ATTENTION: read if your oil cooler fittings face DOWN!

spearfish25

I just got off the phone with Mocal/BAT to confirm my findings. They agree that in a fittings down cooler setup 1) the sandwich plate will backflow oil to the sump with the car off and 2) the dipstick will no longer be accurate if your cooler is fittings DOWN since the cooler sits above the oil pan level. All this means is that you need to recalibrate your dipstick to get an accurate engine off reading (because your new FULL level will be well above the dipstick H mark). Your other option is to drain the system and then refill based on volumes and not dipstick levels. Mocal/BAT agreed that a 25row cooler with ~48 inch line runs should take one additional quart of oil. It's nice to know that pulling the oil pan drain plug actually drains the whole system, including the cooler. No real need to crack an oil line fitting.

The takeaway message is this: If you have an oil cooler with the fittings down, an engine off dipstick reading at the H hole really means you're running with the minimum amount of oil in the sump (L-->H holes is 1 quart). Make sure you add 6 quarts!

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2013 Cadillac V-Wagon, RIP Z