This is helpful thank you for that! I am looking into this and from what I could find, the early L5P motors have the same thread pitch as all other earlier duramax engines. So for those wanting to keep their same filters (for me Donaldson) I’d recommend finding an early L5P cooler


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You are correct, I forgot to note that. Info added!

 

I am not sure the part number for the early L5P cooler but it’s definitely a good option too. Anything to help keep these trucks cool and running well!


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Thanks for posting this and hope the install has served you well.

Quick question... are line items 4 & 5 the same part number? There maybe a different part number for line item 4.

 

Thanks for posting this and hope the install has served you well.

Quick question... are line items 4 & 5 the same part number? There maybe a different part number for line item 4.

whoops. No they are not the same part number. I messed that up. I even messed it up on my excel record sheet that I have going for the truck I will go back and figure out which one are the correct numbers

 

Great post!

 

Isn't the oil filter for a '17-19 a pf2232 and a pf26 for '20 and up?

 

Correct. Actually all '01-'19 used PF2232. The thread changed on the 2020 L5P cooler and so that is the cause for the PF26 part number.

 

How hard was the install? I've got my driver's side manifold off right now and was eyeballing some stuff that might be easier to change/upgrade right now before I put my manifold back in.

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How hard was the install? I've got my driver's side manifold off right now and was eyeballing some stuff that might be easier to change/upgrade right now before I put my manifold back in.

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The manifold is only in the way if it is a stock manifold. if you follow the banks power install guide, you will see that a small portion of the factory manifold needs to be ground off to be able to clear the 2020+ oil cooler.
Otherwise, you can remove the factory cooler and install this cooler without removing anything except the front driveshaft connection to the front diff on 4x4 trucks.
Or you can choose to use the '17-'19 oil cooler. but that has less stack plates for cooling

 

Wide open throttle

 

I have good oil pressure at WOT but that is when the growling/popping noises occur.

 

Great info and i know a dated thread.

Finally got the truck with Camper and boat up into the mountains. Ect from edge touched 250 as we peaked the summit and I don't like it that high. So, my early searches for cooling landed me here.

Truck has 171k miles on it and has a tow tune.

Is this the best course of action to add additional cooling to the engine?

 

ECT 250!!? Just because you have the power to top the hill with good speed does not mean you should. You've got to adjust your speed to keep the coolant temp down. When my 5th wheel is fully loaded and I'm pulling an extended 8-10% grade I can accelerate all the way up the hill straight into engine meltdown. Not smart. When I hit 210 that's it for me. Time to find the sweet spot which is 2nd gear at 30 mph. I can keep on climbing and watch my coolant temp drop while I'm doing it. I've had it up to 230 once before just because I wanted to top the hill at speed and let it cool down going down the other side. Didn't quite make it. Had to drop it down before it melted down. Cleaning the cooling stack is definitely a good place to start. Couldn't believe the crud that came out of the radiator fins when I was changing my intercooler. The bigger oil cooler also helps. One thing I have noticed after the oil cooler upgrade is that while it does run a bit cooler in general, after it does get into the higher temps from towing up steep grades it drops that temp a lot faster than it used to. The bigger oil cooler is transferring more heat faster to the engine coolant which makes the radiator the end of the line weak spot. If I were to do a lot more towing than I currently do I've thought about getting a bigger radiator or maybe just one the same size except without having one of the cooling cells in it being wasted by being dedicated to the trans fluid. And then getting a much bigger trans oil cooler with its own electric cooling fan and moving it somewhere out of the cooling stack where 3/4 of it is hid behind the bumper not getting much air anyway. I've read places that said the trans fluid running thru the radiator helps it get up to operating temp quicker and other places that that isn't even important. If it is a big deal for the life of the trans I would be willing to ease it along until it got up to operating temp just to have the extra capacity for the coolant.

 

Clean our cooling stack. if not clean, no bueno.

 

Can it be done effectively in vehicle? I saw the video from merchant automotive so I see how it's done out of the truck.

