[Dean]

Bumping this for a little more discussion on the stock oil cooler and the necessity to replace after engine damage.

I spent a good deal of time looking at this yesterday. While I agree it has a zillion tiny passages that could capture stuff, the theory of that stuff getting into your new engine does not make sense.

First, I would say that the screen on the pan pickup is going to keep most stuff out of the cooler in the first place after the damage.

Second, oil flow through the filter is from outside to inside and the output from the filter goes straight through the "cooler" in the sealed center pipe. Anything that might come free in the cooler would have to go through the filter before entering the engine.

I am not saying that trapped material could not reduce flow or even clog the cooler, but the argument that the material could get back into the engine is highly questionable.

My '07 burned through a piston and there is a lot of unaccounted for aluminum, and because I have the one from my '04 that did not have a significant failure I am going to use it. If I didn't, I would have to do some reverse flushing to see what might come out before I bought a new one.

If all you had was a spun bearing, the amount of material and size of the bits are damn small and easily filterable.

I am not convinced replacing a $200+ cooler is necessary in all but extreme cases.

Maybe I am missing something and would be happy to hear a better explanation of this issue.