Small crack in Oil Line Discovered, been there a looong while, thoughts?

[Hotshot]

Finally going through a major deep clean in these crazy home times. Cleaning to inspect. Been very lucky with my car, no leaks, everything works, but I found this little crack on the fitting on the Oil line going from the Cooler ( top ) to the right rear to the hard line under the block that crosses over. It’s an original line and I don’t think that’s a new crack as everything was rusty even inside the crack.

I used a soft brass wire wheel to clean it up surface corrosion and to further inspect.

Do these lines just Blow or do the weep?

I’m thinking to monitor it with a little mark and see if it runs?

Any clue on how this would happen?


I’m trying to price one out and seeing the 100-300 range. After looking at several posts on here, I’m thinking OEM and get my Indy to do this job. Looks easy until the cooler couplings don’t come off. All these lines are stock.

[Lyle O]

That crack is actually not a big deal; it’s just at the end of the crimp. The real work is done ahead of that (to the left in the photo), and that looks OK from here. Still, if the crack grows and spilts, then you will have trouble. Time to replace. Get Porsche or equivalent.

[Reiver]

It looks like the corrosion weakened the metal and allowed whatever pressure is on the hose to crack the skirt. That should not weep as the crimp is safely forward of the crack.
I'd replace that for my peace of mind but it may hold for another 30 years if protected....

[Hotshot]

100% will replace. Just now is a bad time.. Thx guys, I thought the same but wanted to get some opinions. May put a dab of rust spray, mark, and monitor.

[Bill Douglas]

It wouldn't hurt to put a strong zip tie around it too. Should be fine until you are doing a bunch of other stuff and want to include this.

[ClickClickBoom]

Really?
That crimp is the only thing between you driving down the road, and dumping every ounce of oil in the engine on the ground. Given the size of that hose, it would be a bad odds bet, that you could push the clutch in and shut it off before severe engine damage occurs. Given the level of rust on the fittings, that car has been driven in snow and salt. If you can see that on the surface, what’s underneath should be shocking. That crimp is corroding from the inside, the weight of the hose, oil and engine/road vibration is what caused the crack to progress. But if you are looking for a 3.6 swap this might be the way to go...

[Hotshot]

Canadian car with zero rust on it. If it saw snow it was before 1995. Also, that is the only fastener that’s like it. I suspect it’s the heat close to the muffler.

[dos531]

It's not on the actual crimp. I would keep an eye on it but not an emergency.

[Litle brother]

If you take a drill bit and drill a tiny hole just at the end of the crack, then you will stopp the crack from getting bigger. Drill careful and just through the metal.
You could also secure the crimped area with an additional hose clamp.
Also a thin coat of rust inhibitor would be nice, but be careful so it is not damaging the hose itself.


This is only meant as an temporary fix.

[spuggy]

I had an oil line fitting to the FMOC blow. Started visibly spraying a fine oil mist just before the 2nd floor ramp of the parking structure and got visibly larger foot by foot.

Parked the car on the 4th floor, got out and locked it - and made loud expressions of surprise interspersed with old Anglo-Saxon words looking at the 3 foot wide slick leading back the way I'd come. Passenger-side front wheel well was liberally covered in oil and just dripping out...

Leave to your imagination the consequences of that happening on the freeway. Not only would you be likely to run the motor entirely dry, you'd also be dumping 14 quarts of oil on one side of the car very quickly.

[Flat6pac]

When you decide to replace the hose, order both lines because the tank to thermostat line has to be removed before you get to remove the defective line.
Many times the steel nut has bonded to the aluminum of the thermostat and won’t release a breaker bar will only help destroy the aluminum threads
Cut the steel nut diagonally most of the way through and hit the cut with an impact chisel, if it doesn’t release, cut deeper and rechisel.
Bruce

[burgermeister]

I cut my crimps and hoses off all the exterior oil lines (some were getting weepy), revealing nice barbed fittings, and replaced them with standard AN hose (I think -16) and a couple of nice hose clamps on either end. Been on the car for >10 years, 70K miles, and probably approaching 100 days on track. Cost is rather minimal. I used the stainless braid, it is hateful to work with. If I had to do it again I'd spend the extra 10 bucks and get the Kevlar braid.

For the thermostat: lots of liquid wrench, heat, bang with hammer, quench with water, more liquid wrench, bang with hammer, apply 36mm wrench, hit wrench with hammer while applying torque (trying to simulate impact wrench), repeat. After literally 50 or 60 of these over the course of a few days mine came apart. Lots of anti seize upon reassembly and they'll come apart nicely next time.

[Dan J]

Originally Posted by Flat6pac

When you decide to replace the hose, order both lines because the tank to thermostat line has to be removed before you get to remove the defective line.
Many times the steel nut has bonded to the aluminum of the thermostat and won’t release a breaker bar will only help destroy the aluminum threads
Cut the steel nut diagonally most of the way through and hit the cut with an impact chisel, if it doesn’t release, cut deeper and rechisel.
Bruce

What Bruce said. The other end of the line is the problem
Not a bad idea to have a pro do this job ( full disclosure I am one)
It's a crappy job that can go wrong in a hurry

[Andy Somogyi]

You can get a local hydraulic shop to make you a hose.

