968 Oil cooler housing / cooler on 951
 

So in my search for some information in the forums on seeing if a complete oil cooler system (housing, hoses and cooler) from a 3 litre 968 would fit on an 86 944 turbo, I couldnt find anything...so i figured I would try it out and post my findings. So I currently have my engine out for a complete seal / gasket change, including head, and oil pan gaskets (my car was leaking from every orifice). In the process realized that both my oil cooler hoses were bent at the metal fittings, as well as the rubber hoses being in poor condition. I did some research into seeing if I could get new hoses made (AN fittings, steel braided lines, etc), but quickly learned that they are not a great fit in our cars. Then thought about the 3X Lindsey unit, but then quickly remembered how much I am in already into this engine refresh (rabbit hole scenario). OEM hoses are expensive too. So I found a complete oil cooler set-up from a 968 3 litre (better cooling capacity housing too), with hoses in great condition for sale from Lart's parts. So I called up Luis and asked if I could go check it out (he is very close to me here in SoCal). This set up also has hoses that are a piece of cake to install, not like the threaded fittings on the 944's. I knew that the housing was a direct fit (my 86 already had the updated 1 piece OPRV) , but was not too sure about the rest of the parts. So here it is. Cooler fits, just as it should. I don't have the engine in yet, but I'm hopeful everything will bolt right up. These units are significantly larger than our coolers... Here are some photos. I will update once I bolt everything up. (I did have to improvise with one of the bolts not lining up on the right side. I think the bracket I received did not go with the unit I got. No biggy, nothing a cinch tie cant fix. I will clean it all up eventually. Just wanted to do test fit here.https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...5767982bcb.jpg

Not sure why photos are slanted?
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...8b51a1f8f6.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...16bb57500f.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...d797520f4c.jpg

Looks neat, and the 968 has a better solution on the fitting, no 22mm bolt that seize more.

yea the 968 cooler is a nice piece if you can find one.
the o-ring fittings are sweetness.


FYI and anyone else reading don't waste your money on AN fittings unless you just want the red/blue bling - if you're getting hoses made up, ask for JIC fittings.

JIC fittings are *identical* to AN fittings except they are made of steel instead of aluminum.
if you want to get technical they have slightly looser tolerances because AN was made originally for aircraft but it just doesn't matter.
funny enough a lot of "AN" fittings you'd buy at speed shops are actually JIC fittings made out of aluminum rather than actual AN - AN should come with MFR quality certificates.

they are the industry standard for hydraulic equipment so they are available everywhere in N. America and are 1/4 the cost of AN stuff.

Cooler hoses
 

I actually went to a place here locally in Torrance called Jegs performance hoses and right when I walked in with my two OEM 944 oil cooler hoses the owner of the place said...AH, 944 hoses!.... he recognized them off the bat. Hes the one that steered me away from NA hoses. He told me that the Porsche hoses are much better quality and that the specific bend that the metal fitting has is impossible to replicate with the equipment he uses. He told me to buy brand new OEM hoses for my cooler. I thought that was funny (and solid) that he turned me away from a sale just for being honest.

MagK944, was the hoses routing a problem when you installed to the housing? Also, did the cooler that you installed have the hoses coming out of one end of one hose on each end. I found that 968's have two styles. The most common (or at least the one that appears more in searches) is the one with the two fittings on the interior side (left) of the cooler.

oh bummer, Thats what Im worried about if hose fitment. It looks like they will fit. How much did it cost you to have the hoses done?

Update to installation
 

Finally got the car up and running after engine refresh. I wanted to follow up and let everyone know that the 968 3.0 liter oil cooler housing and oil cooler fits perfectly on the 951. Cant really tell if its keeping oil cooler or not, havent really opened it up or driven it very far yet. But, its a more OEM upgrade and cheaper than going Lindsey route.