Crushed oil supply line....

[175K911]

WWPD (what would Pelican do?)
Like so many others, somewhere in the history of my '86, someone jacked up the car on the oil supply line and crushed it. So here are my options:

Find a new factory line (expensive and not going to happen quickly)
Order an Elephant finned line (also expensive with shipping)
Pull the line and solder in a splice (finding the time to do it is a challenge these days)
Have a -16 line made up (personally prefer a hard line but this could be a cost-effective option)

My challenge these days is getting the time to finish all the winter projects and still spend time with the family. If time wasn't a factor, I'd just repair the line. If cost wasn't a factor, I'd order the ER line. And a -16 line would probably split the difference in cost.

[trak ratt]

Try here:
Fixed my Crushed Oil line for $5 and a beer.

Repair process takes just an hour or so longer than simply replacing lines.

[waynesco1]

There was a few posts on that subject . Try a search

[175K911]

Originally Posted by david riley

Try here:
Fixed my Crushed Oil line for $5 and a beer.

Repair process takes just an hour or so longer than simply replacing lines.

I'd seen that and several other posts when I'd searched. That's why I asked the question of the cognoscenti here.

I chatted with a commercial plumber friend of mine who does a lot of fire sprinkler systems for homes, business and warehouses. So he's used to dealing with piping that operates at higher pressures than the usual home water pipes. His opinion was that heating, softening and re-forming the pipe at the crushed area was not a smart idea. The initial cold bend that occurred when the car was improperly jacked up has already weakened the material, and heating and expanding again would make it even weaker. Granted the line only sees 5 bar (75 lbs) or so but I don't want to trust my engine, or the safety of others on the track behind me, to a weak link when there are alternatives.

So since I've ruled that technique out, that leaves the other options I've considered. And of course keep in mind that this is primarily a track car so concours originality isn't a concern.

[trak ratt]

You should do what makes you the most comfortable.
I also have a friend in the commercial plumbing business that endorsed this process when I told him about it, and suggested I fab the jig to make things easier.
BTW my SC has well over 200K miles on it and several hundred track hours. I guess the full cage, racing seats, harnesses and suspension mods makes it mostly a track car too.
But braided lines with AN fittings do look cool. And the Elephant lines are supposed to add some cooling.

[DW SD]

Just a heads up, the cooling lines don't see 5 bar, not even close. They get scavenged oil from the crank case. In the event the oil is cold and viscous, there is a relief valve in the thermostat. It would be worthwhile to investigate at what pressure it opens. That would be the maximum pressure they see.

Remember, the 911 oil pump is two stage. The first stage pressurizes the lubrication points in the engine. The second scavenges oil and sends it out to be cooled and filtered and stored in the oil tank.

Doug

[175K911]

Originally Posted by DW SD

Just a heads up, the cooling lines don't see 5 bar, not even close. They get scavenged oil from the crank case. In the event the oil is cold and viscous, there is a relief valve in the thermostat. It would be worthwhile to investigate at what pressure it opens. That would be the maximum pressure they see.

Remember, the 911 oil pump is two stage. The first stage pressurizes the lubrication points in the engine. The second scavenges oil and sends it out to be cooled and filtered and stored in the oil tank.

Doug

Good point, wasn't thinking about that.

[Rusty Heap]

wow, the search button is totally your answer, heck there are numerous posts on this 10-15 items below yours that cover ooodles of fixes and options.

What is your "special needs" question again?

[MotoSook]

Ed,

I'd heat and blow....

My little cheat sheet on oil flow tells me that per 100 ft of 3/4" ID pipe, oil pressure loss is 24 psig. (hydraulic oil example). Since the scavenger pump dumps to the oil tank at approximately atmosphere, we can back calculate what might be the highest pressure in the lines.

Let's assume the lines are 10 feet long each and neglecting the elbows and fittings to simplify this. Using 10' we've sort of considered the "equivalent length" of pipe for the losses in the fittings and bends.

So for every 10 ft, we'd lose 2.4 psig...over 20 ft, we see a 4.8 psig increase in pressure from the 14.7 psig at the tank...

19.5 psig at the highest point in the lines.... Nothing to worry about IMO.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by Rusty Heap

wow, the search button is totally your answer, heck there are numerous posts on this 10-15 items below yours that cover ooodles of fixes and options.

What is your "special needs" question again?

He said it's a track car and sees heavy use. He did not want to lose an engine, but moreover, did not want anyone to get hurt after hitting his oil on the track.

I find that to be commendable and don't mind him double checking with the better informed about the "heat and blow" method. His plumber might have spooked him.

[175K911]

Originally Posted by milt

He said it's a track car and sees heavy use. He did not want to lose an engine, but moreover, did not want anyone to get hurt after hitting his oil on the track.

I find that to be commendable and don't mind him double checking with the better informed about the "heat and blow" method. His plumber might have spooked him.

Thanks for the kind comment Milt. You've hit the nail on the head.

FWIW- The lazy part of me is saying to just order the ER finned line and put the saved time to better use completing all the other winter projects. First track event is just 7 weeks away and I need to get my tail in gear on all the other projects.

[175K911]

OK, I took the easy way out and just ordered a new ER finned supply line from Chuck. After I get the old line off, maybe I'll find time to try the heat and blow method as a backup, but this way I can probably do the swap in an hour or less. Thanks for the input everyone

[dshepp806]

Even after the "blowtorch/pressure methods", how would guarantee the structure integrity (without some sort of measurement)? I've always been impressed by the threads demonstrating the repair...amazing stuff Yet I often felt, that should I be in the same "place" as others (wth damaged lines), new lines are going in,.::::Period. (just me,....only 2 whole cents)


Best to all,

Doyle