Cleaning the oil cooler in a 1939 Super 8

Posted by Rick M On 2016/3/12 15:39:27

In working on my 1939 Super 8 that has not been driven since before 1970 I have been cleaning and servicing the engine oil system. I found that the oil cooler was completely clogged with old oil deposits. I tried brake cleaner, carb cleaner, old gasoline, and other cleaners. Nothing seemed to do the job. All the above even after soaking over night or for several days did not seem to work. Finally I put the oil cooler into a pot of water with detergent and some CLR cleaner and boiled it for a few hours. Finally I was able to get air or liquid to flow from one side to the other. So if yo are going to clean out your oil cooler I recommend boiling it in water with dish detergent (to cut the oil) several times. (I have a back up for this part and will clean it in the next couple of weeks and I will report if starting out with boiling water work as well as we think it does.)

YMMV,
Rick Mahaffey