Quick (I hope) question: On cars without an oil cooler, are there plugs sealing the ports where the oil cooler would otherwise connect to the engine? Is there a seal up in there that can leak? Or is it just solid wall that's not breached unless there's a cooler to be installed?

I'm still trying to track down an oil leak I mentioned in another thread, and I wanted to cross this idea off the list of possible sources. The main place I see oil pooling is right where the oil cooler would hook up if I had one, and today I blindly felt two ports right where the hoses would emerge. I can't get eyes on the area, but the ports felt to my fingers like they dead-ended about two inches deep.

Thanks!

 

The area is at a bit of an angle. If you can, elevate the front of the car on ramps, and use a mechanics mirror at an angle. There is some space behind the radiator and around the anti sway bar. This is all a bit below the crank pulley. It's not as hard to reach as it seems. My car has the oil coolers, so I can't help with the main question. For leaks, best is to clean a suspicious area (brake cleaner?), go drive and check later.