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PSA: Always check your oil cooler lines before a long haul
I changed my mind about skipping routine checks on oil cooler lines after blowing one on I-80 outside of Des Moines last Thursday. I was hauling a load of lumber and saw the oil pressure gauge drop from 50 to 20 psi in about 30 seconds. Pulled over and found a chafed line that had been rubbing against a bracket for weeks. It cost me $350 for a tow and a replacement line at a shop in Newton, plus I lost a full day on delivery. Now I do a quick visual on those lines every time I fuel up. Has anyone else had a hidden chafe point wreck their run like that?
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rowanjenkins23h agoMost Upvoted
Yeah man, that exact same hidden chafe thing got me last year but with a power steering line. I was rolling through Tennessee and started smelling fluid burning, couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Stopped at a rest area and saw a tiny little rub spot on the line where it touched a metal edge near the frame rail. Hadn't even noticed it during my pretrip because it was tucked behind some other hoses. It finally let go about 20 miles later, lost all steering assist on a curve in the mountains. That was a white knuckle moment for sure. I ended up having to get towed to a shop in Knoxville, wasted two days and almost 500 bucks. Now I crawl under there with a flashlight at every other fuel stop and just run my hand along anything that looks close to metal. It's the little stuff that nobody thinks about until it leaves you stranded.
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