cal44

There is a man interested in my '84 911 coupe. The down side is now I have found a leaking oil return tube dripping on the heat exchanger. I have not been driving the car for a while so I was unaware I had the drips. Guess I should do all of them? What do you guys think? Length of time to do the job? Should I do it or have "the man" charge me $115.00 an hour?

Is there a brand that stands out as better than others? yes I plan on using the ones that fit in without pulling the engine apart. Pete, Russ, Ed lets hear it laddies. I need your wisdom.
Mike

rusnak

You can buy just the o-rings if you already have the expanding oil return tubes. The question is can you get the leaking one out w/out damage? I would probably just change the one.

cal44

So, 118 views and Russ is the only one that has an opinion? Fine!............

M491

I'd just change the one that is leaking.

Also, I'd use the factory collapsible replacement tubes, rather than any of the aftermarket ones. I've seen too many of the aftermarket ones with weird dimensions.

When you buy aftermarket ones, you never really know what you are getting. With the factory ones, you are guaranteed a perfect fit.

theiceman

i thought you were just asking for responses from specific people...

cal44

I'm sorry iceman, I should have been more clear. I stand corrected. I was beginning to think my breath was bad.
Mike

theiceman

i would replace them all ... i have always been that way though ..when a prospective buyer is checking it out you don't want him to think you are doing the bare minimum. it will look real nice with 4 fresh returns up there..
But it is a HUGE pain as noted in the other thread ,,,,,

Ed Hughes

I think the iceman is correct. Don't cheap out on this. As to DIY or not, that is totally up to you. It could be a good excuse to lay under the car to do this and just double check all else.

ddubois

Use these, or new O-rings for them as others have recommended. It's not a fun job, but can be done easily. Get a couple 1.25" hose clamps so you have something to push against when expanding them. I would do all four. The first one took me 30+ minutes to figure out the technique. The last only took 5 minutes.

cal44

That was a question on my mind, the expansion. Removing the old ones is another question. Does one collapse the tube in the center to relieve the pressure with vise grips or..........what? I will also reference the Bentley repair manual to see if its in there. Any and all tips will be helpful. Four it is.
Mike

ddubois

If the existing tubes are the original solid ones, then just crush them with pliers and bend/rip them out. Search the Pelican 911 Technical Forum. There is a ton of info there on replacing these.

Norske

Make sure you put them in the correct way, I forget which is which, so that no oil builds up int the tube when the car sits.

Peter Zimmermann

Hi Mike. Sorry, I was out of town yesterday. (1) Check your existing tubes, are they solid or do they have a circlip about midway? (2) If they have circlips you only need new o-rings (inner & outer). (3) No circlips? Squeeze the old tubes in the center, with a large pliers, and twist until the ends are free of their holes (this might be the only P-car part that you ever get to destroy - intentionally).

Draining the oil (engine only) is highly recommended. If you already have collapsible tubes you could probably get away with doing only the leaky side (but definitely get out the Mag light & mirror and check all four). It's a nasty job, but if you don't mind lying on your back and you are prepared to work with tubes that are hard to install, and bend/scratch easily, and you have a circlip pliers that will work, go for it!

Check your tubes and tell us what you've got!

Or, you might want to tell the interested party that you just discovered the leak and that you will give him credit to have the job done post-purchase (get a couple of estimates first!).

ricster

feel my pain everyday on selling to the public

butzip

OK, I just did this job last week on an 86'. the right (passenger side) is nice and accessible. The left side is a Beeatch. Accessability is only half the battle. Actually expanding the tube is another. Even lubing th heck out of them with clean engine oil they were stubborn at best. Once you figure out the trick of using a hose clamp and once you realize you have to 'pop' the fat o-rings into the recesses of the case and head, you're golden. I started with the 'easiest' one first. I almost gave up then and there. I said to myself, I'm not even attempting the left side....... F that!! Long story short, it can be done but patience is a virtue. Be aware the front left side one is tough tough to get at. Getting the old one out is tough and getting the new one in is ONLY possible with the fat o-rings removed. Because of the heat exchanger and oil line that runs right up there it's tight!! and not in a good way.

Long flat head screw driver, big channel locks, large-ish ring clip pliers, 2 hose clamps that are the right size, clean oil and courage is all you'll need.

Here's a tip that applies to this job as well as adjusting valves or changing valve cover gaskets etc..... As you know, there is a couple of quarts of oil in the case, always. If you pull a ORT of VCG while the car is level you will have a mess. To avoid this, jack up the side you are working on. In other words, when you do your right side ORTs, jack the right side of the car up. Use the factory jack point (preferably with a floor jack and jack plate) put a jack stand under the right side T-bar tube. All the oil in the case will go to the opposite side of the engine and not leak out. The alternative is to have 1.5 quarts of oil drain out on your heat exchangers....... not pretty when you start it up next time. Having done this job now, I could do it in a third the time with a lot less anxiety. Wish you were closer, I'd gladly do it with/for you.

BTW- the short fat tube goes into the case and the long skinnier tube with the smaller interal o-rings go into the head. Remember the oil flows from the head to the case so same concept applies like your home gutter downspouts