Oil leak at oil cooler

[oldmax82]

Hello all:

I have a significant oil leak at the fitting above the spin on oil filter. I think this is an oil cooler although I have not seen an oil cooler described on the LD28. This little gusher is coming from under a black fitting on top of the oil cooler. Does anyone have any idea on how to correct this problem? I don't have an FSM. This all happened over a short period of time.

I have an 82 maxima station wagon with automatic trans.

Thanks for the help,
Terry

[asavage]

Is it this line? If so, it's supposed to be for 1983 only, but maybe you have a very late '82. (click on any image for larger)

Or maybe you have something in place of the upper cooler housing bolt?



Took some pics of my "spare" 1982 engine:

[oldmax82]

Al:

Thanks for the reply. Your pictures are right on and my leak is coming from the seam on the upper cooler unit. The specific location is in the picture which you labeled as "possibly an O ring". There is a 12 mm bolt head on top of this unit and I suppose I need to remove the top of the unit and find or fabricate a replacement gasket or O ring. Is this piece shown in your FSM? I would like to get an idea of the dimensions.

I really need to buy you a beer or 12 the next time I am in Port Townsend.

Terry

[asavage]

This is the only real pic of the oil cooler in the 1982 FSM (click on image for larger):



I'll look at the Parts Catalogue tonight.

[oldmax82]

Al:

Thanks for the schematic of the oil cooler. This is the problem part. I have no sign of water in my oil so the heat exchanger is intact and I'm dealing with strictly an oil side issue. I suppose the pressure relief valve could be defective but I'm hoping for an o-ring fix. Thanks for looking to see if your FSM shows an o-ring or gasket.

If there is no seal to repair and I have to replace the whole unit that could be a problem as it is doubtful they are still around anywhere. If I were to remove the unit it would be easy to attach the water inlet and outlet but going around the oil side of the cooler would present a challenge for me.

Thanks for your help.
Terry

[asavage]

Here's the entirety of what the Parts Catalogue has (click on image for larger):





It looks like you put a big socket on the on the top, and take it off to replace the o-ring. Unfortunately, it also looks to me like you'll have to remove a few things to gain access enough to do that.

If you don't source the o-ring from Nissan (21312-V0700, $6.67 + $10 shipping!), let me know the exact size you use.

From the eariler pic in the FSM, I'd have guessed that that o-ring seals coolant, not oil.

[oldmax82]

Al:

Thanks for the diagram and part numbers. I will pull the top off of the oil cooler tomorrow and see if I can find a replacement o-ring locally. I'll let you know what happens.

Terry

[oldmax82]

Al:

It was easy to remove the top of the oil cooler. Just use a 12 mm wrench to take off the cover. The cover has a groove for an o-ring. I checked with NAPA and Car Quest but they did not have anything. The Nissan dealership in Olympia could order it for me but it would cost $15 and take about 10 days.

I checked at Parts Plus and they had something which worked fine. It is an OIL ADAPTER 0-RING KIT. Part # MTM 82560. $3.49 The brand name is "HELP!" and it says it is for GM/Jeep/Chrysler

The kit has 15 o-rings and gaskets and one is a 2 3/8 inch ID o-ring 1/8 inch wide which was a excellent fit. No more leak.

Thanks for the help.
Terry

[asavage]

Part # MTM [MotorMite] 82560. $3.49 The brand name is "HELP!" and it says it is for GM/Jeep/Chrysler

The kit has 15 o-rings and gaskets and one is a 2 3/8 inch ID o-ring 1/8 inch wide which was a excellent fit. No more leak.

Great!

Notice that the Parts Catalogue doesn't even list that bolt. And the ref. 21 part looks like it's externally threaded, so I thought that the whole top would have to spin off it. Sounds like you found it's a lot easier than it looked

[oldmax82]

Al:

Yes, the bolt is part of the cover so the diagram is a bit misleading. The whole cover just spins off revealing the oil cooler. It is easier than changing the oil filter.

Terry

[glenlloyd]

Glad to hear that the off-the-shelf kit worked. VW uses a similar setup for their oil coolers, the ID of their o-ring is 2 3/8" but it's more like 3/16" thick. It is however, a more widely available option than going the Nissan route. The part # I have in front of me is 038 117 070 A.

sa

[retired]

I'm glad I found this forum! The information here has helped me keep my '83 Maxima alive. The detail of the oil cooler made fixing it a snap. Thanks!