New Dorman oil filter housing/oil cooler installed on 2014 Durango
- Thread starter wwillson
- Start date
Which part/operation? Most shops would stack the labor resulting in a inflated time charged.
Replace spark plugs, coil packs, fuel injectors, and oil cooler. The upper and lower intake both have to come off to do all/any of these replacements.
I'm doing this on a '15 Cherokee 3.2. Given my lack of confidence in Dorman I also ordered the housing mounting o-rings separately by Mahle:
However I really don't care for how this one mounts. It only has three nubs on the ID, causing it to look like a triangle. I suppose they figure it doesn't matter because it probably goes round as it's compressed:
Still, it just feels wrong to install it that way so for that ONE port I'm going to use the supplied Dorman with five interior nubs:
However I really don't care for how this one mounts. It only has three nubs on the ID, causing it to look like a triangle. I suppose they figure it doesn't matter because it probably goes round as it's compressed:
Still, it just feels wrong to install it that way so for that ONE port I'm going to use the supplied Dorman with five interior nubs:
Yeah, it doesn't look good, but when it's torqued down it won't make any difference.However I really don't care for how this one mounts. It only has three nubs on the ID, causing it to look like a triangle. I suppose they figure it doesn't matter because it probably goes round as it's compressed:
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The material of the seal and quality makes more difference than if it has 3 or 6 nubs.
Logic irrelevant.
OCD is real.
As I said I just couldn't bring myself to install the "triangle."
It better be ok because I've used the Dorman provided seal on both a '14 and '15 now.
Resistance is futile.
You will be assimilated.
It might be OCD, but it's the right kind of OCD!
Look at how the Mahle has nubs on the outer and inner to locate the o-ring squarely in the middle of the inner and outer piping! That means that will make sure the o-ring is centered as you tighten/torque it down into place. Not just "hoping" it centers. It's amazing that 'good-enough' isn't really good enough, engineers put that nub on there for a reason.
Good for you @D60 to get the other gasket set. It's always the smallest, most vulnerable part that will cause the biggest failure.
The torque specs were on the instructions that came with the cooler. I don't have the instructions anymore nor do I remember what they are.
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Well, it's my turn to do a Pentastar oil filter housing on my 2020 Promaster 2500. I knew this day would come.
I have in my grubby hands a Malaysian made Dorman, and a fresh from the mold OEM Mopar from the dealer ($75 less than the Dorman @RockAuto).
I'm somewhat torn, this iteration of the Mopar has the redesigned cooler/filter adapter seals. No longer a figure 8, now 4 separate seals. The Dorman stull uses the figure 8 seals, and I cannot source anything other than the Droman supplied seals. These are known to cross contaminate oil and coolant.
I bought the Mahle seal kit from RockAuto for the block to cooler: China....
I'm leaning fairly hard toward.....gulp....the OEM plastic cooler. Never ever thought I'd say that.
It appears that it's 99% the seals which leak, and unless you are a monkey the plastic adapter nearly never actually cracks.
The seals and Dorman design have a less than stellar record. Buuutttt....the OEM only lasted 80,000 miles and 5 years on this overworked 3.6 in an 8,000 pound van.
I have in my grubby hands a Malaysian made Dorman, and a fresh from the mold OEM Mopar from the dealer ($75 less than the Dorman @RockAuto).
I'm somewhat torn, this iteration of the Mopar has the redesigned cooler/filter adapter seals. No longer a figure 8, now 4 separate seals. The Dorman stull uses the figure 8 seals, and I cannot source anything other than the Droman supplied seals. These are known to cross contaminate oil and coolant.
I bought the Mahle seal kit from RockAuto for the block to cooler: China....
I'm leaning fairly hard toward.....gulp....the OEM plastic cooler. Never ever thought I'd say that.
It appears that it's 99% the seals which leak, and unless you are a monkey the plastic adapter nearly never actually cracks.
The seals and Dorman design have a less than stellar record. Buuutttt....the OEM only lasted 80,000 miles and 5 years on this overworked 3.6 in an 8,000 pound van.
FWIW, I installed the Dorman aluminum version with their seals... Been over 10k miles and almost 1 year and no issues to speak of yet.
Just my $0.02
Go OEM.
JTK
$100 Site Donor 2025
I would use the aluminum replacement. In my mind the aluminum will pull heat away much faster than plastic and should thermally expand/contract more in line with the aluminum block it's bolted to, thus allow the seals to be more reliable. It's a hopeful stretch I know..
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Well, we don't have any reports yet of the aluminum replacements going as far as the OEM units do, never mind lasting longer.Cuz that worked so well originally.
On the other hand, we have plenty reports of the aftermarket aluminum units leaking shortly after replacement. So clearly aftermarket is a gamble.
Going OEM will at the very least get the same performance of the original, which seems to be around 100k miles leak free operation.
My friend Bill the mechanic has replaced dozens of the OEM oil coolers with the Dorman aluminum and has never had one come back leaking. That's why I chose the Dorman and it now has about 25k miles with no problems.
Great write up and pics.
Don't know how I missed it back in November '23.
All that disassembly and not one mention of a broken fastener (bolt)! Great.
When you get it all disassembled, do the fuel injectors just pop out?
Don't know how I missed it back in November '23.
All that disassembly and not one mention of a broken fastener (bolt)! Great.
When you get it all disassembled, do the fuel injectors just pop out?
The doorman unit may very well go the distance of the OEM cooler or even longer, but we don’t have that data yet. That’s all I’m saying.
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I was in that boat as well. However, there are so many reports that the Dorman unit began leaking in 3 years. The OEM lasted 5 years in my case. The one I picked up at my dealer is also 2 redesigns newer than the OEM I'm removing. So hopefully it will go 6 years now....lolCuz that worked so well originally.
