Installing a Porsche 944 Oil Cooler 

Thanks! I don't think many dealers want to work on these cars anymore... at least not here in the states. Typically, when the oil cooler housing leaks you'll have coolant running down the side of the engine instead of oil, since the housing is filled with coolant. If the oil does leak out internally, it won't run down the side of the block but instead mix with the coolant inside the housing. It might be hard to pin point the leak but it could very well be the cam tower gasket. If they are torqued beyond spec the gasket will easily split and cause a leak that will run down the side of the engine. This is also usually coupled with oil getting on the headers and smoking. So if you aren't having that issue, it may not be the cam tower, but worth checking! As for a stuck OPRV, if it is stuck closed the oil pressure will be over 5 bar and never really drop below that. If your oil pressure is going down to 4 it sounds okay. Most of the time they get stuck open and you have low oil pressure, which doesn't sound like your issue. Most of the time when people have really high oil pressure on the gauge its a wiring issue which pegs the gauge to 5 bar, but if it goes down then this is also not your issue! I hope that helps!

@@edredas It really does(help)! Thanks a lot for taking your sweet time to answer petty questions like these. The Porsche centers over here(in Oslo, Norway, Europe) also get a little scared if you come with a 35 year old car that's not a 911, but they sometimes have a guy they can call that used to work there in the 80's I know cause I tracked one of them down myself (OUTSIDE the dealership) then he spend 10 days to tell me he didn't figure it out. Before this the insurance company I bought the car from had also given up or maybe got a quota from Porsche that was so insane they opted to pay the owner as for a total, when the only thing wrong was a car-thief had damaged the area around the ignition key, and pulled all the wires from the socket. The dash being one piece only, would have to be replaced $$$, and those guys being used to working with ready made harnesses they didn't have a clue when the wires was out of its sockets - it's one thing to count pins, a totally different matter to find an old sheet with colour coding for the individual cables for that exact model/year/country etc. But when I finally did find(on the internet) what the so called experts obviously couldn't(they were looking for a piece of paper they had from 35 yrs ago), it took me 10 minutes to get it all working, the lights popping up and all that. The car is supposed to be a garage queen from Kansas with only 50.000 miles on it, I didn't believe it until I started digging deeper into it, noticing only original parts everywhere. It drives so well - even stock, full of ingenious little things, I totally understand your hang-up in this type of car, and why the racecar drivers always loved it over here. Too bad I didn't know you actually answered questions back then....would have saved me a lot of time, and also maybe get some tip that's not written down anywhere. Thanks again, keep up the good work - you're on a mission from GOD.(no I'm not religious, I was thinking Blues Brothers)

@@edredas I have spring a significant leak in the area of the oil cooler and I can see oil coming down the block. I have isolated it to what I believe is the oil pressure sending unit in my 84' NA 944, however after reading your comment above that if the oil cooler is leaking it would leak coolant not oil..and I dont have coolant running down the block. If the crush washer on the oil pressure unit is leaking would that be oil or coolant coming from it? Regardless the sending unit is quite rusted so I have already order the OEM Continental replacement thinking at this stage of its life it couldnt hurt being changed. Your vidoes have helped me do the timing and balance belts (the offsetting of teeth to align belt was genius thank you!!) intake manifolds, and slave cylinder rebuild.

@@corymoll9572 Did you happen to find out where the oil was coming from? I’m having the same issue and I also thought it was the oil cooler till he said it would be coolant not oil. Did changing the oil sending unit solve the leak?

@@corymoll9572 I have this issu also. Anything new?

Thank you! Good luck with your 944!

edredas learned my lesson on the prv the hard way .oil pressure seemed ok on the street, buuuuut at the racetrack 6 laps and broke a rod 😢

There are several different version of the early 3-piece OPRV. Some have short springs with a shallow base that use 17mm, while there's another with a longer spring and deeper base that also looks identical with the 17mm. So we always try to keep them together when pulling them so they don't get the springs mixed up. Then there are some even later ones like the one you saw in the video with the 24mm base. The base of the one piece would have to be heavily modified to be used with the spring style since they are very different. I hope that helps!

Ouch, with the headers off it should be possible, but may not be easy. Good luck!

Yes, you need to drain all of the coolant beforehand since the cooler itself it filled with it and will make a huge mess.

@@edredas oh okay that makes sense, that put it all together how that part works. Thank you!

Absolutely, I don’t see why not. I just wanted to make sure that I followed the workshop manual in the video so everyone could see how its supposed to be done.

I think they’re as critical as the timing belts since when they fail it creates a huge mess. We’ve had to rebuild engines due to them failing before and even the turbo seals fail. So I’ll change them on my own car every ten years or so. If they are original or you think they are it’s time.

@@edredas I appreciate your help with your great uploads, and fast reply. I guess I have more work than I thought 😊and probably it's best doing this when I'm installing a performance header and pipe from Lindsey. Thanks again.👍

Yup, I would remove the headers, which also may require lowering the exhaust out of the way. Although, I have heard of people dropping the power steering bracket out of the way and wrestling it out, but never really had much luck with that myself. Good luck!

Thanks! Can't have too much lube! That said, I'm not all that familiar with the Cayman models. I asked a few people and it doesn't seem that they make any sort of manual for them... or at least one that the public can get their hands on.

