M.I.

927
M. I. 927
*Rev. C
ELECTRO-MOTIVE DIVISION • GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION

MAINTENANCE INSTRUCTION
LUBE OIL COOLERS
INTRODUCTION 1. Perform the following steps to remove
tank from oil cooler core.
Hot engine lubricating oil is cooled by pass-
ing water from the engine cooling system
through a system of tubes (core) within the
oil cooler. The tubes are surrounded by a
tank through which the hot engine oil flows.
Heat from the engine oil is transferred to the
cooler water by using the tube material as
the. conductor.
There are basically two types of oil coolers,
the fin-tube core type, and the tube bundle
type. Although construction is different, the
method of cooling the lube oil remains the
same.
It should be noted that major servicing of
the oil cooler should not be undertaken un-
til need for such maintenance is definitely
established by unsatisfactory operation.
Fig. 1 – Fin-Tube Core Type Oil Cooler
FIN-TUBE CORE TYPE COOLER
DESCRIPTION, Fig. 1
Cooling water enters the cooler through
each side of the upper header, Fig. 2, and is
discharged through outlets in the lower
header. The engine lube oil enters the cooler
through one side of the lower header, and is
discharged through an outlet on the oppo-
site side of the lower header.
Fin-tube core type oil coolers are built with
either a solder or mechanical type tube-to-
header bond.

CLEANING
When it becomes necessary to clean the oil Fig. 2 - Cooler Core And Header Assembly
cooler, use the following procedure

*NOTE: Information contained herein is applicable to equipment being produced as of the date
of publication.
DE-LMPR October 1975

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M.I. 927
a. Remove water vent pipe nipple nut 5. Fill a soak tank with an undiluted
from top of oil cooler, Fig. 1. non toxic organic cleaner. See Service
Data. Level should be sufficient to al-
b. Loosen and remove tank to lower low for complete submersion of the oil
header mounting bolts, nuts, and cooler.
washers.
c. Remove clamping plate nuts and
washers, Fig. 3. Remove clamping
plate.

Fig. 4 - Damaged Header Flanges,

Fins, And Rail Assembly
CAUTION: Use of caustic cleaners is not
1. Oil Cooler Header 5. Water Inlet Fitting recommended. The fin-to-tube
2. Gasket 6. "O" Ring Seal bonding solder will deteriorate
3. Water Inlet Flange 7. Clamping Plate
4. Bolt 8. Clamping Plate Nut with the use of caustic cleaners.

Fig. 3 - Oil Cooler Disassembly 6. Soak core for three hours in a still tank,
with tubes lying horizontally. If clean-
d. Loosen and remove bolts and ing solution is agitated, cut soaking
washers that secure the water time in half.
inlet fitting to the oil cooler header.
Remove water inlet fitting. NOTE: Cleaning is more effective in an agi-
tated tank.
e. Remove tank from oil cooler.
7. Rinse core using a steam-water mix-
NOTE: When reassembling renew "O" ring ture.
seal and all gaskets. Apply a coat of
gasket sealing compound to the NOTE: Rinse core as soon as possible to
gasket sealing surfaces. Apply en- prevent residue from hardening.
gine oil to "O" ring seal to prevent
binding, thus easing assembly. CORE TESTING

2. Remove upper and lower header as- Oil cooler core failures, other than damage,
semblies from core. can be categorized under three headings:
fin-to-tube bond failures, tube failures, or
3. If necessary, straighten header tube-to-header bond failures. Repair limits
flanges, Fig. 4. Comb bent fins to en- for fin-to-tube bond and tube failures can be
sure that flow is not reduced. found under Service Data. If the failure is
within the repair limits the core can be re-
4. Clean gasket surfaces. paired, if not, repair is not feasible and the
core should be scrapped.
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M.I. 927
FIN-TO-TUBE BOND CHECK TUBE REPAIR
Loose fins will hinder heat transfer. Use the Tube leaks are repaired by sealing each end of
following steps to check fin-to-tube bond. The the defective tube with solder, thus eliminating
oil cooler should be scrapped if loose fin area it from service. Experience has shown that up
exceeds limits under Service Data. to 2% of the total tubes can be sealed by this
method without adversely affecting efficiency.
1. Using a suitable tool or probe, check the Use the information given under Service Data
fin-to-tube bond by gently pressing as a guideline in determining whether the core
against the fin collar, Fig. 5. If the fin is scrapped or repaired. The recommended
moves and the tube is stationary, the fin heating tip for melting out old solder and ap-
is loose. plying new solder is listed under Service Data.
Use this procedure for both solder and me-
chanical tube-o-header type bonds. Solder
tubes closed using the following procedure:

