Oil line from hell

[thejobrien]

In the midst of dropping the engine and have ran into an absolute monster of an oil line. It’s the last piece of the puzzle I need to do before dropping the engine and it just literally won’t budge. It’s the oil line heading to the engine from the thermostat. I’ve tried everything I can think of - heat + blaster + hammer to loosen the corrosion method with 0 and I mean 0 progress. I’ve cycled it with heat for the last week or more and hasn’t budged. I’ve tried the hammer and punch to help loosen the threads, nothing. Wrench on the hard line for stability and wrench + leverage pipe and all my might.. no budging. Has anyone ran into this issue with this specific part of the oil line? I know people sometimes cut the nut on the thermostat end to protect the aluminum threads but this is metal on metal no aluminum on this side and it’s just stuck in place. I feel like I’m torquing it sooooooo much more than it would need and it’s just frozen in there. Any advice would be awesome, I’m almost about to resort to just dropping the entire oil system with the engine as 1 unit at this pace ��

On a side note, when is it advised to replace these lines anyways? At each end cap piece on the soft line it’s wet from oil for about.. 4-5 inches back. Normal? Or dead?

Jordan

[Ok here we go]

When I replaced the oil lines in my '87, I didn't bother with trying to wrench it loose - I just cut the nut with a Dremel and popped it open with a large flat head. It's much easier that way.

[thejobrien]

Originally Posted by Ok here we go

When I replaced the oil lines in my '87, I didn't bother with trying to wrench it loose - I just cut the nut with a Dremel and popped it open with a large flat head. It's much easier that way.

gotcha but you were replacing the lines anyways correct? Thats why I asked when you know its time to replace them because if it seems like its time to replace I'm not going to bother wrenching on it anymore haha

[proporsche]

for next time to get this nut loose used one big hammer and smaller one you use against it on opposite side..after it will be easy to unscrew the oil line nut.No need to buy a new line .You can go to Northridge to ORME bros. and they will make you new one with breaded hose on it..cheaper then new oil line..i had my redone back in 2008 and still ok after all these years..
The hammer trick work also at the nut by the thermostat
https://ormebrothers.com/

[EC900]

Cut the Nut.
Mine needed replacing. At first it was much like yours, oil damp end was squishy. Eventually crimped end failed. It’s ancient rubber and has a lifespan…mine was 45 yrs or 200,000 miles both came first. it had a good life. Same with tires, brake hoses, fuel lines, vacuum hoses, even washer hoses, all rubber and vinyl goes bad just from sitting. Replacing is peace of mind and one less cardboard drip catcher on the floor.

[thejobrien]

Originally Posted by EC900

Cut the Nut.
Mine needed replacing. At first it was much like yours, oil damp end was squishy. Eventually crimped end failed. It’s ancient rubber and has a lifespan…mine was 45 yrs or 200,000 miles both came first. it had a good life. Same with tires, brake hoses, fuel lines, vacuum hoses, even washer hoses, all rubber and vinyl goes bad just from sitting. Replacing is peace of mind and one less cardboard drip catcher on the floor.

Looks very much like the state of my 2 hoses coming off the thermostat. So by cutting the nut on the soft line side I should also be cutting the nut from the thermostat side as well right? The whole line needs to be replaced at that point I assume? Or can the soft hose side be replaced and reattached?

[Ian Comerford]

Originally Posted by proporsche

for next time to get this nut loose used one big hammer and smaller one you use against it on opposite side..after it will be easy to unscrew the oil line nut.No need to buy a new line .You can go to Northridge to ORME bros. and they will make you new one with breaded hose on it..cheaper then new oil line..i had my redone back in 2008 and still ok after all these years..
The hammer trick work also at the nut by the thermostat
https://ormebrothers.com/

Ivan’s method is the one I’ve used on oil line unions for years with 100% success. To be clear, hold a large hammer against one of the flats on the union and using a smaller hammer give the opposing flat several sharp hits. The shock will loosen it

[nospiners]

Cut the nut , that oil line needs to be replaced , readily available from our host ..

[David Inc.]

