Oil Cooler Leak

[McElan]

Just purchased a 1991 Elan and upon driving it home, I noticed a small oil drip coming from the oil cooler. Looks like the hoses are pretty backed up and are extremely gunked up with oil. The oil cooler radiator is completely soaked with oil and it's dripping onto the plastics underneath. Would I be able to remove the oil cooler and take it to a local radiator shop to have them professionally clean and pressurize it? I was going to go the route of replacing the hose lines from from Pirtek.
If this oil cooler can't be salvaged and cleaned, is Coolex or Serck still the best option for a replacement even in the US? Are there any decent universal oil coolers that are worth it instead? Or am I forgetting another supplier/website for a new replacement?

[Saltire]

Can’t speak for the US market, but I had a similar issue on my S2 not long after purchase. Hoses u/s and cooler matrix damaged. I used a Coolex ally replacement, and had Pirtek make up new hoses using the old ones as a pattern (they had to use the old connectors as new ones were NLA at that time). Has been fine ever since.

[TorqueHorse]

The oil cooler is the same on the FED as everywhere else, so solutions that worked for others, should also work for you (i.e. Dave's comments in one of your other threads).
FWIW, my oil cooler was drenched in oil and it was because the hose fittings had gone bad and the oil just migrated all over the cooler. Once I took everything off and cleaned it and replaced the hoses and connector washers, everything is good.

The oil cooler is one of the easier things to remove from the car...once you get the hose fittings off of the connections at the top of the cooler. One of the hose connections you are able to do from the wheel well, and the other I had to attack it from top down via the engine bay and a flexible extension. Also if I remember correctly, they might not be metric sized, but imperial (just double check before you start because the heads are shallow and you don't want to round them). Once you get the hose connections undone, there are 4 bolts holding the cooler to its frame that you access from a hole in the bumper.

You can get the hoses professionally redone at a hydraulic hose place (if they do AC hoses they can do oil cooler hoses too), or you can get new hose and do it yourself with some jubilee clamps. And be sure to get new dowty washers instead of trying to reuse whatever was at the hose/cooler connection before (SJ sells the washers if you can't find them anywhere else).
When you cut the cut the old hose, just be sure to not cut so deep that you hit the metal fittings inside the hose. I found some oil cooler hose on amazon "Hayden 112" and it worked (been a few years now, no drips).

[TorqueHorse]

Also, here is link to my rebuild thread where I put the whole cooler in a tub of water and then used an air compressor in a hose to see if there were any leaks. And you can see the new jubilee clamp hose fitting and the old hardware that you reuse.
viewtopic.php?f=79&t=27847&start=260#p371301

[McElan]

I purchased a replacement oil cooler from SJ last night. Perhaps, I should've checked about cleaning the oil cooler first before making the purchase. My thoughts were to go to Pirtek to get the hoses replaced with new ones. Can I reuse the banjo bolts and just get new dowty washers? Or should I replace both the bolt and washer?
You were able to clean off the hose ends on both sides and reuse them too?

[TorqueHorse]

My thoughts were to go to Pirtek to get the hoses replaced with new ones.

If you can find a hose rebuilder near you, they should all be capable of doing it right.

Can I reuse the banjo bolts and just get new dowty washers? Or should I replace both the bolt and washer?

I reused the banjo bolts, but maybe your new cooler comes with new ones? You'll just have to evaluate as needed.

You were able to clean off the hose ends on both sides and reuse them too?

You have to reuse the metal end parts of each hose, since you can't find them new anywhere. You cut the collar and the hose (and only those two parts) to liberate the metal tube ends inside and the threaded fastener or banjo end. Since there is a rotational position in how the metal end sits in each part of the hose, as well as the hose length, another owner only did the professional crimping at one end and then did a fancy jubilee at the other end to allow for final positioning. Up to you with how comfortable you feel about the hose people's ability to duplicate exactly what you have with more durable crimps, vs jubilee type compression clamp you do yourself.

[McElan]

Currently waiting on the oil cooler hoses to be redone by my local Pirtek. Upon installing the new hoses and connecting everything, I read that it's a good idea to prime the oil cooler. My thoughts were to put the new oil cooler in and then take a turkey baster or funnel and fill the new oil cooler at least half way then install the hoses onto the oil cooler. How do I go about priming the oil system? Do I have to remove anything to get it to crank over instead of starting. I kind of understand the process of getting it to crank for 10 seconds or so and then check for any leaks or issues and then doing it a couple more times to make sure everything is flowing and then let it start and get it up to temp and check again until the radiator fans kick on. Just a little lost on how to get it to crank instead of starting.
I was also going to do an oil change and filter change during the oil cooler replacement. Should I fill the oil cooler and measure how much oil it took and then subtract that from how much oil I put into the engine? Like if the oil cooler took 0.5L should I subtract that from the 3.5L total that you would do during a normal oil change?
Sorry if that's a stupid question and the answer is just yes, but I wanted to double check with the experts.

[TorqueHorse]

Behind the driver seat there is a hole about the size of a quarter in the top of the speaker box. Inside is the fuel cutoff switch. Pull the pin up to cut the fuel, then you can crank the engine without ignition.
And I just fill the oil until I'm close to what the manual calls for and then just go by the dip stick after running it and letting it sit and just check again the next day.