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I put the 17-19 cooler on my LB7 this spring when I was finishing up some other work I had to do. This let me keep the same filter I had been using as well as using the same filter that is on my LML, so I had a dual-purpose for using the early L5P cooler. So far is working great, although I don't have anything that monitors oil temp to see how much difference it really made

 

I am thinking about just going with the 17-19 cooler myself so I can stay with the same oil filter and not have a bunch of clearance issues. I only tow 7000 lbs max and stay in Michigan so I should be good.

 

The 20+ models have a couple more cooling plates.

 

17-19 cooler is 17plates, 20-21 cooler is 20plates so a little more cooling capacity.

 

Thank you so much for this post. I am ordering parts now!
I have an LB7 ZF6, fresh rebuild, bigger turbo, 10 over injectors, exhaust brake, new oem radiator, dsp5 tuning, Edge cts3 monitor, straight driver side log, up and down pipes, 4 inch exhaust, Spal electric fans, bigger alternator, and coolertowing.com aux radiator with fan.

Last summer I was towing 9000lbs up through sunset point. ECT were fine but EOT were high. Way high. While pulling the last hill north of Stoneman lake rd I was not paying attention to the truck. The dash started binging at me,ding,ding,ding really fast. The DIC said warning coolant temp 255 slow down!

Well I did, I just rolled out of it slowed a bit and ECT dropped immediately. But EOT was still near 300 for a bit longer.
#1 I think my oil temp sensor in the PPE oil pan my not be reading right
#2 Blackstone Labs said this heated oil was just fine and could have been kept in longer. Rotella T6
#3 I am doing this upgrade Now

Removing the clutch fan helped the truck stay cooler in traffic and the A/C worked way better. The 2 electric fans don't move quiet as much air as the clutch fan but the aux radiator and fan make up the difference.

Thanks for putting this kit list on here!

I am building a winch bumper to protect the aux cooler soon.

 

This Modification was prompted when I first noticed a wet spot under my truck on a saturday morning following a 9 hour trip to PA for a vehicle i was delivering. Right before this trip, I had gotten the underside oiled down for winter. So I thought it was just excess oil coming off. The undercoat guy laid it on THIIIICCCC. And so I thought nothing of it. It wasn't until my 'low coolant level' notification came up on my dash a week and a half later that I knew exactly what was coming off (or out) of my truck. I had no idea where it was coming from. So I did some digging on this site to get a rough idea. 'Driver side coolant leak on rear of engine' led me to two possibilities. The oil cooler elbow or the dreaded head gasket. (193k i thought head gasket could be a possibility). Although, my upper radiator hose never got hard, no mixing of oil and coolant, and I didn't have overheating issues. So I took the gamble and started researching parts to rebuild the oil cooler with new gaskets/seals.
It wasn't until this time I had learned about the L5P oil coolers being able to fit on the older trucks. I found links to the banks upgrade kit/s and started looking up the individual parts on my own to make it work. I don't have a VIN for a 2020+ L5P truck so sites like DHD were extremely helpful. DHD has all of the GM part numbers listed to be able to make it work and can be found here.

GM 12706188 Duramax L5P Engine Oil Cooler Assembly 2020-2021 Repl, 12701592 (dirtyhookerdiesel.com)

Banks cut the price on their complete kit on their site down to $550 when available
Oil Cooler Upgrade Kit [13252] for 2001-2007 and 2011-2019 Chevy/GMC 2500/3500 6.6L Duramax (bankspower.com)

DMAX store still has it for $610. Not sure why
Banks Power Oil Cooler Upgrade Kit | DMAX Store

DMAX store has the 'maxflow' branded kit for a more modest $495 (same exact kit)
Max-Flow Duramax Oil Cooler Upgrade Kit | DMAX Store

There's a few vendors selling this kit in addition to what I listed. And there's one thing they all have in common. MARKUP. To me, the 1/8 npt sensor adapter that banks puts in their kit isn't worth the extra $250+ from what I spent on mine. You can actually buy that fitting here on DMAX store.
Max-Flow Oil Cooler Temperature Sensor Adapter Fitting for 2020-2021 Oil Cooler Only | DMAX Store

Anyone looking to do this upgrade and finds this thread will save some money.