1. Thoroughly dry inside of tubes to be re-

paired.

2. Pinch one end of each defective tube

Fig. 5 - Checking Fin-To-Tube Bond closed.

2. Repeat Step 1 for each fin and measure NOTE: Use brass plugs to close tubes on me-
loose fin area. chanical tube-to-header type bonded
cores.
NOTE: Repair of loose fin-to-tube bond is not
possible. 3. Clean tube with zinc chloride flux.
See Service Data. When applying flux,
LEAK TEST play a medium flame on the fluxed sur-
faces. The heating will boil the flux thus
Tube leaks or tube-to-header bond leaks can improving its cleaning ability. Use a soft
be accurately located using the following pro- wire brush to scrub and clean the areas
cedure: which are being prepared for soldering.
1. Install a sealing plate or a tank on each 4. When the tube is thoroughly cleaned, sol-
header of the core. der the pinched (plugged) end of the tube
with a 50% tin, 50% lead, soft solder and
2. Apply 345 kPa (50 psi) air pressure on the a 243° C (470° F) flame. See Service Data.
tube side with the core immersed in clean
water at room temperature. 5. Flush each soldered tube to avoid trapping
unused flux inside.
CAUTION: Avoid exceeding 345 kPa (50 psi) air
6. Thoroughly dry inside of tube.
pressure; higher pressures will
damage core tubes. 7. Turn core and solder opposite end of tube
as described above.
3. Mark tubes and areas of the tube-to-
header bonds that are emitting bubbles. 8. Clean and flush both headers with water.

4. Qualify the oil cooler by using the repair 9. Repeat Leak Test to assure that all leaks
limit information given under Service have been eliminated.
Data. The oil cooler should be scrapped if
tube failure exceeds repair limits. TUBE-TO-HEADER BOND REPAIR
The majority of tube-to-header bond leaks oc-
5. For repair procedures, refer to either Tube cur in the outer two tube rows along the long
Repair or Tube-To-Header Bond Repair side of the header. Although less common,
sections, depending on nature of leak. leaks at the middle tube rows are also possible.

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M.I. 927
NOTE: These procedures are intended to be header will cause a load on the tube-to-
used only on solder bond type oil header bond, causing premature failure.
cooler cores. Cores which have a me-
chanical tube-to-header bond are not When repairing an outer tube row failure, the
repairable using this method. header is held square by the solder which
has not been removed from the middle tube
Repair procedures are similar for both outer rows. To repair a middle tube row failure a
and middle tube rows. The primary differ- clamping fixture, Fig. 6, should be con-
ence being the area from which the old solder structed to hold the header square while re-
is melted out. Repair of outer tube rows re- pairs are made.
quires solder removal from only the two outer
tube rows on each side of the core, a total of OUTER TUBE ROW REPAIR
four tube rows. Middle tube row failures re- A leak detected within the first two outer
quire that the entire area of solder in the tube rows may be repaired using the follow-
header be melted out. The recommended ing procedure:
heating tip for melting out old solder and ap-
plying new solder is listed under Service 1. With the core resting on both header
Data. flanges and the tubes in the horizontal
position:
While repairing tube-to-header bond failures,
it is critical that the header be kept in a posi- a. Melt the solder from the first two
tion which is square with the tubes. A cocked outer tube rows nearest the surface
the core is resting on. The cross

