I need to replace 2 Pentastar oil coolers (our '15 Grand Caravan and daughter's '16 Cherokee). I was planning to buy OEM coolers, but see that the current version no longer comes with sensors. OEM sensors (through the discount sites) add about $110 or so per vehicle. I've read bad things about aftermarket sensors in this application, and it seems foolish to reuse the old ones (these vehicles have 130k-135k miles). The Dorman aluminum coolers cost even more, and also would need the sensors. For those who have done this job, which replacement part do you recommend? Thanks in advance.
Pentastar oil cooler
- Thread starter zrxkawboy
- Start date
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
Apparently there's now a Mopar aluminum version? (though it may be a re-boxed Dorman, or at least some have speculated as much).
whatever route you go, I would not reuse the oil pressure sensor. It likes to leak through the sensor and push oil into the harness. I wouldnt reuse either sensor, but I can only give you concrete evidence as to why not to reuse the ops.
We do a ton of oil coolers and they all end up leaking again. The Dormans and the oems, but we haven’t had oem in a couple of years so there may have been a revision or two.
We do a ton of oil coolers and they all end up leaking again. The Dormans and the oems, but we haven’t had oem in a couple of years so there may have been a revision or two.
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Do you work at a Stellantis dealership?
No. We have a large fleet of promasters though.
If it's roughly even odds on repeat leaks I'll virtually always choose metal over plastic.
I've argued elsewhere there's no way plastic is better in an engine bay environment, and to have BOTH hot oil and hot water piped through it. If the engineers want to argue the plastic is just as good, fine -- maybe. But it's extremely unlikely I'll ever believe it's somehow superior, except that across millions of motors it's gotta end up WAY less expensive to produce than aluminum.
IOW, plastic was chosen 'cause it's cheaper. This doesn't necessarily mean it's inferior. Plus we all know manufacturers wouldn't choose to ignore a loss of reliability if it helped the shareholders -- er, wait.....
I've argued elsewhere there's no way plastic is better in an engine bay environment, and to have BOTH hot oil and hot water piped through it. If the engineers want to argue the plastic is just as good, fine -- maybe. But it's extremely unlikely I'll ever believe it's somehow superior, except that across millions of motors it's gotta end up WAY less expensive to produce than aluminum.
IOW, plastic was chosen 'cause it's cheaper. This doesn't necessarily mean it's inferior. Plus we all know manufacturers wouldn't choose to ignore a loss of reliability if it helped the shareholders -- er, wait.....
If you're DIYing and don't mind potentially doing the job again, I would re-use the sensors, provided they come out of the old housing no problem and show no signs of leaking or damage. Otherwise go with new Mopar sensors.
I reused the sensors on mine as well. I used the Dorman unit, but really wish I would have used the newly designed OEM. I'm not having an issue, I just prefer OEM.
MOPAR seals are also recommended rather that what Dorman Supplies as well, if you go with the Dorman unit.
MOPAR seals are also recommended rather that what Dorman Supplies as well, if you go with the Dorman unit.
IMO I would reuse the existing OE sensors rather than the generic ones that come with alot of these kits. It's very rare for the sensors to go bad.
For the cooler itself, metal is arguably the superior material BUT there are so many different knockoffs of these that it could be hit or miss. Dorman is the most well known and you would assume they should keep their QC consistent, but there's still reports of rough machining, rough finishes, debris inside, and etc.. There is a Youtube vid of a comparison between the different metal units. Sometimes the tolerances could be off, not straight, and such. If you go metal, avoid the cheapo non brand name ones.
The other arugment is that the OE plastic has gone through multiple revisions so it's a good chance they've improved on the original design by now. The way they designed this cooler with the protruding mating surfaces is inherently stupid and one benefit of plastic is that there's more flexibility in taking up any tolerance mismatches vs metal. OE also doesn't cost that much more than Dorman. If I were to redo this job, I'd probably choose OE these days.
For the cooler itself, metal is arguably the superior material BUT there are so many different knockoffs of these that it could be hit or miss. Dorman is the most well known and you would assume they should keep their QC consistent, but there's still reports of rough machining, rough finishes, debris inside, and etc.. There is a Youtube vid of a comparison between the different metal units. Sometimes the tolerances could be off, not straight, and such. If you go metal, avoid the cheapo non brand name ones.
The other arugment is that the OE plastic has gone through multiple revisions so it's a good chance they've improved on the original design by now. The way they designed this cooler with the protruding mating surfaces is inherently stupid and one benefit of plastic is that there's more flexibility in taking up any tolerance mismatches vs metal. OE also doesn't cost that much more than Dorman. If I were to redo this job, I'd probably choose OE these days.
It is a rebadged Dorman as far as I know.
Anyone ever try the assembly made by Standard Motor Products?
Still made of plastic, but they claim to have addressed the weak points on the oem assembly.
https://www.smpcorp.com/standard/whats-in-your-box/oil-filter-housing-kits
Still made of plastic, but they claim to have addressed the weak points on the oem assembly.
https://www.smpcorp.com/standard/whats-in-your-box/oil-filter-housing-kits
This is the important part: "While oil filter housings on Pentastar V6 engines may all look similar, there are distinct differences from year to year, like oil pressure sensors, oil filters, flow rates, and lack of a temperature sensor on late-model applications. Universal designs may not be correct for every application, which is why we offer five different housings for these vehicles."
Dorman uses the "wrong" filter for certain years. Yes they come with a bright orange cap and instructions mentioning it, but people are dumb. Standard on the other hand does have separate part numbers. This is a good approach. But on a dealer parts FB group I was told the Mopar one is Dorman, not Standard. Could be wrong. Although since Standard claims theirs is made in North America, and Dorman I believe is made in China, you might be able to tell that way.
The Standard is plastic/metal and the Dorman is all metal.
I did this exact same thing as @wwillson
Cooler replaced at 95,500 miles, using the original sensors and the Doorman cooler. It was replaced in April 2024. Van now has 116,700 miles and no issues so far.
The cooler part of all the units is metal...I think.
I bought the NAPA brand fully assembled. Pretty sure it's the same as the SMP linked above. I changed this week 176K miles on my 2018 Ram. I didn't use the new intake seals. I popped out one of the old ones and compared them. Unfortunately I judged the NAPA/SMP kit to be very flimsy and cheap. Same height but a thinner, softer material. If I knew in advanced I would have ordered stock OEM mopar intake seals. The seals on the bottom and the o-ring on the oil tube of my old filter housing were flattened out. Unit didn't seem to be leaking from anywhere else. I think just replacing the seals would have done the trick but at 176K miles why take the chance.
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It's funny you say that because the KL I just did had an SMP and I thought the existing intake seals were weird. They were a strange color (maybe almost flesh-colored?? Or maybe green. Can't remember now!) and seemed oddly soft.
I've always used the Dorman provided intake seals. I'm far less paranoid about sealing air, even though I realize vac leaks can be a problem.
Yep these were greenish, soft and thinner than OEM. The OEM intake seals hadn't flatten out and were still the same height as the new ones so I figured I was better off just keeping them in. They sat more snugly inside the grooves. The seals/o-rings on the housing unit seemed good quality but only time will tell.
