3208 coolant jacket drains

[nbedinger]

I'm crawling around under my Sp engine looking for block drain plugs. Everythingh I've seen says there are plugs just above oil pan on the block sides. Nothing I've seen looks like plugs though--I'm looking for plugs with a recessed square drive socket, is that what the 3208 would have? I don't have a lot of room to get my eyes above pan level , the bus is blocked up at air suspension height, so its a little hard to see around above the pan.

Is that all the info I should need to find drain plugs? Advice apreciated.

--Ned

[giderich]

The oil cooler holds a fair amount of coolant too. May be a good idea to drain and recondition the oil cooler.

Originally Posted by nbedinger

I'm crawling around under my Sp engine looking for block drain plugs. Everythingh I've seen says there are plugs just above oil pan on the block sides. Nothing I've seen looks like plugs though--I'm looking for plugs with a recessed square drive socket, is that what the 3208 would have? I don't have a lot of room to get my eyes above pan level , the bus is blocked up at air suspension height, so its a little hard to see around above the pan.

Is that all the info I should need to find drain plugs? Advice apreciated.

--Ned

[nbedinger]

Thanks, Dick. I hadn't planned on making the oil cooler part of this drain/clean/fill maintenance, but since you mentioned it, I have noticed that my coolant temp does run 10-20 degrees below my oil temp. I doubt I have a big problem--that is in a normal range, but...

For some engines (I don't know about the 3208), that delta would be cause to suspect that oil cooler efficiency is down. Looking on the web turns up pics of oil coolers needing maintenance or replace because they're plugged up with goo and "sand", interpreted as silicate gel and casting sand. I don't understand why block manufacturers can't ensure that casting sand is cleared out before shipping. I guess it would add cost . Hope that isn't a '90s 3208 problem!

Another reason to follow your advice is that the oil cooler can be a source of oil<-->coolant contamination. Since this change (coolant AND oil) will be the starting point for regular oil and coolant analysis, it makes pretty good sense to do what I can to manage the places where leaks and cross-contamination can occur. Makes it easier to decide on where to look for leaks if analysis does turn up contamination. This year the oil cooler, next time around I'll inspect/replace the compressor gaskets and seals...

Anyway, thanks for the pointer, I plan to find the oil cooler and read up on how to service it before changing fluids.

--Ned