Aluminum Dorman Pentastar V6 oil cooler unavailable anywhere...except at "storedorman.com"...scam?

There is no substantiated proof that the aluminum doorman cooler will not develop a leak. Nobody had it long enough yet. All assumptions of this failure revolve around the part being made out of plastic.

BTW, aluminum is quite a brittle metal, it may develop cracks from over tightening as well. Again, no real long term experience has been documented yet.

I'm with you on this one. As much as I was a proponent early on of these aluminum replacement units, I'm not so sure anymore.

If you poke around various videos, like motorcitymechanic, even he admits it's impossible to pinpoint the source of the leak on the majority of the plastic OEM assemblies. By the time you get to them, the bases are submersed in oil and you can't run the engine at that point given the whole intake and fuel injection system has to be removed to get to it.

He does claim to have seen leaks from the threaded in sensors and the various glued in place plugs on the plastic units. He also believes the O-rings to be the bulk of the leak sources. The aluminum replacements rely on the same O-rings and the same threaded sensor ports.

I don't know that anyone has ever suffered a cracked unit from the cap being over-tightened, but I've wondered if the movement involved with removing an over-tightened cap moves the sealing surfaces just enough, in combination with those O-rings being cooked flat from heat is the smoking gun.
 
We’ve had aftermarket plastic coolers come back IMMEDIATELY spewing all the oil oil. We have pinpointed 2 sources of leaks on those:

-many of them literally blew out the threaded plugs (that you’d think were for checking oil psi? But they aren’t removable).
-1 of them leaked out of the filter cap. We smoke tested the crankcase to identify that one.

So far our dormans and now our jaspers aren’t coming back, but none of them have been repaired for more than a few months, so no saying what they’ll look like when they get back for preventive maintenance!!
 
I had glanced at the base my Charger's housing a couple of times since learning of this problem with pentastars in the last month or so. Today I found out I wasn't looking in the right spot. I was actually looking at the top of the plastic housing, not the top of the aluminum block. I have a 1/8" layer of oil there. It's definitely not leaking from the cap or filter tube. Looks like I need to get proactive with the replacement. Still hoping to get the Dorman 876 from Amazon before I need to do the job. I took a closer look at the Ransoto today without removing the shrinkwrap and noticed what looks like metal shavings inside a couple of ports. I have never seen any suggestions to flush or air out the housing before installing, but I will now with whatever I end up using.
 
Last edited:
I've had issues getting the oil cooler/filter adapters myself. I will tell you that the Dorman one is junk...had to replace one that would not seal. Dorman has gone way down hill....I hate to say this too but I just have experienced too many failures and junk to trust them anymore. I am on their ambassador team so they hear about my experiences and do seem to care but as a shop owner I can't chance them anymore.
 
I've had issues getting the oil cooler/filter adapters myself. I will tell you that the Dorman one is junk...had to replace one that would not seal. Dorman has gone way down hill....I hate to say this too but I just have experienced too many failures and junk to trust them anymore. I am on their ambassador team so they hear about my experiences and do seem to care but as a shop owner I can't chance them anymore.
Just curious, what brand seals did you use, the supplied ones from Dorman, other aftermarket, or OEM? Did you accurately torque everything?
 
Last edited:
Just curious, what brand seals did you use, the supplied ones from Dorman, other aftermarket, or OEM? Did you accurately torque everything?
I used the MOPAR seals. I can't comment on the prior installation because it came to my shop leaking (had been installed elsewhere). I replaced the seals (the OEM seals looked better too) and yes I use a torque wrench on everything - good points. I read online about issues with the supplied seals as well but only saw this once to be honest and it could have been the previous installation error but the seals do not look like the OEM ones.
 
