As the engine is running, it generates a lot of heat which makes the engine temperature increase. The increased temperature also affects the engine fluid such as oil and coolant.
The radiator is responsible for controlling the temperature of the coolant.
So what will cool the oil? The oil cooler.
There are two types of oil cooler; oil-to-water and oil-to-air.
But in the Detroit 92, 71 series, the oil cooler type is oil-to-water. This means the oil cooler is immersed in the coolant with two outlets which are in and out.
The cooler has fins that allow coolant to travel around it to provide cooling for the oil.
However, you should note that if the oil cooler is leaking, it will cause oil and water dilution which will turn the oil to a milky color rather than the normal oil color.
For that reason, if you are troubleshooting oil and water dilution, you need to check the oil cooler as well.
Immersing the oil cooler inside the coolant reduces the temperature of the oil.
There are o-rings seals at the intake and outlets of the oil cooler, the seals are there to prevent oil and coolant mixture.
How will you know if the oil cooler is leaking? The best way is to do a pressure test on the oil cooler. The pressure test will reveal if the cooler is ok or leaking.
The oil cooler of 92 and 71 series is similar. It is like a joining some plates together with space in-between them. The space in-between the plate allowed the passage of coolant to provide the cooling for the oil. There are pipes at the both sides of the plates that hold it together and the pipe serve as the means of intake and outlets.
These are the simple way in which the Detroit 92 and 71 series oil cooler work
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