Bigger wrenches or use a hammer. Or put two big wrenches on the line so they're close together (you can grab both with one hand), secure them tightly, and then tap the end of the turning wrench with a small sledge hammer. It'll give. If it doesn't then hit it harder.

[mike sampsel]

I use a crows foot (36 mm) on a breaker bar and hold the smaller with a wrench (32 mm or adjustable). Easy for me after much mashing of teeth. I also use a floor jack and a block of wood to hold the return line pipe in place (caution never hurts) Of course Ivan's method is likely grand, never tried it.

An air hammer can get the nut off if you're thinking about line replacement. They eventually will leak.

[yelcab1]

Split the nut. The last time I looked, the oil line was ... cheap. However, the reproduction line had a habit of being too long making it kink when installed. Make sure you buy a good one.

[Funracer]

Originally Posted by yelcab1

Split the nut. The last time I looked, the oil line was ... cheap. However, the reproduction line had a habit of being too long making it kink when installed. Make sure you buy a good one.

This!

[proporsche]

Originally Posted by yelcab1

Split the nut. The last time I looked, the oil line was ... cheap. However, the reproduction line had a habit of being too long making it kink when installed. Make sure you buy a good one.

The good reason for having it fixed -cheaper then new line is -your oil line will fit perfectly;-)

Ivan

[Ok here we go]

Originally Posted by thejobrien

gotcha but you were replacing the lines anyways correct? Thats why I asked when you know its time to replace them because if it seems like its time to replace I'm not going to bother wrenching on it anymore haha

Yeah, sorry I didn't elaborate. The pressed on part of the fittings were accumulating oil and grime, and they were 33 year old lines so I figured why not just replace them while my back is still good enough to absorb the abuse. The weather was nice and cool, and the lines were also on sale so it was a sign for me to get it done.

[john walker's workshop]

A pair of 24" crescents from Tractor Supply gets them loose.

[thejobrien]

Thank you all for the advice and methods, they sure helped me and hopefully help someone else in the future as well. As for my line, I finally got it off. I wanted to tryyyyyy to avoid cutting the nut (even though Im sure I'll have to replace the line eventually in the future) so I went with some of the other methods mentioned here. I used the 2 hammer method (not sure if it really helped or not) and after that went back to my crescent wrenches with a big ol breaker bar attached to it. Used a jack stack to hold pressure on the fixed side of the nut with the crescent wrench and used wayyyy more leverage and strength on the nut and it finally broke free. Thought I rounded it off but it broke free. I guess I was weaker than I thought the other day

Jordan

[IROC]

I used the John Walker method on mine years ago and when it broke free the two wrenches moved together like scissors and caught my fingers in between them and almost sheared my fingers off. I had gloves on and was literally afraid to take the gloves off and look. That was 30 years ago and I still remember it like it was yesterday.

[wazzz]

Originally Posted by IROC

I used the John Walker method on mine years ago and when it broke free the two wrenches moved together like scissors and caught my fingers in between them and almost sheared my fingers off. I had gloves on and was literally afraid to take the gloves off and look. That was 30 years ago and I still remember it like it was yesterday.

That's partly why it is often not good to do it in the closing scissor fashion. Swap the wrenches and you'll deal with opening scissors instead... and hit your knuckles when the nut breaks free.

[yelcab1]

Not everyone has one 24 inch crescent wrench, let alone two of them. I have a large 18 inch one, and a special oil line wrench I bought many years ago. The combo does work with cheater bar.

Now, an aluminum fitting on a Ferrari oil cooler, attached to a steel nut on the oil line, that is an entirely different scenario.

[David Inc.]

Originally Posted by yelcab1

Not everyone has one 24 inch crescent wrench, let alone two of them. I have a large 18 inch one, and a special oil line wrench I bought many years ago. The combo does work with cheater bar.

Now, an aluminum fitting on a Ferrari oil cooler, attached to a steel nut on the oil line, that is an entirely different scenario.

Not everybody does, but if they have big old oil lines on an old 911 they probably should!

I've been able to do mine with a 12 and an 18 plus a sledge.