Replacing both lines to oil regulator??

[canoehead]

Hi guys,

It looks like after 6 months of lurking around this site as well as craigslist, I will soon be the proud owner of a 1982 911SC. It was just picked up today from its origin and will hopefully be sitting in my garage here in Chicago by Friday. I will be sure to post pictures and details once she arrives.

One of the things that I hope to accomplish while owning this car is to learn a basic to intermediate understanding of the 3.0 engine. I don't have any background in mechanics but Im not afraid to get my hands dirty. I hope, with the help of this forum, that I will be able to become more knowledgeable and learn from the seemingly awesome guys on this site.

One of the things that the PPI revealed was that both of the lines to the oil regulator are deteriorated. I understand that it gets a bit tricky to deal with the thermostat, and that its possible to ruin it, but I have seen a "thermostat saver" here on Pelican that I hope will work well.

My question is: should I attempt to do this myself? If it is relatively simple, what tools and parts will I need?

Thank you so much for your help!

[Flat6pac]

The lines take a 32mm and a 36mm or a 12 inch adjustable. For best results take a die grinder and split the nut sideways. When youre almost all the way through hit it with a hammer and chisel and the nut should release from the aluminum threads. The 2 lines are not terribly expensive. The connections on the tank and at the rear corner of the engine sometimes require a breaker bar to help.
Bruce

[johnsjmc]

It,s fairly simple .I have only replaced a 3 -5 over the years and have been fortunate to not damage the thermostat threads. Pelican sells a set of wrenchs for about $60 (set of 4) . You can get away with standard tools but the line wrenchs ar a better fit in tight spots.
Soak the threads at the end with good penetrating oil and let it work for a few days. Then crack the theaded end and work it back and forth a few times to loosen the threads.
There are several different lines used over the years so be careful to look at the drawings in the catalogue to get the right one. I think one line is about $100 and the other is closer to $250. The lines are a combo of a steel tube and a hose section. It,s the hose which starts to leak (usually at the crimp) They can look pretty beat up and will dribble a bit but are unlikely to burst (IMHO)

[canoehead]

Thank you both for your insight.

Is there some way to get diagrams or illustrations of what I'm supposed to be looking at and working on?

Please forgive my ignorance....ya gotta start somewhere...

[Packet82]

Funny enough, I'm in the middle of doing that right now on my 82 SC.

It's not terribly difficult, although I have brake ducts over the thermostat that makes it a bit of a pain to remove the lines. I ended up having to drop the entire oil cooler to get it out.

My thermostat was rusted enough that I ended up ordering new lines, thermostat, and the lines to the oil cooler. Anything in particular you want a picture of? Everything is out of the car so I can't get you pictures in situ, but I can tell you what you're looking at.

[canoehead]

Packet, a god send!!

Well first of all, where is the thermostat and which lines am I replacing?

A total newbie, like I said.

How much did the 2 new lines cost you? What about the thermostat? What tools will I need?

[Packet82]

Get the set of wrenches from pelican if you don't have a particular brand that you like. I used I believe a 30mm and 32mm wrench plus the 36mm line wrench that pelican sells. If nothing else, make sure you get the 36mm line wrench. It will prevent you from stripping the connectors.

To get to the lines, jack up the back end of the car and take off the rear passenger wheel. You'll see two fairly thick oil lines running across the top part of the wheel well. Follow those lines towards the front of the car and they both connect to an oddly shaped metal device. This is the thermostat everyone's talking about. There are two lines that connect to the bottom of this and they run under the rocker panels to the front passenger wheel well.

Before you disconnect anything, drain the oil. There are two places to drain the oil. One directly below the engine and the other under the oil tank behind the passenger wheel well. Be sure to have a 5 gallon bucket as roughly 10 qts of oil comes out between both drainage points.

Once it's drained, disconnect the lines that you're replacing, and hook up new ones. It's pretty self explanatory once you know what you're looking at.

The major pain point is how rusted the connections may be. Since John Walker just rebuilt my transmission, the connections to the engine were easy to get off, but the ones to the thermostat were solidly rusted in place. I have brake ducts covering the thermostat too. So I had to grind off the old lines and ended up having to replace everything between the engine/oil tank and the front oil cooler. Hopefully yours won't be so bad, but get a couple cans of penetrating oil (I use kroil) and let it soak.

Off the top of my head you'll need the following tools:

15mm box end wrench - for the oil plugs
1/2" ratchet w/ a 19mm socket - to get the wheels off
30mm & 32mm wrenches - to brace the oil lines when you're trying to get the other end off
36mm line wrench - to get the lines off
10mm box end wrench - to get the oil line support brackets off. This may also be an 8mm. My car seems to use both in a lot of places.

Parts may vary depending on the level of corrosion but you'll at least need the following:
Both oil lines to replace, one is $75 and the other around $100 IIRC
1 can penetrating oil
1 can engine degreaser
1 roll shop towels
2 crush washers for the oil plugs
12 qts new oil (look at the thread on oils for guidance. I use Brad Penn 20w50)
1 new oil filter

While you're in there you should probably also do a valve adjustment. It's an added $30-40 in parts, but if it hasn't been done recently or if you don't know if it's been done recently, do it anyways.

let me know if you need more info or pictures of anything.

[Packet82]

Also, download the Porsche PET for diagrams. It can be found here:

http://www.porsche.com/all/media/pdf/originalparts/usa/911_USA_78_83_KATALOG.PDF

Page 48 has the diagram for what you're looking at. #10 and #9 are the lines in question.

[Flat6pac]

The difference is, the long SC line drops down at a definite angle then the end is rubber.
The Carrera runs straight to the connection but the engine side, right rear corner of engine, points upward at an angle.
Bruce

[canoehead]

Packet, thank you so much for taking the time to write all of that out for me. Its guys like you that make this forum such an amazing place.

I think I am going to attempt this.