Does the Renault Clio dci 1.5 need the oil cooler?

[mikey_2811]

Hiya,

I'm a newbie so please be gentle. My question is I have the above car which is a diesel and it appears the oil cooler has gone as there is oil in the radiator which isn't good. I had no problems over heating when this happened but I can not seem to find parts anywhere online or in stores. Would it really cause any problems if i just bypassed it? I'd prefer a real mechanic or someone who knows what they are talking about as someone who says "it must be there for a reason" isn't helpful as lots of cars with bigger engines do not have them and run fine. I can see the logic if its there it must be there for a reason but anyone know where I can get one or what type I would need? Only quote I can find is £160 for the part. I'm pretty sure its not the gasket as my friend has flushed and tested the cooler and it seems to just mix the oil and water.

Thank you so much in advance.

 

[Sean6545]

Renault put it there for a reason. Just get a new one.

 

[mikey_2811]

Renault put it there for a reason. Just get a new one.

Thanks I've looked all over and can't even find a new part. I only asked as its not like I race and I find it odd that a part can fail and mix oil and water. Found one on eBay but it's used. I'll call around tomorrow

 

[Martin_172]

deffo not the head gasket?

 

[mikey_2811]

deffo not the head gasket?

yea pretty sure. My friend has flushed the system loads of times and tested the part itself by using clear piping and it gets contaminated at that point. after looking around it appears it happens but i find it odd a part can fail and do that.

 

[Sean6545]

Get a Renault one

 

[mikey_2811]

£162 for a part smaller than an apple is insane. It's been bypassed and the temp is no different.

 

[MicKPM]

No difference to you but it is there for a bloody good reason which is why it was put there. Its sole function is to aid cooling of the engine oil by adding a water cooled jacket... do you know what your actual oil temp is when driving? The car runs a turbo charger so theres one good reason for it to have one! Now you've bypassed it the oil will be allowed to get that little bit warmer which *may* be fine for you but when it gets to 20degrees outside it may be a different story.

Potential problems; degraded protection from your oil, blockages in the oil circuit and even premature wear to the turbo core shaft/bearings leading to its failure.

Mick

 

[Toastfrenzy]

eBay is your friend.....

 

[mikey_2811]

eBay is your friend.....

Thanks but I have a 1.5 and that's used.
I might just buy the darn thing

 

[mikey_2811]

No difference to you but it is there for a bloody good reason which is why it was put there. Its sole function is to aid cooling of the engine oil by adding a water cooled jacket... do you know what your actual oil temp is when driving? The car runs a turbo charger so theres one good reason for it to have one! Now you've bypassed it the oil will be allowed to get that little bit warmer which *may* be fine for you but when it gets to 20degrees outside it may be a different story.


Potential problems; degraded protection from your oil, blockages in the oil circuit and even premature wear to the turbo core shaft/bearings leading to its failure.

Mick

Thanks for that! I don't know exact temps but it's never above halfway no matter what. I guess I'm going to spend all that money for it to fail and I dont trust used ones.how does this little thing cool oil? And why would it let oil in?

 

[MicKPM]

The temp gauge on your dash only shows the engines coolant temp and not the actual oil temp... This in no way reflects the temperature of the engine oil. Engine coolant comes up to temp pretty damn fast in both NA and Turbocharged engines but the oil temp can take a good 15-20mins (if not longer depending on environmental conditions) to get anywhere near "Normal" operating temps. The real shame is Renault stopped deploying Oil Temp and Oil Pressure gauges in the late 90's because they were bloody useful but as most people didn't know what they actually meant added to the need to make the vehicles cheaper they were bound to get dropped. They've still not replaced them with a digital option though which would take no effort really to deploy in the main vehicles software... but I digress.