I got a shop to make braided steel turbo hoses for my UR Quattro for $100, and Audi wanted something like $500 for the lines.


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[ClickClickBoom]

Originally Posted by Hotshot

Canadian car with zero rust on it. If it saw snow it was before 1995. Also, that is the only fastener that’s like it. I suspect it’s the heat close to the muffler.

Look at the nut on the chaincase, most of the zinc has corroded off. The exhaust has some wicked pitting. You say “zero rust”, that is rust/corrosion by definition. My ‘84 exhaust is brown, but smooth as glass. Porsche zinc/cadmium plating was as close to aircraft/mil spec as you can get, that level/type of corrosion says advanced electro galvanic due to a strong electrolyte. Either salt or alkali engine degreaser.
I have been a certified A&P aircraft mechanic for 30+ years, specializing in antique/warbirds. So by definition the newer planes I work on are 50+ years old. My ‘84 Carrera has been a Calif car since new, my hose when I replaced them still had Cadmium plating on them, and yes, every oil hose has been replaced. Rubber hoses age from the inside, metal fittings corrode from the outside surface of the fittings.
FAA requires a 5 year life on all hoses for aircraft in commercial service. Ahaaa, the FAA, originators of Toumbstone legislation, make a rule after a plane load of people die. When I replaced the hoses on my ‘84 I did what any gear head would do, I did a post mortem on the hose themselves, the walls were cracked on the inside to within 1/16” of the outer surface braid. On my ‘75 I was installing an oil cooler that I bought from a member here, old hoses and all. The movement of removing and reinstalling those hoses caused them to start sweating oil on first start up. I hope you are lucky.
If you can see the rust, it’s usually the tip of the iceberg:

Zoom in on case bolts, chaincase nuts:

[ClickClickBoom]

Originally Posted by Litle brother

If you take a drill bit and drill a tiny hole just at the end of the crack, then you will stopp the crack from getting bigger. Drill careful and just through the metal.
You could also secure the crimped area with an additional hose clamp.
Also a thin coat of rust inhibitor would be nice, but be careful so it is not damaging the hose itself.

Bad advise...stop drilling will not stop corrosion cracking.

[Litle brother]

Originally Posted by ClickClickBoom

Bad advise...stop drilling will not stop corrosion cracking.

This was only meant as an temporary fix.

Updated.


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[Hotshot]

Originally Posted by ClickClickBoom

Look at the nut on the chaincase, most of the zinc has corroded off. The exhaust has some wicked pitting. You say “zero rust”, that is rust/corrosion by definition. My ‘84 exhaust is brown, but smooth as glass. Porsche zinc/cadmium plating was as close to aircraft/mil spec as you can get, that level/type of corrosion says advanced electro galvanic due to a strong electrolyte. Either salt or alkali engine degreaser.

What I meant by zero rust is the body, inside the fenders, etc. That little bracket was bent at some point and had a crack, so yes that one rusted. Cheap fix. Up here in the rust belt finding a 34 year old car with a muffler that are not pitted would only happen if the car was never driven at all in winter. I’m sure in its lifetime it was. But I know since 2013 and possibly 1995 the POs didn’t.

My main issue is this. My car doesn’t leak and that crack has probably been there for years. 100% I will fixit as replacement has to happen. But in the mean time, how to these tend to fail, what is the PSI on them, etc.

I am gonna send you a PM. I have a little knowledge of Warbirds, and aviation too.

[ClickClickBoom]

Exactly! Rust/corrosion will not show/leak until its really far along. I had a classic Cessna 120 guy who got tired of his inspection cover screws corroding. So he replaced them with Stainless Steel versions. Came to me for an annual inspection, I made him wait and got my screwdriver out, every screw and nutplate twisted out of the base aluminum skin. A recipe for galvanic corrosion action, Stainless Steel screws, steel nutplates and aluminum skin, each more reactive than the next.
Regardless for many of these above posts, if it were my car I would not drive it until I replace it and all the other oil hoses. Cheap insurance for an expensive engine.

[Hotshot]

Originally Posted by ClickClickBoom

Exactly! Rust/corrosion will not show/leak until its really far along. I had a classic Cessna 120 guy who got tired of his inspection cover screws corroding. So he replaced them with Stainless Steel versions. Came to me for an annual inspection, I made him wait and got my screwdriver out, every screw and nutplate twisted out of the base aluminum skin. A recipe for galvanic corrosion action, Stainless Steel screws, steel nutplates and aluminum skin, each more reactive than the next.
Regardless for many of these above posts, if it were my car I would not drive it until I replace it and all the other oil hoses. Cheap insurance for an expensive engine.

Every hose?? Other the 2 main ones?