Tarzan

Last night changing oil noticed that the pipe, which connects to the front outlet of the engine oil cooler is badly corroded and chipped right above the subframe. I was not able to determine if it is made of plastic, aluminium or other material, but it looked badly beat up and chipping.

Did anyone have the same issue? What did you replace it with? What's the part number for 2005 Quest VQ35DE engine?

Talked to the dealership, they wanted $70 for it and had it in stock, which is an indicator of a commonplace problem. Sounds like a ton of money for what looks like just a 3/8" pipe 10" long.

Tarzan

Found Dorman made replacement, not sure if this is the exact part I need:

http://www.dormanproducts.com/p-6801...origin=keyword

Found OEM p/n: 140538J106
Rock Auto has the Dorman pipe, as well it is all over the ebay. Phew!

sanford7575

This is a common issue. I replaced mine last year on an '02 Maxima. I went OEM from Nissan Parts Zone and it was like $25 or something. I believe it's made of aluminum.

Tarzan

Thanks! Oh, boy, now I understand why it looks like ****!
Unfortunately I am in Canada, where all prices are 2-3x the humanely expected, so it costs an arm and a leg to fix a car here. We have too much salt on the road too

I am thinking of bending my own pipe out of a plumbing copper pipe if I can procure the right diameter. Talk me out of that if I should not!

sanford7575

Honestly, not sure why you couldn't just use a regular Fuel injected hose for that matter. I just went the OEM route because it was only $25. I'm in Philly, so I understand the too much salt on the roads and corrosion.

mclasser

My cooler line is also rusted to hell. I'm considering just splicing in a length of ATF hose and calling it a day. Hopefully it doesn't rub against the crankshaft pulley, though.

MichMaxFan

The only thing the rigid pipe does is make it easier for manufacturing and no need to mess with keeping a hose away from damage.

I'd take the time to find a way to make a hose work.

HOWEVER, this rust problem is why I spray every single thing, or almost, with my fluid film. Works great. I understand rust. It sucks.

Tarzan

Good idea about using a length of a hose! I'll check into that tonight.
All these cost-cutting measures of the automotive industry make me sick.

The oil pan is badly rusted on my engine as well. Praying it does not develop a leak in the next few weeks that this is my only vehicle while the other one is grounded due to the burst brake line.

MichMaxFan

Take a rag with oil on it and wipe the pan liberally. It will collect a little dirt, obviously, but it is a cheap preventative and can buy you some time or keep you from having to replace it at all.

Prophecy99

iTrader: (1)

a dumb shop had this part in hand to replace and said it didnt fit, so they just spliced in a rubber hose to fix the leak. maybe try that being in canada , no critical parts needed, basic hose.

Tarzan

As soon as I barely touched the oil cooler outlet pipe, my heart dropped as it started dripping green droplets. Ended up draining all coolant through a crack in that pipe, removing it and blocking off both hoses with rubber plugs and hose clamps (one of the stock spring clamps also rusted through and broke). The coolant drained onto the subframe and into the bucket, collecting rust chips, so I had to filter it through a piece of a flanel shirt twice to get rid of all particles. Ended up losing about 1/2 quart or so, but still enough to keep the engine cool on the way to work today.

The pipe is made of regular thin carbon steel and barely painted (magnet check was positive). It is 9/16" or 14mm in diameter which royally sucks as if it was 1/2 or 5/8" that would have made my life so much easier.

The inlet pipe on the rear side of the engine is also rusted badly and I will have to replace it as well, just not sure I can jack the car high enough to get there. That one would be a PITA as it is long and goes into the engine, so I am thinking of just cutting it above rust and using a hose to the cooler inlet.

I have the rear AC high and low pressure hoses from my other car sitting around, so I might be able to bend my own pipes if the diameter is right, and clamp them similarly to the original. One thing to remember if you are going to go the way of plugging the hoses temporarily is to zip-tie the hose from the rad to the pipe on the subframe as the hose is pretty long and soft and may get in the way of AC pulley/belt.

MichMaxFan

If the pipe is 14mm then that is right between 1/2 and 5/16??? Seems that should fit but i dont recall the connection design.

wellshii19

Just get it online OEM. Ain't gonna run no 70 bucks. At least I wouldnt think.
Before installing spray it with some compatible corrosion protection .

I tried googling the compatibility of rubber with salt, as I am no major in chemistry.
But I assume there is a reason why they used that particular one over rubber.

Not only that,but if it is exposed ,the rubber will give out on you far faster than a metal.

Tarzan

They used steel to have a failure and not let the engine run forever. More $$ for Nissan crooks. Nothing happened to rubber hoses in the mean time.

MichMaxFan

I'm confused. The op said the oil cooler line leaked green coolant, so what specifically is the line in question? Where is it?

Prophecy99

iTrader: (1)

yes a good work around is eliminate the metal and bypass it with a rubber hose, i can take pics of my fix if u guys want.

Tarzan

The oil cooler on VQ35DE is a hockey puck sized chunk of aluminum which sits in between the oil filter and the engine. Coolant is routed through this part using two pipes, both of which rusted. This has nothing to do with actual oil.

Had another go at it last night and figured that I would have to use a metal pipe to splice the hose anyway
The outlet hose does not just go into the radiator as I thought. It snakes up along the passenger side of the radiator, then bends a few times and attaches back to the engine somewhere deep in the bowels of the upper oil pan AKA timing chain housing. What a moronic design! They used a very expensive molded hose for that instead of simply using a Y joint to route coolant back into the radiator.
And they oil cooler inlet pipe is simply inaccessible w/o hoisting the car. There is no way I can jack it up enough with what I have. It is so crammed in there between the pre-cat, passenger drive shaft and suspension, that DIY is out of question. The rear one is not that bad, it will have to be cut about 6" from the cooler and replaced with a length of hose. The steel pipe is fine all the way after those 5-6". Will have to find a shop to cut and replace it. The good part is that all coolant will not have to be drained, as the pipe connects with the top of the engine block or head - not sure which.

ChrisMan287

iTrader: (34)

Delete those factory oil warmers!!!!!


http://www.nisformance.com/product-p...olerdelete.htm

Prophecy99

iTrader: (1)

whats the point and pros behind the delete ?

Tarzan

The above product is not for VQ35DE I am afraid. And the effort to delete would be equal to plugging the pipes due to the crammed engine bay condition I described above, minus the cost of delete unit. Two 25 cent rubber plugs and two $1 hose clamps will do the exact same thing.

mclasser

Please do. I've been procrastinating doing this repair for much too long.

Tarzan

Just to update on the repair to the outlet pipe (front).
I bought a length of 1/2" heater hose from NAPA and a 1/2" hose coupler and some generic SS hose clamps from RONA (a Canadian Home Depot).

Then I pulled the top hose up all the way up and unplugged. No coolant came out as the end was above the level. Inserted the 1/2" hose coupler, clamped and plugged. Fed the hose back down.
Measured the length of the new hose to reach the oil cooler outlet. Plugged one end of the new hose.
Quickly unplugged the coupler, covered with the thumb, slipped the new hose over and clamped.
Unplugged the other end of the new hose and quickly slipped over the oil cooler outlet and clamped. All done and I lost just a bit of coolant. The new hose sits quite some distance below the AC belt as the old hose is clipped to the subframe and the cooler outlet directs the hose in the downward direction. It should be fine.

The oil cooler inlet pipe is nowhere near as rusted as the front, but it is very hard to reach, so I'll have the shop cut it and replace the removed section with the heater hose.

Prophecy99

iTrader: (1)

still trying to get a picture