Need Torque Specs

alvocado · March 20, 2008

I'm replacing my leaky engine oil cooler lines this weekend and need the torque specs for the two bolts for flange at the oil pan end. Also, if anyone has replaced these, how much oil will drain out at the pan side? If it's similar to removing the oil filter, I'm fine. If it's much more, I may wait until the next oil change. Thanks for the help.

hubbycap · March 20, 2008

I don't know on a 2002 but here is a link for a sh1t-load of torque specs on the NBS. It might be a good guideline. Post #6 will be the one:

Torque Specs

"torque specs" in search uncovered this.

cammiller · March 20, 2008

106 lb in. You will only loose about a 1qt. Good luck getting them past the front diff. I usually lower the front diff 2-3 inchs to get the clearance.

alvocado · March 20, 2008

106 lb in. You will only loose about a 1qt. Good luck getting them past the front diff. I usually lower the front diff 2-3 inchs to get the clearance.

Thanks for the torque info. I was hoping there wouldn't be a clearance issue and since I've never messed with the front diff, I'm a little hesitant to try to lower it. Is it possible to get the lines on (albeit with some added frustration) without lowering the diff? If that's the only option, any advice on lowering it would be appreciated. Thanks!

cammiller · March 20, 2008

It is easier to lower the front diff. Take the 2 nuts off the right side. loosen the rear lower left bolt and remove the top bolt. Be sure to unclip the wire harness from the diff case. Let the diff lower and it against the steering relay rod. This gives enough room the get the block past. Also, you will need to unhook the cord from the block heater if your truck has one. When you are reassembling it, lift the diff and get the top bolt in. then pry the right side of the axle tube reward. There is no need to disconnect the axles, you might want to remove the front drive shaft, I usually don't. Good luck.

alvocado · March 20, 2008

It is easier to lower the front diff. Take the 2 nuts off the right side. loosen the rear lower left bolt and remove the top bolt. Be sure to unclip the wire harness from the diff case. Let the diff lower and it against the steering relay rod. This gives enough room the get the block past. Also, you will need to unhook the cord from the block heater if your truck has one. When you are reassembling it, lift the diff and get the top bolt in. then pry the right side of the axle tube reward. There is no need to disconnect the axles, you might want to remove the front drive shaft, I usually don't. Good luck.

This sounds reasonable to do. Do you happen to have the torque specs for the diff bolts? Thanks again for the help.

alvocado · March 22, 2008

Job completed. I installed Dorman replacement lines which cost $61 at Carquest. Thanks again to Cam for the tip on dropping the front diff. It was hard enough to maneuver the block with the differential lowered and took quite a bit of trial and error to position it just right to clear. This job would have been quite easy on a 2wd. I only lost 12 oz of oil total which was much better than expected.

Here are a few tips for others who try it:

- I didn't bother with a quick disconnect tool for the radiator connections. The clips came off pretty easily using a screw driver. I used a small screwdriver and pushed on one of the ends of the clip, popping the ring up enough to get another screwdriver under it. You can then pry it off.

- The clearance on the lower left differential carrier bushing was pretty tight and it was tricky getting a torque wrench in there. I tried two different size wrenches and every combination of short and long extensions. It's easy to snug up the nut but once you need to torque it down, there wasn't much room to rotate the ratchet.

- The front diff mounted back up quite easily by using a floor jack to move the cross member and differential around to line up the carriers. I torqued the carrier bolts to 75ft-lbs (which I hope was correct.)

- There were two wire conduits attached with plastic clips just beneath the rubber portion of the cooler lines. I unclipped these to flex the conduit out of the way since they kept snagging on the lines during install and removal.

- You can minimize oil mess by having some cloth rags to stuff in the lower radiator hole and the holes on the oil pan. The occasional drips were annoying while rolling around under the truck. Also use the plastic caps from the new lines to plug the old lines when you disconnect from the radiator.

It took me a couple of hours with the truck on jack stands but was definitely worth the time to avoid the lines blowing. For those with leaky lines, consider doing it.