[freddief73]

Is this Dorman as safe to use as the MOPAR product when it comes to sealing properly and using the correct orings? Here's the latest instruction sheet for the MOPAR OFA and it references different sized orings depending on model year: 2014-2021 and 2022+.

View attachment 54571

That's an interesting find. I trust the Dorman part, but not most of the cheap knockoffs. There are many Amazon reviews that report sealing issues with the knockoffs. The Amazon listing for the Mopar OFA seal kit (p/n 68191356AA) has some reviews recommending it's usage with said knockoff OFAs. I don't know what size the corresponding o-ring is in that kit, but if you enter that part number into a Mopar parts site it says it fits virtually all 2014+ 3.6L applications.

 

[M0Par]

That's an interesting find. I trust the Dorman part, but not most of the cheap knockoffs. There are many Amazon reviews that report sealing issues with the knockoffs. The Amazon listing for the Mopar OFA seal kit (p/n 68191356AA) has some reviews recommending it's usage with said knockoff OFAs. I don't know what size the corresponding o-ring is in that kit, but if you enter that part number into a Mopar parts site it says it fits virtually all 2014+ 3.6L applications.

Wow, that's a great piece of the puzzle. Thanks for the oring seal kit part number and link!

 

[M0Par]

That's an interesting find. I trust the Dorman part, but not most of the cheap knockoffs. There are many Amazon reviews that report sealing issues with the knockoffs. The Amazon listing for the Mopar OFA seal kit (p/n 68191356AA) has some reviews recommending it's usage with said knockoff OFAs. I don't know what size the corresponding o-ring is in that kit, but if you enter that part number into a Mopar parts site it says it fits virtually all 2014+ 3.6L applications.

To your points about the Mopar OFA seal kit:

Leaking oil after Dorman Upgraded Aluminum Engine Oil...

Hi all, Would appreciate some input on my current situation. 2014 T&C, 105K, usual issues (rear A/C evap, DVD player wiring harness, Housing Thermostat), all fixed myself Noticed oil leaking into engine valley, figured most likely crappy OEM Oil Filter Housing. Bought and replaced with Dorman...

www.chryslerminivan.net

 

[M0Par]

Called Dorman this morning. Their oring has interior dimensions of 18mm and has a variance between 17.87mm - 18.13mm.

The Mopar oring is 17.5mm interior dimension. Is that enough to justify using the Mopar over the Dorman?

 

[brentwasham]

I don't see a problem. The part in question (Dorman 926-959) also fits the Pacifica. This is indeed a common issue with the 2017+ Pacifica.

Yes,same exact Pentastar engine block as far as oil cooler housing bolt-up, 2011-2023 no matter what FCA Stellantis vehicle, car or truck. Point taken the 2014 oil filter change does not apply to 2017 and later Pacificas. Dorman appears to have done the job for model year compatibility and I personally would trust the aluminum housing over the MOPAR plastic, especially after an out-of-town catastrophic failure and $1500 repair to replace it. Between the plastic, labor cost and intricacy of modern automobiles I have become convinced that they quickly become unsupportable with age, unless you're a tech and have the time to work on them yourself.

 

[Classic Owner]

My current findings with a brand new Dorman unit:

Well, the Dorman unit arrived yesterday.... Let's say I'm less than impressed with the quality. Spent an hour just cleaning up molding flash, gates, poor machine work, cleaning out ports, etc.

It at least looks presentable now....

Preliminary check of the sealing surfaces.

Cooler assembly to "engine" mounting surface, .015" out of flat.

Cooler to assembly mounting surface, .010" out of flat, .015" out of parallel with opposite surface.

I wonder why people have been having issues with them failing to seal....

Looks like I'll be machining it flat before I even try to use it.

 

[M0Par]

My current findings with a brand new Dorman unit:

Well, the Dorman unit arrived yesterday.... Let's say I'm less than impressed with the quality. Spent an hour just cleaning up molding flash, gates, poor machine work, cleaning out ports, etc.

It at least looks presentable now....


Preliminary check of the sealing surfaces.

Cooler assembly to "engine" mounting surface, .015" out of flat.

Cooler to assembly mounting surface, .010" out of flat, .015" out of parallel with opposite surface.

I wonder why people have been having issues with them failing to seal....

Looks like I'll be machining it flat before I even try to use it.

Do you think this is within tolerance given that this must have been measured without o-rings?

Also what did you do to correct this? Looking at mine right now and see what you mean but don't have any basis for comparison to say the OEM plastic.

I'll update with Dorman tolerances when I am able to reach them.

 

[Classic Owner]

Do you think this is within tolerance given that this must have been measured without o-rings?

Also what did you do to correct this? Looking at mine right now and see what you mean but don't have any basis for comparison to say the OEM plastic.

I'll update with Dorman tolerances when I am able to reach them.

That would depend on how much crush the O-rings have.

I will be machining mine flat at work before trying to install it, I have the equipment, so it will get perfected before installation.

Even then, the non flat mating surfaces is just the tip of the "Poor Quality" iceberg here. Many of the ports had heavy flashing in them that would restrict oil/coolant flow. A couple of the ports were almost completely blocked off by said flash.
All of the casting/molding "Gates" had been just broken off and not cleaned, which lead to a lot of terrible looking areas.
The areas around the mating surfaces also had massive casting/molding flash which stuck up beyond the gasket surfaces and would cause the part not to seal if installed without removing it.

By the time I'm done here, I'll have 4-5 hrs into cleaning this thing up to make it something I would trust on my vehicle.

