1986 Carrera Oil Line Replacement

[greg bryant]

My mechanic says it will be difficult to replace the oil line from the right bottom side of the engine (clamp is corroded) without having to change all lines. He states that the steel connectors coupled with aluminum parts on the thermostat and oil cooler are almost certain to give him trouble and that he would probably end up stripping the fittings. The car has 123,000 miles and I am concerned about the oil line clamp giving up. Any suggestions other than replacing all the lines?

[ChrisBennet]

I take it your mechanic is not familiar with Porsche's. If you have time you can heat the joint, spray it with penetrating oil, and give it wack. Repeat that process 2-3 times a day for a few days. Otherwise, you just use a Dremel tool to cut through the nut and use a chisel to spin/split the nut off.
-Chris

[yelcab1]

Sounds like your mechanic needs a boat payment. I have changed the oil lines one at a time on my 84 and never had a problem. It is very easy to strip the thermostat so be very careful. What you should do there is to attach the hose at the thermostat ends first, then the other ends.

[john walker's workshop]

the majority of them actually come loose ok, given the proper tools. the most surefire way to save the thermostat threads is to carefully cut thru the big nut with a disc cutter until you just see the tips of the threads in the cut, and then split the nut with a chisel. the threads don't do the sealing, just the ball and socket mating faces.