This entire kit can be had for just under $300 (this does not include the coolant and oil to be replaced after the fact, but neither do the vendor kits).
Below is the list of parts required (minus oil filter ($15)) to swap your early oil cooler to a 2020+ L5P oil cooler. Where I bought them and how much it cost.

2020 OIL COOLER ASSEMBLY - GM12706188	GM PART GIANT	$213.74
90 DEG ELBOW - GM12675428	GM PART GIANT	$9.39
90 DEG ELBOW GASKET (HOUSING SIDE) - GM12676826	DIRTY HOOKER DIESEL	$6.83
90 DEG ELBOW GASKET (BLOCK SIDE) - GM97192667	GM PART GIANT	$3.32
CROSSOVER PIPE TO OIL COOLER O-RING - GM94011702	GM PART GIANT	18.04
WATER PUMP OUTLET GASKET - GM12635594	GM PART GIANT	$3.19
3 HEX FLANGED BOLTS - GM11515760 40MM (3 @ 3.07)	GM PART GIANT	$9.21
2 HEX FLANGED BOLTS - GM11588694 120MM (2 @ 9.54)	GM PART GIANT	$19.08
1 HEX FLANGED BOLT - 8x1.25 25MM	COUNTY STORES (ACE HARDWARE)	$2.09

Grand total of $284.89
Now you can use that money you would've spent on a kit from a vendor and use it for your coolant, oil and oil filter!

Notes:
This kit will work if you have Profab performance castflow manifolds. It is advertised that it will clear aftermarket manifolds, but I cannot speak for other brands.

GM has changed the oil filter thread size on the 2020+ units. The '17-'19 L5P coolers remain with the same thread size as all previous coolers before that.

There is a nub on the back side of the housing assembly that the earlier coolers do not have. I wasn't sure if it was going to interfere with the block, and given the tight space, I didn't feel like weasling it up there to find out it wouldn't work and have to take it back out and put back up a second time. So I just knocked it off right there with a sanding disk

There is a known 'thumping' sound that the L5P trucks make when running. And there are speculations on what exactly it is. Some argue it is the design of the oil cooler and how the coolant passes through it. I can say that I have not experienced any odd 'thumping' sounds after installing the cooler (despite the 2"-6" exhaust running front to back).
Another speculation is that it is the clutch fan assembly on the L5P. and there are bulletins posted about testing it. Some say it went away after the belt removal. some say it did not. 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️

View attachment 1094215 View attachment 1094216

What is the last bolt on your parts list for?

Also does the 17 - 19 l5p cooler require additional hardware like the 20+ or can you use original hardware?

Also has anyone have any advice on the fleece upgraded oil cooler elbow?

 

The original hardware is not long enough to bolt on the new oil cooler. Do the Fleece elbow, it’s worth it to put it on and not have to mess with it again

 

I know this is some what of an old thread, but I think I will be needing a new oil cooler. I am having coolant leaking down from the back driver side, head area, truck runs fine though. For you that have done this upgrade and are more knowledgeable than me. Are the part numbers listed in beginning of this thread still current? or has anything changed? I'm sure they are, just wanted to make sure before I do anything.

 

Tell you what though prices have definitely gone up this this thread started lol. $330 for GM12706188

 

I just had the LP5 oil cooler installed on my LBZ and it seems I am getting a slight bit less fuel economy. Has anyone else experienced this?

 

The only possibility, and I'm reaching pretty far, is your oil is now considerably cooler and it's a tad thicker, but it would be mere tenths of an MPG difference. So basically, no.

 

Changing an oil cooler would have nothing to do with a fuel economy issue

 

I saw that this cooler isn't recommended for LBZ/LMM due to EGR. What do you do in this instance?