cjoenck

I did my spring oil change this weekend and when I was done I notice a leak behind the front right wheel.

Turns out the oil line from the thermostat to the front oil cooler leaks where the flexible hose meets the metal pipe. Since I just poured $130 worth of fresh oil into the oil system, I am wondering if I can replace the oil lines from the thermostat to the oil cooler without losing all of the fresh oil.

How well does the thermostat isolate the oil tank from the front? Could I replace the lines and only lose a couple of quarts or so? Is it even worth it?

Thanks!

Vandit

Is the leak pretty bad that it needs immediate addressing? Could you perhaps hold off and do the repair along w/ your next oil change?

cjoenck

It is not too bad yet. I get a spot about 2-4 inches across after a drive - had a piece of cardboard under the area to see what I am getting. It stops leaking as the thermostat closes and pressure in the line decreases.

Bigger worry is that I don't want to risk a sudden catastrophic failure. The leak is where the flexible oil hose is meeting the solid oil lines behind the front wheel, i.e. the weakest part of the line.

In the end, $130 of oil may not be worth the risk...

vagluv

Seems like you should be able to collect most of the oil that comes out into a clean container and re-use it. Also, where did you find oil that costs $130?

Vandit

I would scrap the idea of trying to drain the oil out of the forward lines and oil cooler only. You’d end up draining this oil from the oil line connections at the thermostat, and no matter how much you degrease this area, you’ll probably still get grit and other BS into the oil when you start to undo those fittings.

Instead, drain the oil out of the car as if you were doing a normal oil change w/ a hot car (i.e. open thermostat), except into clean containers.

Prior to draining, make it a point to thoroughly clean the areas around the thermostat and crank case drain and the head of the drain plugs too to minimize risk of contamination of the oil as your drain it. The drain plugs usually fall in the hot oil anyway as you struggle to not burn the f’ out of your hand as 10qts leaves the car in about 10 seconds.

Mixter

+1. Also, if you can find clean containers that are made of white plastic it makes it a lot easier to see or spot if any grit or contamination does get in the drained oil.

9six4

Like you said. It sucks to spend another $130 plus the oil line repair, but that's pretty cheap compared to engine work.