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On the drive home from the Carlisle event one of my oil cooler lines started leaking. These lines go from the engine near the oil filter into one side of the Seatrab oil cooling radiator then out the other side and back into the engine.  So there are two lines; one in and one out.

The fittings look like an ones to me---they are a two-part affair---not just a fitting like a garden hose has to attach to the spigot. 

Two years ago I put new o-rings into the fittings after some weeping but now I want to replace the lines and connectors with reliable ones and am seeking info on what brand/type to use.  Thanks for any advice!

 

2007 Vintage Speedster/ Jake Raby TYPE IV engine

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Jack - Assume you have the barbed fitting with rubber oil hose now but you did mention AN?  The teflon oil lines with stainless steel mesh covering and AN fitting is the way to go.  There are some available in premade fixed lengths - or you can make your own. Many are a 2 piece fitting (they might be loose on yours or hose is worn) - but aircraft (swedged) ones are also available for extra $$.

Vw Bug Full Flow Oil Filter Kit Blue & Red AN Fittings/Stainless Steel Hose

Jack, when I was rigging Whitecloud I found these guys: http://www.getfast1.com/ and love their selection, service (they don't mind calls and have great answers) and cheap/fast shipping. 

I built all my own lines as I wanted everything silver and because I wanted to do it myself. 

There is a tool that's small but sort of expensive ($30ish on Amazon). If you're using size -8 lines, you're welcome to borrow mine (Shipping would be $4). It makes pushing the stainless lines into the fittings so easy, and no cut fingers (try it without it, I did!).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAllt-AnF8o 

Will

Last edited by Will Hesch

Jack:   My local NAPA store can do rubber or braided stainless hoses with AN fittings.  If you were to take your existing hoses to any hose place they could duplicate them with AN fittings, $10 Bux a foot and $10 Bux an end, on average.  They will need to know the length, what size fitting (they’ll know from your existing hose) and the orientation and direction of the fitting on each end.

If your local NAPA can’t make them, ask them who they know of in your area who does.  Construction equipment goes through a lot of hoses so someone in your area makes them.

Or......You can go the Hesch route and home fab your own.  As Will said, they are easy to do and you can have some fun making them.  Do them all silver or go wild with blue or red or green or yellow.  YOU CAN DO THIS!!

Just imagine the look on the face of anyone poking around under your car!

Fixed it Herr Hesch!

Entschuldigen Sie!
Last edited by Gordon Nichols

If you truly want trouble free oil lines, go with teflon lined stainless hoses (with swedged ends) as Greg suggested and you'll never have to worry about the rubber lines collapsing (yes, even the rubber lined stainless hoses occasionally fail) or ends coming off.Teflon, being slipperier than rubber, will promote more flow. The 1 caveat about teflon hoses- you can't bend them as much as you can the rubber stainless hoses so that may mean more planning with fittings. And yeah, they're more expensive, but you get what you pay for.

I've heard of guys using hydraulic lines from industrial or farm equipment supply places (I'm told they are substantially cheaper), but you have to be careful, as a lot of hydraulic fittings are very restrictive. Hydraulic systems are designed to deliver uniform pressure throughout, whereas automotive oil systems need high volume flow. I'm told some automotive fittings are a little chunky and could benefit from a little dremel work inside.

I used nylon braided hoses. I didn't want the stainless steel, as it will destroy anything it touches and/or rubs on, as in FIBERGLASS!

Lenny and I cut, assembled, and installed all the hoses for my dry sump system in a few hours. That's like nine or ten hoses. 18 or 20 fittings.

The cost difference between nylon and SS isn't much, but I didn't poke a single strand into a single finger. I use the nice steel straps that are covered in a plastic sleeve.

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