Fig. 6 - Header Clamping Fixture

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 M.I. 927
hatching in Fig. 7 indicates the area Data. Use a 327° C (620F) flame to
from which solder is to be removed. sweat this solder into the tube-to-
Melt solder out by playing a 327° C header joints.
(620° F) flame over the area. The
melted solder will run out of the b. When solder stops running, use a
dish over the header flange and out. small amount of flux and a wire
brush to reclean the area. Reapply
b. Turn core over so that the two un- solder for the gap between the
melted rows which were at the top header and the first tube row.
are now nearest the surface that the
core is resting on. Repeat Step a. c. Using 9.5 mm (3/8") TRIBAR pud-
dle solder, see Service Data, and a
c. Clean all surfaces that are to be re- 260° C (500° F) flame, build up a
soldered with zinc chloride flux. See puddle with a minimum depth of 4
Service Data: Use a syringe to en- mm (5/32"). Blend it with increas-
sure that all cracks, tubes, and ing depth up to 6.4 mm (1/4") at
header surfaces have been cleaned the edge of the header dish.
with flux.
d. Solder space between rows using a
NOTE: When applying flux, play a medium 3.2 mm (1/8") wire puddle solder,
flame on the fluxed surfaces. The see Service Data, and a 260° C
heating will boil the flux thus im- (500° F) flame.
proving its cleaning ability. Use a
soft wire brush to scrub and clean e. Blend excess solder with a 260° C
the areas which are being prepared (500° F) flame carefully so that it
for resoldering. runs and levels out. Make certain
that the old and new puddle solder
d. Repeat Step c using clean flux. This is well blended.
will remove any remaining dirty flux.
f. Remove all traces of flux by im-
2. With the core resting on one header mersing core several times in cold
and the tubes in the vertical position: water.
a. Run a length of No. 7, 3.2 mm 3. Repeat Leak Test to assure that all
(1/8") diameter silver wire solder leaks have been eliminated.
along each tube row. See Service

Fig. 7 - Oil Cooler Schematic

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M.I. 927
MIDDLE TUBE ROW REPAIR charged through a flanged connection at the
opposite end. The lube oil enters the shell
Use the following procedure to repair leaks space through a flanged connection near
in the middle tube rows: one end of the cooler, flows transversely
1. Construct a clamping fixture using around the tubes and the baffles, and is dis-
the dimensions given in Fig. 6. charged through a flanged connection near
the other end of the cooler. The water and
NOTE: The clamping fixture will keep the lube oil flow through the cooler in opposite
headers square while the core is be- directions to produce the maximum cooling
ing repaired. effect.

2. Bolt each half of the clamping fixture to

the core header flanges.
3. With the core resting on both header
flanges and the tubes in the horizontal
position:
a. Melt out all solder from the tube-to-
header bond. Melt solder by playing
a 327° C (620° F) flame over the en-
tire area of solder to be removed.
The melted solder will run out of
the dish over the header flange and
out.
b. When all solder has been removed,
clean all surfaces that are to be re- Fig. 8 – Tube Bundle Type Oil Cooler
soldered with zinc chloride flux. See
Service Data. Use a syringe to en-
sure that all cracks, tubes, and
header surfaces have been cleaned
with flux.
NOTE: When applying flux, play a medium
flame on the fluxed surfaces. The
heating will boil the flux thus im-
proving its cleaning ability. Use a
soft wire brush to scrub and clean
the area which are being prepared
for resoldering.
Fig. 9 - Cutaway View Of The Tube Bundle
c. Repeat Step b using clean flux. Type Oil Cooler
This will remove any remaining
dirty flux. CLEANING
4. Perform Steps 2 and 3 under Outer When it becomes necessary to clean the oil
Tube Row Repair. cooler, use the following procedure:
TUBE BUNDLE TYPE COOLER 1. Remove header from each end of cooler.
DESCRIPTION, Figs. 8 and 9
CAUTION: Use of caustic cleaners is not rec-
The water used for cooling the lube oil en- ommended. Bonding solder will
ters through a flanged connection in one deteriorate with the use of caus-
header, flows through the tubes, and is dis- tic cleaners.
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 M.I. 927
2. Fill a soak tank with an undiluted 6. Qualify the oil cooler by using the re-
non toxic organic cleaner. See Service pair limit information given under
Data. Level should be sufficient to al- Service Data. The oil cooler should be
low for complete submersion of the oil scrapped if tube failure exceeds repair
cooler. limits.

