oil cooler

[bazzza]

is it all right to by pass the oil cooler, as i have just done the head gasket, but i think the water was leeking threw the oil cooler as i had water mixin with my oil but not oil with {water} but is the oil cooler under pressure....?ie i would get oil in my water due to the pressure of the oil cooler?

[Ben Lessani]

Instead of bypassing it - replace it? If you were to bypass it, I would keep a keen eye on the oil and water temps at all times.

But if you think there's a leak, then odds are oil might be coming out the holes in the oil cooler - so you'd best bridge the inlet and outlet with a spare hose.

I don't recommend bypassing it.

[jacko16v]

If its for a 8v i have a spare oil cooler kicking around you can have for a tenner posted

[JC]

i think i need to replace mine - or a least cure the leak 

[Conker]

I've read somewhere that it'll only make a few degrees difference. I wouldn't worry about it in the short term.

[Village Idiots]

Oil cooler failing usually puts oil into the water as oil pressure is greater than water pressure unless your engine is completely shagged.

[rubjonny]

I bypassed the cooler on mine due to similar symptoms except I did also get oil in my coolant.  I wasnt prepared to go through all the ball-ache of swapping it if it turned out the problem was elsewhere.
I notieced no real difference to engine or oil temps with it out the system, but I did notice my coolant was no longer oily 
I did loose a small ammount of oil from the cooler, but it was prob a drop every couple of days, if that.  If you're worried join the connections on the cooler together with a loop of hose, that'll stop any oil being lost.

Then if your oil/coolant mixing problem is solved, plan to swap the cooler when its warm out!