# Thoughts on oil cooler gasket replacement



## blksabbath (Jun 28, 2001)

I just finished replacing the oil cooler gasket on my 2.0 AEG 1998 New Beetle. The gasket itself is s a $4 buna-n gasket that sits on top of your oil cooler. The oil cooler is the thing you screw your oil filter into.
Anyways, the problem started last week when I came outside to go to work and noticed a large puddle of oil under the bug. Fortunately I usually ride with my wife to work and metrobus it back home. So I had time to research. The vortex search led to the oil gasket failure and $4 and 4 days later I had the gasket from GermanAutoparts.com.
So I waited for a really frickin cold day to do this, and I don't have a garage yet. 
Anyways, here's my step by step:
1. Drain oil and remove oil filter.
2. Use a 27mm or as close as you can get with a standard (thats' what I had to do.) to remove the thin nut on the nipple, which you'll see once the filter is off.
3. From here, you can slide the cooler up and down from the top and check out the gasket. Mine was in 3 seperate pieces and hard as a rock.
4. I made a magic tool from vicegrips, a piece of thick rag, and duck tap. Basically open the vicegrips and duck tap a thin strip of rag to the jaws.
5 Use the magic tool to break loose 1/2" pipe nipple with extends thru the oil cooler. It's not torque'd too much, so it doesn't take much to free it then remove by hand.
6. Slowly unthread the nipple and drop thru the bottom of the cooler.
7. Remove the old gasket from the top and put the new one in.
8. Check the threads of the pipe nipple, I had to use a small file to clean up from earlier tries without the magic tool I described in step 5.
9. Carefully thread the pipe nipe thru the cooler back into the engine block. Then carefully snug (or ideally torque) it.
10. Replace the thin nut on the nipple which will hold the cooler back into place.
11. Now put your oil filter back on.
12. Make sure your drain plug is back in and re-fill the oil.
Helpful hints:
If you work on your car, make sure you have some big metric sockets. 26mm is the largest I have, but forunately I had large standard which can work in a pinch. A large tap and die set is always nice for things like this in case you screw up the threads. An internal pipe removal tool...can't remember the official name would also work like the magic tool I made without the risk to the threads.
hope this helps someone down the line. Now I am going to warm up by drinking several pints of barleywine.








dan g

_Modified by blksabbath at 12:33 PM 1-10-2009_


_Modified by blksabbath at 12:35 PM 1-10-2009_


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## ghoastoflyle (Jan 21, 2003)

cool tool idea http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif
any chance anyone knows the torque for that nut?
How tight did you attach it? hand tight an a quarter turn? that's what I'm thinking if I can't find the specs.


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## blksabbath (Jun 28, 2001)

*Re: (ghoastoflyle)*

Bentley has it at 25Nm. I don't have a torque wrench so I went snug without cranking it down. Like you said, hand tight then a little push with the socket.


_Modified by blksabbath at 6:39 AM 1-11-2009_


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## SxAxSx (Apr 12, 2009)

*Re: Thoughts on oil cooler gasket replacement (blksabbath)*

You can get the tube off without using vice grips! I went to a hardware store with an old oil filter and matched the threads, and bought two nuts that size. I think it was 3/4 size nut with 16 grade threads.
1. screw nut A. on to threaded tube
2. screw nut B. on to threaded tube up against nut A., they will lock together and create a bolt
3. using a wrench unscrew nut A., nut B. will hold it onto the tube so you should be able to turn the tube right out of the housing.
4. replace O-ring and put back together the same way you took it off, only this time turn nut B. while nut A. holds it in place and you should be able to turn the tube back in. 
If you can't find the right size nuts at the hardware store you could use the one nut that holds the oil cooler and an oil filter


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## bowzerdog (Jan 24, 2006)

*Re: Thoughts on oil cooler gasket replacement (SxAxSx)*

I JUST USED YOUR NUT AND FILTER LOCK UP, FOR REMOVAL, WORKED LIKE A CHARM.
Thanks


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## toasters (Sep 17, 2001)

*Re: Thoughts on oil cooler gasket replacement (SxAxSx)*


_Quote, originally posted by *SxAxSx* »_You can get the tube off without using vice grips! I went to a hardware store with an old oil filter and matched the threads, and bought two nuts that size. I think it was 3/4 size nut with 16 grade threads.
1. screw nut A. on to threaded tube
2. screw nut B. on to threaded tube up against nut A., they will lock together and create a bolt
3. using a wrench unscrew nut A., nut B. will hold it onto the tube so you should be able to turn the tube right out of the housing.
4. replace O-ring and put back together the same way you took it off, only this time turn nut B. while nut A. holds it in place and you should be able to turn the tube back in. 
If you can't find the right size nuts at the hardware store you could use the one nut that holds the oil cooler and an oil filter

Genius. Going to use this tonight. Thanks!!


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## FL 2.0L (Aug 1, 2002)

To save a little time and money....
There is no need to drain the oil from the pan.


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## Michael Cahill (Mar 28, 2008)

*Re: (FL 2.0L)*

The jamb nut work great. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
you can also just pull down the cooler a ways, then reach in and grab the non threded middle section of the pipe with some vice grips.


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## meakle01 (Mar 23, 2010)

*Re: (Michael Cahill)*

sweet i just got a rebuilt jetta gl with that bad o ring so the guy gave it to me hahahah thanks alot u just fixed my car!


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## Slimjimmn (Apr 8, 2006)

never thought of using the oil filter to jam the nut. There is actually a special tool that goes inside the shaft to remove it, sort of like an inside stud removal tool with a cam. But they are not made by anyone any more and are impossible to find used. Snap on used to make them in the 90's. 

I need to do my oil cooler o-ring asap, its starting to seep oil and I dont want it to blow out like my vr6 did 2 years ago when it got cold out.


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## Slimjimmn (Apr 8, 2006)

Did my oil cooler gasket today. I was able to jimmy the cooler off the shaft. Just need to remove the 10mm bolt for the ac/coolant line bracket to loosen it up , move the wires out of the little holder above the filter, and then wiggle left to right while pushing down. It came off just fine. Was a PITA to get the 27mm nut off though.


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## GreenWagen (Mar 4, 2008)

Figured it would be better to bump this thread than start a new one. My question is that every diy doesn't say anything about using a sealant and one says specifically not to use a sealant. However, the Bentley says to use sealing paste, Volkswagen sealer no. AMV 188 100 02.


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## Glegor (Mar 31, 2008)

GreenWagen said:


> Figured it would be better to bump this thread than start a new one. My question is that every diy doesn't say anything about using a sealant and one says specifically not to use a sealant. However, the Bentley says to use sealing paste, Volkswagen sealer no. AMV 188 100 02.


 nah, dont use sealer.. the rubber o-ring is the sealer..


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## cristo (Jul 3, 2006)

I had a lot of trouble getting in there with a wrench and socket to lock one nut against the other in the space available.

I put a thicker nut (3/4-16) on the tube and used a needle nose vice grip - 
(one jaw inside the tube and the other on an outer flat of the nut) to get 
the tube loose without boogering up the threads.

The hardest part of the job was getting the little holes in the gasket pressed 
on to the relatively larger nubs of the cooler in the little bit of space available to 
get your fingers in and see what you're doing and get some upward pressure on 
the bottom of the cooler at the same time.


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