Has anyone ran into replacing the oil cooler located inside the bottom tank for a straight 550 or 550A Deere Dozer? Part #11 in the diagram. It is available for $1200 ish aftermarket since its no longer available from Deere. https://www.brokentractor.com/p/john-deere-radiator-components-for-dozers-550a-550b-at52344/ To me, it looks like there is enough room in the nose cone to mount a stand alone oil cooler for alot less money. There doesn't seem to be much pressure since the parts website shows hose clamps holding the rubber hose on.
If my memory is correct that would be the converter oil cooler and would be on the low pressures circuit, converter return and lube oil circuit. I believe an external cooler would work as long as you keep the radiator and cooler free of debris.
Have you ever seen one setup that way? Any particular brand of radiator? I went down the rabbit hole of the internet and found dozens of them. I would think any transmission or oil spec'd cooler should work fine. Summit Racing SUM-331214 Summit Racing™ Plate and Fin Fluid Coolers | Summit Racing Free Shipping - Summit Racing™ Plate and Fin Fluid Coolers with qualifying orders of $109. Shop Fluid Coolers at Summit Racing. www.summitracing.com This one on summit's website for instance is only $113.99 and is way better than the non functioning one I currently have.
The oil cooler inside the bottom radiator tank on the John Deere 550 and 550A is a known pain point, especially if you’re seeing 'milky' coolant or oil loss without an external leak. It’s a tight job, but definitely manageable if you're prepared. Here are a few things to keep in mind based on common experiences with these straight 550 models: Contamination is the real enemy: If the cooler has already leaked, your priority isn't just the replacement it’s flushing the system. Oil swells the rubber radiator hoses and can cause them to fail shortly after you finish the repair. The Fitting Struggle: The steel oil lines going into the bottom tank are often rusted or seized. Use a high-quality flare nut wrench and plenty of penetrating oil a day before you start to avoid rounding off the nuts. Gasket Seating: When installing the new cooler into the tank, ensure the seating surfaces are spotless. Even a tiny bit of old gasket or corrosion will prevent a proper seal, and you would rather not have to pull that radiator twice. Check the Tank Condition: While the cooler is out, inspect the bottom tank for 'thinning' or heavy scale. Occasionally the tank itself is too weak to hold the new cooler’s seals properly. Since the clearance and torque specs are pretty specific for these older Deere units, I’d highly recommend following the factory diagrams to avoid over-tightening the brass fittings." John Deere 550/550A Repair Manual : You can find the step-by-step removal procedure and torque specs in this.
If I were to ever have this happen, I would plug off the oil cooler lines and go with an aftermarket oil cooler in a heartbeat.
Well to add more info to the story. I recently dropped the engine from the 550 off at the local diesel shop. The guy tearing it down called me in to look over a few things. The biggest question that I have is what would cause every 2nd piston ring to break? Engine had good power (or so it seemed) but had tons of blowby and was the reason i took the engine in to have it worked on. Could it have been a cheap rebuild kit from the previous owner? Thanks for any help.