so he is calling the oil cooler a radiator. there is no reason you could not flush the radiator but if he was talking about the oil cooler then he is right the metal shaving very well could be in the cooler and it would be very hard if not impossible to get out. the oil cooling on these is nothing like the ones you see in a truck were the oil goes to the radiator like the auto transmission fluid.

 

Well, you have time to think about the oil cooler while you're putting the windage tray back in.
Personally, I would just leave the cooler off and run synthetic oil instead.

 

Did I miss something? You said that you have metal shavings in the oil. Did you do a complete rebuild on the engine? Or at least try to figure out where the shavings were coming from?

 

I did a complete engine rebuild. And when he drained the oil (car had been sitting up for about 4 months) there was about 2 quarts of water and no telling what else. So he told me I had to iether buy a new oil cooler or he would just bypass it. so I saved a little right now and had him bypass it till I get it replaced.

 

Where did the water come from? Normally the water won't migrate from the radiator into the oil cooler build into the radiator. The cooling system is typically only pressurized to about 14-15 psi, while your oil system is running at least 20 psi at idle.

Did you see the water in the oil? Was it contaminated with antifreeze? Was the oil milky and sticky? Or was the water separate from the oil and just in the pan he drained the oil into?

 

the water was seperated from the oil and the heads and intake were off of the car for about 2 months before and work was done to it. so I think thats how it might have gotten in there.

 

If that is how the water got into the engine, then there is probably nothing wrong with the stock oil cooler. You can flush it and see if anything comes out, and since you bypassed it that should be pretty easy. Of course, an add-on oil cooler is cheap and easy to install and that does away with the stock cooler entirely.

 

if the oil cooler had a leak in it and the car sat for a long time, it could be that gravity did its job and the coolant drained into the oil through the cooler. so your saying the water got in the oil after the motor was rebuilt?

 

also did he leave the cooler on the motor? if so it would be logical to think that oil would come out when it s running so you will most likely need to remove the cooler.

 

no the water was in the motor before it was rebuilt. and the oil cooler is still there as far as I know. Where is it located exactly?