“S” Hose Oil Tank to Cooler Replacement Schedule

[RNajarian]

I’ve drained the oil from my beast in preparation for an oil change. My “S” hose appears to be in good condition and is not leaking. The car is stored in a cool garage and it is driven 600 miles a year. The last change of the “S” hose was maybe 8 years ago.

How often do you recommend changing the “S” hose.

Like an idiot I forgot to add the “S” hose to my order when I got my Carrera fender oil cooler earlier this month.

Thanks

[fanaudical]

The "S" hose is not subject to much pressure (just the head of the oil in the tank) but is subject to heat. I don't know of a published replacement schedule. I would replace when visible cracks appear or it provides evidence of loosing flexibility or becoming spongy. My guess is you're good for a couple more years.

[Snitzler]

I changed the "S" hose at the last oil change. Mine still looked pretty good but I thought what is the cost of the hose versus the consequences of it failing.... I would order the hose so that you are ready for the next time.

[joseph]

Just replaced mine after 10 years. It looked fine but changed it anyway.

[RNajarian]

Originally Posted by Snitzler

I changed the "S" hose at the last oil change. Mine still looked pretty good but I thought what is the cost of the hose versus the consequences of it failing.... I would order the hose so that you are ready for the next time.

Yes good advice. I’ll put it on my Pelican wish list

[manbridge 74]

I would recommend the Porsche one without the seam you can feel. SOME of the knock-offs are substandard...

[brshap]

I just replaced mine after noticing some hairline cracks that were weeping oil. Its a pretty robust hose. If its not showing signs of wear I'd probably leave it alone.

[BoxsterGT]

Follow manbridge 74's advice.......The Chinese ones are going to fail in short order.

Why risk it? Porsche OE only.

Len

[IROC]

Mine was leaking a little when I first bought my car, so I replaced it (with a factory part). It's been fine since.

That was 24 years ago...

[theiceman]

yeah I'm thinking every 25 years or so .... mine was original after 40 years and was not leaking a drop . Was hard as a freakin rock though . Replaced it during my engine rebuild with an aftermarket I think , zero issues.

[yelcab1]

25 years sounds like the right amount of time.

[RNajarian]

I ended up buying an OE from our host and replaced it. I acquired this car in 2005 and began keeping a log of maintenance (with receipts) in 2010. The old S hose was perhaps 12-14 years old. It looked good on removal. I’ve kept it as a spare, just in case.

Thanks to everyone for your insight

[theiceman]

Originally Posted by RNajarian

I ended up buying an OE from our host and replaced it. I acquired this car in 2005 and began keeping a log of maintenance (with receipts) in 2010. The old S hose was perhaps 12-14 years old. It looked good on removal. I’ve kept it as a spare, just in case.

Thanks to everyone for your insight

lol ive done that too .. and then 15 years later thought " why have I been storing an oily rubber hose that I can buy for a few bucks for 15 years ?

[KTL]

theiceman mentioned the best test I know of- the softness/squish test. If the hose is still soft and you can squish it somewhat easily with your hand, it's still in good shape. Also look for surface cracking when you do the squish test. I've found a handful of originals over the years that are rock hard just like he describes. I also am guilty of saving old S-hoses that are still in decent shape and squishy. I guess I just don't have a lot of faith in newer stuff.

But also look for over-tightened hose clamps. If the previous installer gorilla tightened the clamps, you may find cracking next to the clamps.

This hose is under negative pressure since it's a suction hose. The pipe under the oil cooler is a direct connection to the inlet side of the oil pump. So these hoses typically leak when the engine is not running and the weight of the oil sitting in the oil tank tries to sneak out.

[dap930]

I lost an S hose on I-95 in SC years ago on my Turbo. I noticed smoke in the rear view mirror then looked to see I had no oil pressure. I immediately cut the engine and headed to the shoulder. The S hose had broken off at the clamp. I jacked the car up, remove the tire and cut off the hose flush where it had broken and reattached it with the clamp. I had enough oil in the trunk to get the engine re-fired and headed to the next exit to get more oil. Luckily it did not hurt the motor.

So, the S hose is something that needs to be checked every oil change. As a matter of fact I need to change mine again.

[theiceman]

Originally Posted by dap930

I lost an S hose on I-95 in SC years ago on my Turbo. I noticed smoke in the rear view mirror then looked to see I had no oil pressure. I immediately cut the engine and headed to the shoulder. The S hose had broken off at the clamp. I jacked the car up, remove the tire and cut off the hose flush where it had broken and reattached it with the clamp. I had enough oil in the trunk to get the engine re-fired and headed to the next exit to get more oil. Luckily it did not hurt the motor.

So, the S hose is something that needs to be checked every oil change. As a matter of fact I need to change mine again.

oil dumping out of that hose right beside the rear wheel on any care would be a puckering experience, never mind a turbo.

[proporsche]

I have my S hose on the 911 since 2005 and still flexes and no cracks.
I say the old saying apply here..if it ain`t broken why fix it"...the materials on new and specially import rubbers are horrible ...even here in Europe..i rather buy parts from old US of A...
than again when i need it..i still have plenty of boxes with all the spare parts i need for my beast

Ivan

[nene]

I have read that if the hose is not pliable and hard as a rock, that is a good sign of replacing, which mine was.

[GH85Carrera]

For me, I change it every 8 to 10 years depending on the miles I have driven. Yea, it may well be fine, but it is just too dang cheap and easy to replace. I have seen one 911 have an old S hose split at an autocross. He dumped the contents of the oil tank all over the course, and of course did a nice ground loop. Fortunately he did not hit anything, and he shut down the engine when he smelled burning oil all over his muffler.

[zippy_gg]

I change mine as the original from 1986 was still in the car, pretty dry rotten, with cracks showing when I squeezed it.
I replaced with an OEM from PP