Gasket around front oil cooler shield

[Wil Ferch]

Topic says it...
Is it possible to remove and replace the gasket material around the front oil cooler rock shield....while the shield is still mounted to the car? Replacement gasket doesn't have to be stock, I was thinking the stuff used for home water pipe insulation with a longitudinal cut. Car is a stock 85 Carrera.
---Wil Ferch

[Bill Verburg]

That's sort of what I used when I made one for my car. I used industrial stuff left over from the AC system in one of the boats we built, it's is pretty much the same. Long strips of it can be used to seal the bottom of the spoiler if one was inclined to do that.

[Wil Ferch]

So Bill:
Are you saying I'm OK to pull out the old, crumbling stuff..while keeping the guard in-place? I think the guard can't come off unless I break-open an oil line connection...right?
---Wil

[masraum]

The AC pipe insulation will work and has been used by a bunch of people. I looked at the stuff at my Home Depot, but it was only rated to a relatively low temp compared to the possible temp of our oil. I used the high temp foam in a can which is still not rated really high, but it is rated higher than the other stuff.

[32Flat6]

When replacing a crushed oil line early last year, I decided to also replace the flex lines lines into the cooler as well as the crumbling gasket around the cooler. As I recall, the shield on the cooler cannot be removed with the flex lines in place. Removel of the gasket alone should be no problem. It is pressed onto the lip edge of the guard/cooler.

Kevin

[mm86911]

I used household pipe insulation last year and has done well even thru mid-summer track events with high temps.

[Chuck Moreland]

The edge of the stone guard is not as hot as the oil.

[surflvr911sc]

Here's the one I just installed.

[Steve W]

Wil, I used the rubber hatchback weatherstrip seal from an old SAAB 900, though I'm sure it can come from any other car. It had a rubber covered metal clamping channel to grip onto the shield edges, and a small billowed rubber O on it to form the seal. I figured it has to be more durable than the stock foam seal. But closed cell AC tubing insulation sounds like it would work good too.

[CrossT]

I had thought about alternatives to the $70 OE item, but ended up buying the OE part anyway. It will be interesting to see how the alternatives people have used hold up. $70 is crazy for this type of item. I'm getting paranoid about my high running temps and went with the least questionable . . .


todd
=-=-=-=-=-
86 cpe

[Chuck Moreland]

The dissapointing thing is the $70 OE part doesn't last. They deteriorate pretty fast compared to the rest of the car. Not really up to Porsche quality standards IMHO.

[Wil Ferch]

Thanks for all the info...
I agree with Chuck, the factory stuff just doesn't hold up ( look how bad these get to be compared to say...OEM door weatherstrippiing which still looks brand new on my 85)....which makes the high $ of this even more unbearable.

My concern that wasn't clearly stated is once I take all the old stuff out, how much of a problem would it be to feed some new stuff around the edge, say...using pipe imsulation with a longitudinal slit? My eyes tell me it might be very easy, but something else tells me it might be hard due to the tight fit to the body as you work your way around.
---Wil

[Bill Verburg]

Will, I thought I replied yesterday, but apartly the reply is somewhere in the cyber twilight zone.

The closed cell stuff is very easy to work into place and will stay there. I don't have any of the smaller stuff left but this made a great seal between the spoiler and tub, it's 63mm across.

[Wil Ferch]

bumping this old thread.....

What size foam insulaltion "tube" should I be looking at....either the water pipe insulation... or as made for A/C applications ??

- Wil