 

[M0Par]

That would depend on how much crush the O-rings have.

I will be machining mine flat at work before trying to install it, I have the equipment, so it will get perfected before installation.

Even then, the non flat mating surfaces is just the tip of the "Poor Quality" iceberg here. Many of the ports had heavy flashing in them that would restrict oil/coolant flow. A couple of the ports were almost completely blocked off by said flash.
All of the casting/molding "Gates" had been just broken off and not cleaned, which lead to a lot of terrible looking areas.
The areas around the mating surfaces also had massive casting/molding flash which stuck up beyond the gasket surfaces and would cause the part not to seal if installed without removing it.

By the time I'm done here, I'll have 4-5 hrs into cleaning this thing up to make it something I would trust on my vehicle.

Wish you had a before and after because all the ports and mating areas seem fine on mine. Yes it looks like they didn't give any attention to appearance but there's nothing in any of the ports. Mating areas seem to be fine once orings are installed.

Does yours look like this at the bottom of the oil filter housing?

 

[kingkw54166]

Because of the well known issue with the plastic oil filter housing with the 3.6l Pentastar cracking over time (heat, torque with oil filter housing cap) Dorman has produced an aluminum replacement that would work in our Pacificas -- 926-959. This upgrade would eliminate a common failure point with oil leakage. Has anyone actually done this upgrade with the Pacifica? Does the Dorman product fit exactly? How difficult was the swap?

My new to us 2019 Touring L began to lose anti freeze. It was a Certified used vehicle and has anout 6k miles since we purchased it. I opted to skip the dealer since they will replace it with another plastic one. I searched and found the Dorman for just under $200 and the van goes to the independent shop on Tuesday to have it installed. I hope that I made the right decision.

 

[Classic Owner]

My new to us 2019 Touring L began to lose anti freeze. It was a Certified used vehicle and has anout 6k miles since we purchased it. I opted to skip the dealer since they will replace it with another plastic one. I searched and found the Dorman for just under $200 and the van goes to the independent shop on Tuesday to have it installed. I hope that I made the right decision.

Honest answer here.
If I'd have known the Dorman unit was going to be this bad, I've had just ordered the OEM unit, then ensured I was the only one to touch it after.
The dealers are more responsible for the failure of these units than anything. The lowest paid tech with a 1/2 ratchet does the oil changes, they reef the cap on, which in turn cracks the cooler or "breaks" the o-rings. Used properly, these units will easily go 4-500k miles or more.

 

[M0Par]

Honest answer here.
If I'd have known the Dorman unit was going to be this bad, I've had just ordered the OEM unit, then ensured I was the only one to touch it after.
The dealers are more responsible for the failure of these units than anything. The lowest paid tech with a 1/2 ratchet does the oil changes, they reef the cap on, which in turn cracks the cooler or "breaks" the o-rings. Used properly, these units will easily go 4-500k miles or more.

The question is what's failing on these units? Is it the plastic or the seals? If it's the seals then that's just a function of time and a wear item. Could be both. Once I get mine off I'm going to do an autopsy.

Which reminds me that on BMWs the seals were a huge problem as they become brittle over time. Thankfully the aftermarket on BMWs is an entire industry.

The solution was DuPont Viton synthetic rubber but I don't think there's any such solution for us peons using Chrysler products.

 

[Classic Owner]

The question is what's failing on these units? Is it the plastic or the seals? If it's the seals then that's just a function of time and a wear item. Could be both. Once I get mine off I'm going to do an autopsy.

It's both.
The housing itself fails, usually due to cases like my Pacifica where I needed a 1/2 breaker to get the cap loose after the dealer did the last oil change.
The seals also fail, but again, usually due to the twisting forces from removing/installing the cap as the seals get old/brittle.

Hence why I say, "Used Properly" they don't have issues.
Our 2017 for instance is pushing 300k miles. It's never had an oil cooler failure. Then again, it's never seen a mechanic/dealership shop either.

 

[Classic Owner]

Now I finally measured the depth of the O-Ring grooves themselves to see how they played out....

The top side saw .014" variance in depth of the grooves:

The bottom side was better, but still saw almost .010" of variance:

I'm not sure how much "crush" the O-Rings have, but I'm thinking they should be able to seal with only a .015" variance, but I honestly don't know.

I know setting it up to machine the grooves to proper spec isn't going to be fun, so I think I'll wait until my seals show up Wednesday and get more measurements.

 

[M0Par]

Did you happen to note if yours has the same looking semi-circle at the bottom of the oil filter housing?

 

[jasonn]

Have you measured the original Mopar one to compare?

 

[M0Par]

Have you measured the original Mopar one to compare?

Not just the original Mopar but an original new Mopar.

 

[Classic Owner]

Did you happen to note if yours has the same looking semi-circle at the bottom of the oil filter housing?

It does yes.

Have you measured the original Mopar one to compare?

I will be taking measurements of the original cooler and inspecting it once I get it removed.

 

[Classic Owner]

Not just the original Mopar but an original new Mopar.

The original will give insight as to "what" failed.

If someone wants to send me a "New Mopar" unit I'll gladly take measurements and send it back once measurements are done. I can't however afford to just buy another cooler to grab measurements.

 

[Classic Owner]

@M0Par
I managed to finally check the seal surfaces on the factory unit that's been riding around with me since I changed it.

All depths are .1875-.188" deep, uniform.
It is flat within .005 across all seating surfaces.

There were no signs of leakage from it anywhere, to the point I think "oil cooler" was a misdiagnosis and it's actually been the rear head pushing coolant into the valley.