3. Soak cooler for three hours in a still 7. Refer to Tube Repair for repair proce-
tank, with tubes lying horizontally. If dure.
cleaning solution is agitated, cut
soaking time in half. TUBE REPAIR
NOTE: Cleaning is more effective in an agi- Tube leaks are repaired by sealing each end
tated tank. of the defective tube with solder, thus elimi-
nating it from service. Experience has
4. Rinse core using a steam-water mix- shown that up to 2% of the total tubes can
ture. be repaired by this method, without ad-
versely affecting efficiency. Solder tubes
NOTE: Rinse cooler as soon as possible to closed using the following procedure:
prevent residue from hardening.
1. Thoroughly dry inside of tubes to be
TUBE LEAK TEST repaired.

Tube leaks can be accurately located using 2. Clean defective tube with zinc chlo-
the following procedure: ride flux. See Service Data. When ap-
plying flux, play a medium flame on
1. Remove header from each end of the fluxed surfaces. The heating will
cooler. boil the flux thus improving its clean-
ing ability. Use a soft wire brush to
2. Seal off one of the lube oil inlet open- scrub and clean the areas which are
ings. being prepared for soldering.

3. Apply low pressure air to the remain- 3. When the tube is thoroughly cleaned,
ing lube oil inlet. insert a brass plug into each end of
the defective tube.
4. Immerse cooler into a tank containing
clean water at room temperature. 4. Solder the plug and tube using a 50%
tin, 50% lead soft solder, and a 243°
5. Determine and mark which tubes are C (470° F) flame. See Service Data.
emitting air bubbles.
5. Clean and flush cooler with water.
NOTE: Occasionally a leak will develop
around the tube-to-end hub bond. 6. Repeat Tube Leak Test to assure that
If air bubbles emit from this area all leaks are eliminated.
the cooler should be scrapped.

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SERVICE DATA
SPECIFICATIONS
FIN-TUBE CORE TYPE COOLER
FIN-TO-TUBE BOND

Loose Fin-To-Tube Bond - Total Area Not To Exceed . . . . . . . . . 9678 mm2 (15 sq. in.)

Loose Fin-To-Tube Bond - No Single Area To Exceed. . . .. 6452 mm 2 (10 sq. in.)

TUBE REPAIR

Maximum Number Of Adjacent Tubes Repaired ........................ 4

Maximum Percentage Of Total Number Of Tubes Repaired . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2%

TUBE BUNDLE TYPE COOLER

TUBE REPAIR

Maximum Number Of Adjacent Tubes Repaired ........................ 4

Maximum Percentage Of Total Number Of Tubes Repaired . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2%

EQUIPMENT PART NO.

Solder, Soft - 50% Tin, 50% Lead - 0.68 kg (1.5 lb.) Bar ................. 3225762

Solder, TRIBAR - 40% Tin, 60% Lead - 11.34 kg (25 lb.) Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8478479

Solder, Silver Wire - 2.5% Tin, 97% Lead, .5% Silver - 3.2 mm (1/8") dia.
No. 7, 11.34 kg (25 lb.) Spool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8478480

Solder, Puddle - 38% Tin, 62% Lead -

3.2 mm (1/8") dia. 11.34 kg (25 lb.) Spool ...................... 8486859

Flux, Zinc Chloride - 3.78 litres (1 Gallon) Can ...................... 500-FL-93

Cleaning Solutions - Quaker Solv Cleaner 76, Cecolene (trichlor Ethylene),

Or Oakite No. 31

Heating Tip, Stainless Steel Tube - Available From National Cylinder Gas
And Blow Pipe Company Under PN 700-27-813N

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