The oil cooler itself is made from metal, normally a mild pressed steel and it comprises of two circuits; The 1st (Inner) allows oil to enter and circulate around the main vessel and then in to the oil filter before then exiting back to the sump where its sucked back up by the oil pump and sent back around for another go. The 2nd (Outer) does the same except it allows the engines coolant to enter and exit which performs two roles... One - to aid regulation/cooling of the oil cooling vessel and its contents. Two - to aid in bringing the oil up-to-temp quicker (very useful on turbocharged engines as the Turbo core reaches temp pretty fast unlike the oil that lubricates it... this is also why you should never rag a turbocharged vehicle until its fully up to temp. Turbo Diesels also employ "Thermoplungers" to further reduce this warm up time). Finally, on newer engine platforms, the outer jacket is also surrounded by a set of air fins to aid in the dissipation of the extra heat/aid cooling whilst the vehicle is moving.

Why do they leak? There's a few reasons but mainly its down to age, fatigue and the use of incorrect coolants (such as water which causes the steel to rust away). When this happens the oil and water mixes and gives the really nice creamy sludge. Vauxhall used to put a mini radiator in there oil circuits and then fully submerse it in the main coolant jacket and these eventually leaked to so its not just a Renault problem.

Mick

 

[Deany]

Great info there Mick.

 

[mikey_2811]

The temp gauge on your dash only shows the engines coolant temp and not the actual oil temp... This in no way reflects the temperature of the engine oil. Engine coolant comes up to temp pretty damn fast in both NA and Turbocharged engines but the oil temp can take a good 15-20mins (if not longer depending on environmental conditions) to get anywhere near "Normal" operating temps. The real shame is Renault stopped deploying Oil Temp and Oil Pressure gauges in the late 90's because they were bloody useful but as most people didn't know what they actually meant added to the need to make the vehicles cheaper they were bound to get dropped. They've still not replaced them with a digital option though which would take no effort really to deploy in the main vehicles software... but I digress.

The oil cooler itself is made from metal, normally a mild pressed steel and it comprises of two circuits; The 1st (Inner) allows oil to enter and circulate around the main vessel and then in to the oil filter before then exiting back to the sump where its sucked back up by the oil pump and sent back around for another go. The 2nd (Outer) does the same except it allows the engines coolant to enter and exit which performs two roles... One - to aid regulation/cooling of the oil cooling vessel and its contents. Two - to aid in bringing the oil up-to-temp quicker (very useful on turbocharged engines as the Turbo core reaches temp pretty fast unlike the oil that lubricates it... this is also why you should never rag a turbocharged vehicle until its fully up to temp. Turbo Diesels also employ "Thermoplungers" to further reduce this warm up time). Finally, on newer engine platforms, the outer jacket is also surrounded by a set of air fins to aid in the dissipation of the extra heat/aid cooling whilst the vehicle is moving.

Why do they leak? There's a few reasons but mainly its down to age, fatigue and the use of incorrect coolants (such as water which causes the steel to rust away). When this happens the oil and water mixes and gives the really nice creamy sludge. Vauxhall used to put a mini radiator in there oil circuits and then fully submerse it in the main coolant jacket and these eventually leaked to so its not just a Renault problem.

Mick

Thanks buddy. Finally an answer I understand and makes sense. Thank you very much for your time expertise. Next I got to sort the darn leaky creaky sunroof lol

 

[mikey_2811]

Bought a used one today from Renparts with a year warranty. Bargain price

 

[Toastfrenzy]

Bought a used one today from Renparts with a year warranty. Bargain price

How much was it and what's the part number...i'm missing the seal that mates with the block....is there one on your one from renparts?

 

[mikey_2811]

How much was it and what's the part number...i'm missing the seal that mates with the block....is there one on your one from renparts?

£25 for the part £5 shipping and £6 for the year warranty. I've seen a site where someone made a seal. Googoogle it. I'll look later

 

[mikey_2811]

How much was it and what's the part number...i'm missing the seal that mates with the block....is there one on your one from renparts?

£25 for the part £5 shipping and £6 for the year warranty. I've seen a site where someone made a seal. Google it. I'll look later

 

[mikey_2811]

£25 for the part £5 shipping and £6 for the year warranty. I've seen a site where someone made a seal. Google it. I'll look later

just to come back it didnt appear to come with any type of seal. I'm not a mechanic and someone else fitted it for me. it was the oil cooler that failed not the seal but i'm not even sure if it has one. sorry to be vague.