It should be easy to remove engine oil cooler

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 08/12/2006 (6920 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Q I have a 1990 Chev Silverado 1500. After 12 years, I had to replace the oil cooler lines because they were leaking. Ever since then I have replaced the lines every year. Last year I replaced them twice. They always leak where they are crimped. They don’t leak in the summer — only when it gets cold. They are GM hoses made in Mexico, so I guess they are only good in warm weather. My question is: can I take the hoses off and plug the holes? I am getting sick and tired paying $430 for two hoses installed every time it gets cold. I don’t haul anything heavy in my truck or behind it. This is my toy.

A. I am surprised you managed to get 12 years out of the original engine oil cooler lines. Leaks during cold weather have been a common problem in our part of the country. The crimped aluminum fittings appear to contract much more than the rubber hose in very cold weather and oil seepage occurs. The engine oil cooler was an option, so you should be able to easily remove it from the engine.

Instead of plugging the oil cooler line fittings, remove the oil bypass valve fitting and oil cooler adapter from the engine block. There are bolts holding it in place but you will need to remove the oil filter to see them. Reinstall the oil bypass fitting on the engine block using shorter bolts, leaving the oil cooler adapter off and then install a new oil filter. You can cap the oil cooler lines to keep dirt out (for use at a later time) or just remove them.

Unless you are working your engine hard or towing, you don’t really need the oil cooler. GM’s small-block V8 engine was used for decades without any oil cooler and with renowned durability.

Q. I enjoyed your article “Happy 10th Anniversary, OnStar” (Winnipeg Free Press – November 17, 2006), although I felt it read more like a promotional brochure for the OnStar Service. Your glowing praise skipped right over the more sinister aspects of the service. According to Robert O’Harrow Jr.’s 2005 “No Place To Hide” (Free Press Publishers – ISBN 0 7432 5480 5) the OnStar service not only has the capability to listen in to any OnStar equipped vehicle’s occupant’s conversation, but that it has done so.

The company does not admit to casual eavesdropping (although, if you were a bored operator wouldn’t it be tempting?), but OnStar management has complied with a few court orders to allow law enforcement officers to monitor vehicle conversation without the occupants knowledge. I suppose the statement “The OnStar Service has the capability of listening in on your private conversations without your knowledge” wouldn’t be helpful on any of the company’s promotional materials.

OnStar-equipped company vehicles may end up having their every movement tracked by head office (using OnStar’s handy GPS locating feature). I do think it’s a fascinating service, by the way, and wouldn’t rule out ever having it in some future vehicle of mine. It’s just interesting how extremely rare media reports of OnStar report any possible down-sides to the service.

A. I do understand that I gave the latest generation of OnStar technology glowing praise, as I feel it is a real step above others in navigation technology that it competes exceptionally well both in service and price. I also understand your concerns about OnStar being able to listen in to the vehicle or track it. I have sat in with OnStar operators to gain a better understanding of the service and I can tell you they are busy enough that they don’t have time to casually listen in to private conversations. Also, a court order is needed to “tap into the vehicle” just as it would be for telephone monitoring.

As for tracking the vehicle, police will have OnStar track a vehicle but only if the vehicle is reported stolen to the police by the registered owner. OnStar operators only locate a vehicle without police requesting it if there is an emergency signal sent by the OnStar system such as an air bag deployment or near crash detection so the operator can dispatch emergency services as required. OnStar does not allow businesses to track employees or parents to track their children, no matter how tempting it might be sometimes. Personally, I would feel as safe and private talking in my vehicle as I would on any phone or in any public place. I, too, sometimes wonder about the “big brother is watching” syndrome but I don’t feel it is a reality.

Jim Kerr is an experienced mechanic, instructor of automotive technology and freelance journalist. You can e-mail questions to Jim at the address below.

kerr.jim@sasktel.net