Replacing Carrera Front Oil Cooler Lines - Have Questions

[wrxnofx]

One of the flexible oil lines on my '87 Carrera has been leaking at the oil cooler for a few years now.




Each spring when I pull the car out there is a slightly larger oil spot on the floor, so I took on this task to swap them out and (shocker) I've hit a snag.

I didn't realize that these short "flexible" lines are connected to the oil cooler via a male-male fitting. In both cases the male-male fitting came off the cooler with the flexible hose. There is a crush washer, exactly the same as on the oil drain plugs, between the cooler and the male fitting - is this correct? I assume so but was just curious because this fitting/crush washer doesn't show in the PET as separate from the cooler.

I was able to get one of the fittings off one flexible line using MAPP gas (that's all I have), holding one side in a vise, and yanking on it with an adjustable wrench.

But I cannot get the other one off with the same "technique". Part of me is tempted to cut the hose, affix the male-male fitting in a vise, and hammer the hose end fitting with an impact. Will this work or am I better off to use more heat and non-impact torque? More than anything I'm worried about damaging the male-male fitting since it's not available in the PET as a separate part.

The new flexible lines I bought here on the Bird are slightly different in length than the ones I've taken off. I think they're both slightly longer. Because these things are so inflexible, how much of a nightmare are they going to be when I try and install them?

Any guidance on which side to install first? Do I install the flexible lines to the cooler and try to thread them onto the hard lines, or do I install them onto the hard lines and try to thread them onto the cooler?

[Nditiz1]

The Carrera cooler I installed was from an 85 and the fittings were welded to the cooler. I believe I have seen newer ones or aftermarket where the fittings were removable.

The new flex lines should be exactly the same length.

[dg567]

I suggest loosening up the hard lines and cooler before trying to install the new flex lines.

After you get the flex lines in you can secure the hard lines back to the body and the cooler to its bracket. Having some play between all the parts is going to save you a ton of aggravation and time when fitting everything together.

And, if you need any fittings give elephant racing a shout, they have every fitting combination you can think of.

[JRSIII]

Griffiths offers a neat little "upgrade" if you are interested. See photo. Note also that the replacement lines you use should be the same size as the existing ones, but the two of them are different lengths. There is a longer one and a shorter one.

[wrxnofx]

Thanks for this, everyone.

I removed the whole cooler out of the fender to clean it up, so hopefully that flexibility helps.

That being said, check out the difference in length on these hoses. One is too short and the other is too long.



I don't think there's any chance these will work for me.
The Griffith's ones look interesting. Think I'm going to pull the trigger on those.

[Nditiz1]

Yep, send that crap back

[911obgyn]

I would carefully use a dremmel, grinder, or a file on that nut and split it to get it off

[spyerx]

I had a similar problem. I didn't try Griffiths (have had proper good results with them however several times on other stuff). But, the 2 different suppliers I did try had same issues. I took the lines to a hydraulic shop and they made me lines exactly length of the parts I took off. Proper hose, connectors, etc...

Good luck

[dg567]

Number 6 and 7 look good from elephant:

https://www.elephantracing.com/porsche/911/oil-cooling-for-911/oil-lines-hoses/

And here are the fittings you may need:

https://www.elephantracing.com/porsche/911/oil-cooling-for-911/oil-lines-hoses-fittings/oil-hose-adapters-unions-and-fittings/#oil-line-tube-nut-replacement-kit

[wrxnofx]

Originally Posted by 911obgyn

I would carefully use a dremmel, grinder, or a file on that nut and split it to get it off

I considered this as my last resort. I ran over to my local big box store this morning and grabbed a 36mm wrench (had been using an adjustable before). With the correct tools I was able to pop the fitting right off. Imagine that, the right tool for the job made short work of it.

[wrxnofx]

Front (and rear) oil lines replaced and no leaks. Thanks to JRSIII - I ended up going with the Griffith's lines for the front.

One note for anyone who goes this route in the future. Because these lines are SO flexible, they had a tendency to want to twist on the last 1/4 turn or so. So it was a bit of a pain to get these lines tightened down properly without them being twisted. Very happy with the result though.

[fallingat120mph]

Originally Posted by wrxnofx

Front (and rear) oil lines replaced and no leaks. Thanks to JRSIII - I ended up going with the Griffith's lines for the front.

One note for anyone who goes this route in the future. Because these lines are SO flexible, they had a tendency to want to twist on the last 1/4 turn or so. So it was a bit of a pain to get these lines tightened down properly without them being twisted. Very happy with the result though.

Timely thread! Thanks to everyone who took the time to post.

Erik