Mark in Baltimore

Well, okay, I exaggerated to get your attention.

I'm doing a favor for our fellow Rennlister, AOW897123478y93, as I like to call him, who is doing his first oil change and is unsure of the torque specs for the 13mm bolt on the oil return line that is removed to access the small filter. He says that 66 ft/lbs is what Robin's site at p-car.com says to tighten it to, but he thinks that seems very high.

Can anyone confirm or deny 66 ft/lbs as the correct specs for the oil return line bolt?

Andreas will stop looking for that stupid turbo twist wheel if you help answer his question.

Thanks!

epj993

My shop manual is showing the following:

Oil Return to Oil Tank: 52 ft/lbs
Oil Feed to Oil Pump: 66 ft/lbs

chris walrod

Way too much! The thread diameter is what, 10mm? Guessing 18ft/lbs tops. I dont have access to my manuals here at work. I will look tonight when I return home.

Mark in Baltimore

Thanks, Eric, but I think those are referencing the larger of the two filters. Or so I was told by Andreas, who's locked away in the bowels of his isolation chamber, non-internet access silo.

Here's a photo, swiped from Robin's site, that shows the oil return line for the smaller filter:

Mark in Baltimore

Thanks, Chris! Anyone else who can come to Andreas' rescue before 9:00PM EST?

epj993

Maybe I misread the spec. The text I found shows:

Screw-in neck in left-hand crankcase section (oil return to oil tank)
M22 x1.5 70nm (52 ft.lbs)

Screw-in flange in right-hand crankcase section (oil feed to oil pump)
M24 x 1.5 90nm (66 ft/lbs)

That's all I could find regarding oil plumbing...

993inNC

Yeah Mark, I'd second Eric find, thats what mine says too.

Mark in Baltimore

Thanks, Eric. Those are definitely different bolts than what Andreas is referring to.

Mark in Baltimore

Okay, thanks, Chris. I just spoke with Andreas and he thinks the bolt in question is different than the aforementioned ones. What do I know? I've never changed the oil on my car.

epj993

Here's a clip of the page. The specs are near the bottom. Hope all goes well!

viperbob

DO NOT TORQUE TO 66 LB/FT!!!!!!!!! That is NOT the bolt those descriptions are referencing. It is just a M8 bolt with a 13mm head. While it sort of says 17 lb/ft on the chart, I would not go much over 15 lbs.

Mark in Baltimore

Eric - Thanks for the page. I'll let Andreas know.

Bob - Thank you. An M8 bolt is exactly what it is. I think Andreas kept it at around 15 ft/lbs.

Thanks, all for the quick responses. I guess this means Andreas has to give up his wheel hunt.

epj993

Bob, thanks for the info - I'll update my manual. Just curious, what are the last two items on the list referring to?

Todd B

The manual calls for 17 ftlbs. He didn't need to pull the tube to get the filter off. Also you should tell him to just swing by and we would put the car on the lift. Makes life a whole lot easier.

Todd

viperbob

You right Todd, the manual calls for 17 lb/ft. This is for a typical perfect condition dry install. When there is oil on the threads or in the case, it is better to ease off a little than to over torque the bolt. ESPECIALLY when going into the engine case.