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1994.5 - 1997 7.3L Power Stroke Diesel  

Engine oil cooler replacement

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Old Mar 22, 2018 | 08:16 AM
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Engine oil cooler replacement

I have a 1997 F250 with a 7.3L. I currently have an o-ring leaking on the oil cooler and I’m thinking about replacing it while I have it out since it has 297,000 miles on it. Any recommendations on what to go back with? Motorcraft is preferable I’m sure, but I have heard some performance parts are higher quality with a cheaper price tag. Haven’t been able to find much information on it online. Anybody have some experience with this?
 
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Old Mar 22, 2018 | 09:15 AM
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I got mine from Riffraffdiesel.com, at the top of the main page.
 
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Old Mar 22, 2018 | 11:02 AM
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Why not just reseal the thing? I spent about $60, I think, in OE seals including the block gaskets, easy.

At 300k you are pretty much going to need every oil seal on the truck...just about finished up doing this to mine. 1994-1998 Ford 7.3L
 
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Old Mar 22, 2018 | 11:55 AM
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Old Mar 23, 2018 | 12:35 PM
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I just did this project. Make sure you are using Ford OE seals! After using some "quality" aftermarkets, I got to spend 2 days getting 2 gal of oil out of my cooling system. Yea, the inner seal failed right off the bat, and it takes about 2 minutes to pump all your oil into your cooling system when you test idle for leaks.

So after using all four letter words in the English and Italian language, I went and got some Ford seals. The fit was noticeably tighter, and the compound softer. This time the job went easy peasy. Moral of the story, use only Ford OE seals on this motor!
 
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Old Mar 23, 2018 | 02:12 PM
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Originally Posted by captnjoe
Moral of the story, use only Ford OE seals on this motor!
Thank you for this
 
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Old Mar 23, 2018 | 11:04 PM
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Use a 50/50 mix of oil and vaseline on the O rings.
 
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Old Mar 24, 2018 | 07:54 AM
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Use a silicone oring lube instead of Vaseline. Vaseline breaks down in the 140f range. Silicon oring lube is good to 400f so it protects the orings and the housing imperfections for its life

1310476 Molykote Valve Lubricant and Sealant 5.3 oz. Tube https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IKUIO82/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_rPKTAbQ307TTX
 
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Old Mar 24, 2018 | 12:00 PM
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Originally Posted by Shawn MacAnanny
Use a silicone oring lube instead of Vaseline. Vaseline breaks down in the 140f range. Silicon oring lube is good to 400f so it protects the orings and the housing imperfections for its life

1310476 Molykote Valve Lubricant and Sealant 5.3 oz. Tube https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IKUIO82..._rPKTAbQ307TTX


Great info!
 
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