Quite a few components (as long as they’re known to be good) can be transferred from the defunct engine to the new engine. However, there are a few that cannot be reused, which you need to watch out for when shopping for car engines for sale. One of those is the oil cooler. If the oil cooler is transferred to the new engine, you’re in for a world of hurt and your shop might have to eat the cost of another replacement engine. Replace the oil cooler – never reuse the old one, and avoid this engine installation error.

Why Not Reuse the Oil Cooler?

There’s one single reason that you should never reuse an old oil cooler – contamination. The oil cooler’s job is pretty self-explanatory. It helps disperse built up heat from the engine oil. To do that job, oil must flow through the cooler. Here’s the rub – if the oil is contaminated with metal shavings, antifreeze or other foreign material, that material will remain in the cooler. When you install the cooler on the new engine, the foreign material will contaminate the new engine, causing devastating consequences. Don’t reuse. Replace it.

Installing a new oil cooler is a simple matter on most engines. In most setups, it installs directly behind the oil filter (the filter actually mounts to the cooler). A single bolt holds the cooler in place. Make sure you have a new cooler O-ring, and that it’s lubed properly before installation. You’ll also need to replace the coolant lines running to the oil cooler (they supply coolant to the unit to cycle away heat).

In the long run, the oil cooler is a major part with a minor cost. Never, ever reuse the old one. Replace it and the cooler lines to avoid contaminating the new engine. Follow this guideline and you will avoid this engine installation error very easily.