I used the MOPAR seals. I can't comment on the prior installation because it came to my shop leaking (had been installed elsewhere). I replaced the seals (the OEM seals looked better too) and yes I use a torque wrench on everything - good points. I read online about issues with the supplied seals as well but only saw this once to be honest and it could have been the previous installation error but the seals do not look like the OEM ones.
l figured you did, considering that you ran a shop, but wanted to hear a little more detail.
As I understand from trying to learn a little more about the Dorman product, I got the impression that Dorman periodically contracted someone in PA to make these. So the manufacturer made a run of them, then shut down until Dorman sold what was made and called back to order more. This is probably not conducive to making a consistent quality product, to say the least.
I'm going this route, assuming that my 959 arrives in one piece next week and appears to be well made. I know enough about the OEM cooler to doubt that it would last longer than I intend to keep my Charger.
Supposedly this problem only affects a "small percentage" of Pentastar owners. I wonder how many Pentastar owners out there are slowly filling their V6 valley with oil as I am, waiting to find out they have this problem, too. I've seen comments that up to 2 quarts of oil and/or coolant can accumulate before spilling out the back.
 
Last edited:
Yeah you are actually correct....my issues with Dorman started with HVAC and Door actuators on GMT800 trucks lol
Mine started with t-case shift motors on GMT800s! Dorman didn't understand that for NP246's they lock the motor in place. Their motor worked fine for "non-Auto" 263's but wouldn't hold the clutches mashed for 4wd lock in the 246
 
l figured you did, considering that you ran a shop, but wanted to hear a little more detail.
As I understand from trying to learn a little more about the Dorman product, I got the impression that Dorman periodically contracted someone in PA to make these. So the manufacturer made a run of them, then shut down until Dorman sold what was made and called back to order more. This is probably not conducive to making a consistent quality product, to say the least.
I'm going this route, assuming that my 959 arrives in one piece next week and appears to be well made. I know enough about the OEM cooler to doubt that it would last longer than I intend to keep my Charger.
Supposedly this problem only affects a "small percentage" of Pentastar owners. I wonder how many Pentastar owners out there are slowly filling their V6 valley with oil as I am, waiting to find out they have this problem, too. I've seen comments that up to 2 quarts of oil and/or coolant can accumulate before spilling out the back.
I inspected mine last week and found no signs of a leak. Since I check my oil weekly, I’ll know when it goes, but so far, in 107,000 miles, mine is the unicorn that has no issues. 2014 Town and Country Van.

Now I feel like I better order one and leave it in the shelf. I almost did the aluminum one after reading on chryslerminivan fan club forum about them. Glad I didn’t.
 
I almost did the aluminum one after reading on chryslerminivan fan club forum about them. Glad I didn’t.
Care to elaborate? Just received my Dorman 959 today, which I intend to install on Thursday.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JTK
If you go the Dorman route do not use their included seals and orings. Here is a post from Chrysler minivan club that leaked and almost lost an engine due to oil loss.

Looks like the included oring is too big. This Dorman unit looks less and less attractive as people put them on.

Which is exactly what I questioned a while back. People assuming it’s better just because it is made out of aluminum.

6102FB08-FA10-4AC2-96A8-D67FE32C5EC9.jpeg


EC8BF7FB-CFA2-47F0-97DD-89AFC79F89DC.jpeg


https://www.chryslerminivan.net/thr...lter-housing-replacement.179530/#post-1805420
 
I've seen comments that up to 2 quarts of oil and/or coolant can accumulate before spilling out the back.
It takes about half a quart to fill the valley, and that's with the rear wheels lifted 6 inches off the ground and the front tires deflated for easier access to the engine bay.
 
According to Northridge4x4 the Dorman Aluminum Oil Cooler isn’t made in the USA. This is the comment they made on their Baxter Oil Cooler video.

IMG_3760.jpeg
 
According to Northridge4x4 the Dorman Aluminum Oil Cooler isn’t made in the USA. This is the comment they made on their Baxter Oil Cooler video.

View attachment 199518
Actually, most of them are made in Malaysia, and the quality and attention to detail is much better than those made in the USA. I replaced the oil filter housing on both our vehicles, and I got a USA made and a Malaysia made housing. Take a guess which one I returned?

The US made housing had sharp edges around the areas where the gaskets are installed, and the coolant hose connector at the end was nicked. All in all, it was a work of art... if "work of art" meant neglect and poor craftmanship.

I'm sad to say this, however, "Made in USA" no longer means much, if anything, when it comes to manufacturing.

[Edit]

That Baxter doohickey for the Pentastar is a bad idea.
 
Back
Top