Redblurr

Can we start in on the BP jokes now that everything is OK with your car?

Garth S

Re. the tube failure .... is the metal pushed inwards at the edges - or the reverse?
If the former, it is conceviable that the fan blades picked up a small stone & drove it like a bullet: the reverse would be a pressure failure in a weak/thinned area .... but I'd place my bet on the fan blades.

race911

Not sure how long you could run with it leaking oil (absent the oil causing a traction issue), if the thermostat is even open; but when you consider all the torsion bar cars and rotted out coolers even I've replaced over the years, I'd say you can go a pretty long time. Personally, I've never seen an engine failure from a leaky engine mounted cooler. And even if the engine did run to the point of the oil pressure light coming on, I've even seen that being non-fatal. Not always, but probably 50-50.

Gasser

Had this same thing happen to me in a race. Race was red flagged, not because of me but a seperate incident. It must have just happened right as I stopped. the corner worker noticed a small puddle of oil forming by my right front tire. I got it back to the pits, still very good oil pressure but leaking like a sieve. Probably did not start until the thermostat opened and then pop it went. that would explaint the timing.

Steve Weiner-Rennsport Systems

Vic is a lucky man.

In a former life, we called such things the "Golden BB" as it simply represented bad luck and that stone (or bullet) had your name on it as you happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

You are wise in noticing such things as I've seen less cognizant and observant people drive the bloody thing until the system lost sufficient oil to create an (expensive) problem.

Good man,.....

vjd3

Pure luck that I pulled over, I really thought it was the clutch. Should've bought a lottery ticket.

I didn't see the cooler in person, just going by the photos. Can't say if it's in or out.

I can't say enough about MooreSpeed here in Austin, they didn't know me at all but took the car right in off the flatbed at 4 pm on Thursday and had it done by Friday afternoon, including degreasing and pressurewashing off all that oil off the bottom and side of the car and rims, plus his price on the cooler was $100 less than the local dealer would have sold it to me for, they are great people.

The owner, David, told me he once ran over a 2X4 on I-35 which punctured a line to his oil cooler on a 2.8 racing motor in a 911SC, he was on a flyover and before he could even get off to the side, the motor grenaded.

Car is running fine. Only fly in the ointment is I like to keep the connector to the oil cooler fan disconnected so it runs on high constantly (and it never runs hotter than 180-190). The shop reconnected it, so driving home in bad traffic last night (90 degrees out) I was seeing oil temps around 220-230. All I have to do is disconnect it again, but since the car was up on a lift with the wheel liner out, they put the connector on upside down from how it normally is, so the little metal clip you have to push in to disconnect it is on the bottom of the connector, out of sight. I can squeeze my hand in there and push it in, but can't get any leverage to pull the connector off and it's too tight for a second hand in there. I tried a tie wrap on it, but no dice. Any brilliant ideas short of taking off the wheel and liner?