2nd Gen OEM Oil Cooler On 1st Gen

[Luns]

Originally Posted by Tatsu333

I thought the links I posted were at a US Subaru dealer...? Some of the Amazon links were on Amazon.ca.

I'd be shocked if anything was cheaper up here than in the US for auto parts. I usually find things are at least 1/3 cheaper if I order them in the US.

I think the Subaru link was US, but the Toyota link (that I included in my quote of your post) was based in Alberta.

I was as shocked realizing it as you.

[Tatsu333]

OK - I've ordered the ATF warmer outlet fitting and the 1st gen freeze plug from my local dealer to compare sizes / threads. With Christmas, they figure I won't see the parts for a couple of weeks. I'll update here once I have them in hand.

Originally Posted by Luns

I think the Subaru link was US, but the Toyota link (that I included in my quote of your post) was based in Alberta.

I was as shocked realizing it as you.

...and the mystery of the cheaper-than-the-US Toyota parts dealer is solved - they're going out of business as of the end of the year, according to their website. "Due to unforeseen circumstances, we will be shutting down December 31st, 2024. Any order placed after 3PM MST on December 31st will not be processed. All outstanding orders will be completed that have been processed prior to December 31st at 3PM MST."

EDIT: that said, I just looked up the price for the oil cooler on toyotapartsdirect.ca (Toyota part#SU00309443), and it's still WAY cheaper than buying it from Subaru! Hmm...time for some more parts # research...

EDIT #2: I also bought a bolt/thread checker and thread-pitch gauge to make sure I can definitively identify what we're dealing with once I have the parts.

[Tatsu333]

Picked up the parts (1st gen freeze plug and 2nd gen AT warmer outlet fitting) from the dealer today and verified sizes / thread pitches. The bad (but not unexpected) news is that they are not the same size.

Here are the two parts:



...and then a close-up comparison of the threaded ends, clearly showing the smaller diameter of the 1st gen freeze plug:



I checked the size and thread pitch of both, and the 1st gen freeze plug is indeed an M14x1.5mm, while the 2nd gen outlet fitting is an M16x1.5mm.

The 2nd gen outlet fitting would use a 19mm wrench for tightening and the overall diameter of the round part of the base is almost exactly the distance across the hex point-to-point, about 22mm. The threaded end is 8mm long, and the nipple looks like it's 12mm in diameter (past the barb) and 23mm long.

The diameter of the head of the 1st gen freeze plug is 20mm, so there's for sure that much room for the base of the fitting, but no idea if there's any more, so that might need to be clearanced as well for the 2nd gen fitting. For an aftermarket fitting, it looks like an M14 copper sealing washer can be had with an outside diameter of 20mm, so that should work just fine.

Given all that, the options are either to drill out and tap the existing hole and maybe clearance around it) to fit the 2nd gen M16x1.5mm fitting, or to use an aftermarket fitting.

Only issue I could see with the aftermarket fitting may be that the threaded end might be too long. The Vibrant Performance 11416 fitting, for example, looks like the threaded end is longer than the diameter, so it would be at least 14mm long. Not sure if that would be too much obstruction for coolant flow. The depth of the threaded end of the 1st gen freeze plug is 10mm, and the copper washers I found on Amazon (https://a.co/d/fySgXPJ) are 1.5mm thick, so you'd ideally be looking for a total depth of around 12mm if you were to cut / grind the end of the fitting down to that length.

I'm not sure which route I'll go.

I'd be a little leery of drilling out the hole to use the OEM fitting without the upper pan being pulled off the car, which is a major PITA, if I understand correctly, and if I were going to that length, I might as well just pick up a used AT upper oil pan and use that instead.

So - it's looking most likely that I would use an aftermarket fitting.

[Ohio Enthusiast]

Originally Posted by Tatsu333

Only issue I could see with the aftermarket fitting may be that the threaded end might be too long.

Just cut it short. Much better than drilling and tapping the engine block.

[Tatsu333]

Originally Posted by Ohio Enthusiast

Just cut it short. Much better than drilling and tapping the engine block.

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. My OCD to make this as OEM as possible only goes so far...LOL.

[Tokay444]

Sorry for the thread bump, but why would we use "Engine Coolant Bypass Hose. Engine Coolant Flange. Engine Coolant Pipe (Inlet).
Part Number: 14050AB510" from a gen 2 AT car, when "By-Pass Pipe - Subaru (14050AB511)" for a manual gen 2 car exists? @Tatsu333, is your car AT?

[Tatsu333]

Originally Posted by Tokay444

Sorry for the thread bump, but why would we use "Engine Coolant Bypass Hose. Engine Coolant Flange. Engine Coolant Pipe (Inlet).
Part Number: 14050AB510" from a gen 2 AT car, when "By-Pass Pipe - Subaru (14050AB511)" for a manual gen 2 car exists? @Tatsu333, is your car AT?

In the most recent, updated list of parts (in this post), I have 14050AB511 listed as the one to use.

I see 14050AB510 as the original MT part number, which was superceded by 14050AB511. I also see 14050AB531 as being the current AT part number (superceding 14050AB530). These numbers are all from parts.subaru.com.

...and no, my car is a manual.

[Tokay444]

Thanks. I've got my shopping cart full then.
Probably not the right thread for this question, but I've aways wondered if the air oil cooler guys purge the heat exchanger at every oil change.