Think my 996 may has a slight weep from the oil cooler. Can it be fixed or do I need a replacement? Can I swap it without draining all the oil out? And if I do, can I put it back in? Only done 40mls since the last oil change. TIA
Just check your hose unions first I thought I needed to replace mine once as there was oil collecting in the fins but it was just a loose connector.
Be very careful tightening the hoses, make sure you have a spanner on the cooler to hold it as the alloy is very soft and will twist and fracture easily. Steve
The unions are very thin and soft where they enter the base of the radiator and it's very easy to get a hairline fracture and start off a leak, they also become embrittled with age. As mentioned better to check there first and if it is definitely not one of them but the radiator get it pressure tested. As for the oil you can keep it and strain it and put it back once the leak is cured.
OK, nipped them up, they felt dry and were pretty tight already, certainly would not ant them a lot tighter. Am I right they will have copper crush washers in there? no seeping overnight but I guess its when the engine runs and the pressure builds and leaking would occur. Can't crack an egg in it like I did with my MKIII Escort radiator?
Didn't you have a service recently done? Rockers or belts... The reason for me saying this is that a few months ago when @Tobytyke did my belts and valve clearances, I noticed a slight oil leak from around the oil cooler area. Looked like it was coming from the cooling fins. After a few times starting the bike and letting it idle upto running temperature, it stopped leaking. If you look where the front head cover is, right above the cooler, then you'll see how easy it'd be to spill a bit of oil when removing the cover. I was about to buy a replacement oil cooler but found this out just in time.