!

Oh, if I plug it in for a couple hours then it won't leak. I can't plug it in everywhere!

 

Just a thought....Have you checked the mounting surfaces for flatness and/or cracks?

I'm having a hard time accepting that your leak is from pressure alone.
I think the mounting surface on the block needs to be scrutinized as well.

Rog

 

well i am having the same problem u r with leaking on cold mornings if its not plugged in, but once it warms up it usually stops. the only thing i can figure is the gasket shrinks when its cold then leaks and when it warms up it expands and stops leaking. the only cure i can think of is to put a new gasket on there with lots of gasket sealant on both sides of it.

 

Oil comes directly into the cooler from the LPOP ,

 

From The Manual :

The low-pressure lubricating system draws oil from the engine oil pan (6675) through the oil pump screen cover and tube, into the oil inlet passage in the front cover. The gerotor oil pump then pumps the oil back out through the outlet passage in the front cover. The oil separates into two paths. One flow path sends oil into the high-pressure pump reservoir initial feed galley (integral to the cylinder block) and through the anti-drain back check ball. During cold start the oil feeds in two directions from the anti-drain back check ball. One feed leaves the check ball and enters the front cover. From there it enters the high-pressure oil reservoir. The second feed exits the check ball and enters the left bank valve lifter oil galley. After leaving the front cover outlet passage, the second oil path sends the oil through the oil cooler and filter assembly. Once inside the filter housing the oil filter bypass valve may open to vent excess pressure and oil back into the oil pan. After the oil has been circulated through the oil filter (6731), the oil feed then enters the main oil galley (integral to the cylinder block). Once in the main oil galley the oil is routed to the five crankshaft main bearing (6333) through five drilled and machined feed galleys (integral to the cylinder block). The five camshaft bearings receive the oil feed through five vertical drilled and machined feed galleys connected to the main bearing feed galleys. The front main bearing feed galley also supplies oil to the right bank valve lifter oil galley through a vertically drilled and machined oil feed galley (integral to the cylinder block). The rear main bearing oil feed galley also supplies oil to the turbocharger assembly through a vertically drilled and machined oil feed galley (integral to the cylinder block). Pressurized oil entering the turbocharger assembly is utilized to actuate the exhaust back pressure warm-up system. The oil drains back through the turbocharger mounting pedestal and back into the oil pan. The valve lifter oil galley supplies pressurized oil to the valve tappet (6500) and to the piston cooling oil jets. Oil from the valve tappets is routed upward to the cylinder head valve train through hollow push rods (6565). Once in the cylinder head (6049), the oil drains back to the oil pan through return ports at each end of the cylinder head.

During initial start or cold start the high-pressure oil pump receives unfiltered oil from the left side valve lifter oil galley through the anti-drain back check ball valve. Once the engine starts or during warm engine starts the check ball closes and the high-pressure oil pump receives filtered oil from the high-pressure oil pump reservoir. The high-pressure oil pump pumps the oil under extremely high pressures (4115-20577 kPa [ 600-3000 psi]) through the left and right side pressure oil rails (integral to the cylinder heads). Once in the oil rail the oil is fed to the fuel injector bores through four oil feed galleys drilled and machined in the cylinder head. The high-pressure oil then actuates the fuel injectors (9F593).

 

putting gasket sealer on both sides of a gasket almost always ends badly in my experience.

 

Good call.

Could you put doble gasket in each side?

 

no that could make things a lot worse. doubling up gaskets causes more leaks.
and ken i guess i have been lucky and havent had a problem yet. can u give me an example of when u have had problems with putting the sealant on both sides?