You don't have to but it does make the job much easier! I've done it several times with the headers on, including this week. You just need a short 13mm socket with medium 1/4" extension and small ratchet. I'm usually doing the water pump at that time so with it out of the way it isn't too hard. If you aren't removing the water pump then I've had people tell me it will just drop with the power steering pump and bracket removed. Good luck!

@@edredas thanks i'm looking to do this while i do my timing belt and water pump replacement, also an oil pump sleeve and front main seal

It shouldn’t be too hard to do then. Good luck!

In most cases the housing with need to be changed. Sometimes this may have already been done since the dealerships were supposed to replace both items anytime a 944 came in for servicing. However, that's far and few between. That said, you can keep your 3-piece oprv however I just did it by the book in the video but it shouldn't hurt anything to reuse it. If you need a source for a 6R housing then there are few breakers around that should carry them. Good Luck!

Check with my friend John at just joshin 944 parts in Hagerstown MD. He has a ton of stuff 😎😎😎🍺🍺🍺🇺🇸🇩🇪

I should have specified in the video but I sorta threw this together after work hoping that I could get all this done before it got dark. There were several issues with the three-piece and why they replaced it and even had to introduce the retro-fit. I personally think the 3-piece is fine and can be re-used if you like, but Porsche techs were to always replace it with the retro-fit unit when replacing the housing. So, while you can use it, the tech weren't supposed to and that was just another dead giveaway that someone took this apart in the past and threw some new seals in...

What were the issues with them? The only I can conceive would be that it would be more important to make sure the alignment between the oil cooler housing and the block was correct, but that's easy to do as you demonstrated.

Not really sure, but the 1-piece piston slides back and forth in an un-serviceable housing. Instructions are to replace the entire unit if ever opened, so there might have been issues with the 3-piece binding in the steel sleeve from wear. Another thing is the 1-piece can actually slide back in the steel sleeve if the pressure goes too high which may have been a safety precaution in case the internal piston fails... just some ideas!

Hi, unfortunately reusing the 5R housing is not recommended. In the factory workshop manual they state to completely discard the 5R and replace it with the 6R housing. Because of this, the seal kits that you order are all for the 6R and its very rare to find the 5R kit. So there are no instructions on how to shim those housings. Not to mention, due to the failure that could occur from reusing the 5R housing I would never be able give the instructions even if I had a copy. That said, hit up Elliott Grafton: egrafton944@hotmail.com and ask him if he as a good cheap 6R housing. I buy a lot from him to keep in stock and never have enough, but they're around $50 or so. Sorry that's not much help but it sure beats tearing the engine apart when it fails. Good luck!

Unfortunately I'm all out at the moment. Had to order the last one from a parts breaker.

Nope. All engines after 1987 use a different oprv that doesn’t require the sleeve. So you’re good to go. Hopefully you can return it. Good luck!

@@edredas Thanks for the reply. I can get on with the task (a bit less confused) Stay safe

The alignment tool is highly recommended. It is several different sizes along its length so just anything straight won't work properly. I have heard of people using their oprv to align the housing but you run the risk of damaging it since there will be a lot of pressure on it until snugged down. There are also some cheaper aftermarket solutions make from plastic that do not work. If you are just looking to borrow a tool and are on facebook, perhaps someone could help you out. I hope that helps!

@@edredas Thanks for you help as always! Always use your videos as reference and you make inspire me to tackle many projects on my own

Just now happened to see this. The two green seals allow the oil to pass in and out of the cooler which is surrounded by coolant. When the green seals fail it will cause the oil and coolant to mix.

@@edredas thanks man!!! Have a new 944 , not much drama except the windows !!! Found the video on that!! How did we do?? 😀😀😀🚗🚗🚗😀🍺🍺🍺 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-hCHTXCKGf7U.html

I remove the old O-Ring then grab it with plastic fuel hose clamps to remove it. However sometimes when they are really stuck you just have to pull it out with some plyers. Luckily, they are only about $10 to replace if you damage it... not to mention if you have a 1986 or 1987 turbo you'll probably have the older style that should be updated anyway. I hope that helps!

@@edredas Yep that's what I ended up doing. I snapped it and just decided to get a new one. At least they're not hard to get!

It happens. I've broken my fair share before. Nothing you can do about it, so we keep them in stock. Glad you got it out!

What year is your car? It looks like Rennbay's Amazon store carries brand new 1987+ OPRV's. You can get hoses at the dealership or though Pelican parts.. Sometimes items don't come up in search on Pelican but they will if you know the exact part numbers they will get them. Also sometimes new ones pop up on eBay, but are often more expensive than just going to the dealership. That said, if you are just looking for good used replacement parts, I buy my parts from a guy in Georgia. I hope that helps!

edredas just saw this reply now, thank you so much for the help. I ended up buying the orpv off eBay from a junkyard and I think it should work. I can't tell you how helpful this video is in this project. Thank you so much. :)

Do the housing and oprv need to be replaced on all 944s? Mine is a 1985 and I have a leaky gasket. Your video is great and I’m going to replace it but need to know if I need to get the updated parts or not. Thank you