georgew

Hi guys,

I am new to the site. There is supposed to be a great tech article on replacing return tubes on this board. I cant seem to find it. Any help would be great. Thanks
George

85 3.2 Carrera

what do you need? installation instructions? which type to buy?

Crimson Nape Racing

I replaced mine on my 84 several years ago and it was probably one of the simplest thing I ever did on any Porsche. First, get the collapsable tubes. Second, crush the old tubes w/pliers or whatever (cutting them could get metal in the oil) and pull them out. Third, expand the new tubes into place. IIRC, they extend and then lock into place. Oh, I suppose it might be smart to drain the engine oil first. If anyone's done this recently and remembers any "gotchas" I have forgotten, please chime in.
Bob

larry@oma

i replaced the oil return tubes on my 911sc this year.and ,yes, very doable by the owner.but beware of the gotchas.(some 911's require removal of the exhaust manifold,aka,heat exchangers) if you break an exhaust manifold stud off,well *&#*,you may be laying under that 911 for many hours.

Crimson Nape Racing

good point Larry. I had SSI's on my 84 and could reach them w/o any problems. I also don't remember if I replaced all of them or just the ones that were leaking &/or accesible.

Kurt V

If you have air injection on your car it will become much more difficult to do.

MRFLATSIX

Be sure to use Dow Corning O-ring lube on the seals. Do NOT under any circumstances use RTV. Some guys think they have to seal the O-ring to prevent leaks. Wrong. The O-ring has to move with expansion and contraction. Good luck.

yelcab1

I used some Molly engine lube to great success.

Hugh R

Use a couple of hose clamps to help get a bite to slide them in. The o-ring grease works much, much better than oil, which gets scraped off the metal by the o-ring. On my 84, I had to take off the left heat exchanger to get to the front one. Make sure you can get it off before you crush that tube!!!
There's no easy way to slide those suckers in. You need screwdrivers and a lot of f***ing around with them till they go in.

85 3.2 Carrera

Hugh! A DB4? Whew!

Bill Gregory

You may be thinking of an article on the tech.rennlist.com site under 911 engines. The direct link is here.

Lots of good articles there.

When I replaced mine, I used the Porsche, vs aftermarket, as others had told me of varying success with some of the aftermarket tubes. And just to reiterate ad-nauseum, don't use silcone sealant! Silicone grease/paste is what you want (Dow and 3M are two names cited in the article).

Noel

A trick I used to ease the process of sliding them apart for reinstallation was to heat them up in the oven to about 150 degrees. They slid apart so much easier then. Other than that, it was a very easy job, but I only replaced my passenger side tubes.

Hugh R

85 3.2 Carrera

First car I ever bought over 32 years ago, it was a piece of junk then. It in good shape now, but not a show car, its a weekend driver.

gregg911

I agree as to the lube issue, I used white lithium and the tubes went in fine. Also, I also recommend using a hose clamp when installing the tube as it will give you something to push on in order to get the seal to seat. And don't use RTV, the guy who owned my SC previous installed factory tubes with RTV and they leaked like a Harley (no offence bike owners).

I installed my tubes in a couple of hours with the wheels off and the car jacked up, I did not remove the stock heat exchanger or muffler, the only problem is that you will be soaked in oil so have pans, towels and rags ready to catch as much as you can.

dmettler

One thing to consider when installing the new tubes. You want the thick end close to the middle. This is so that the oil will run back to the engine easier and less chances of a leak.

I did three on my '85 3.2 without removing the heat exchangers. I could not get the front drivers side - wasn't leaking so no biggie.

The book 101 Projects for Your Porsche 911 has a great section on this. It was written by Wayne Dempsey (ISBN 0-7603-0853-5)

Hope this helps...

Don
'85 3.2
'98 Volvo T5