Re: 5ktq Oil Cooler Lines

[Aleksander Mierzwa <alex@matrix.com.pl>]

At 14:01 24.04.98 -0400, Mike Hopton wrote:

>1) I know Alex and others have looked into manufacturing replacement
hoses, any >timely updates?

Find your nearest Parker-Hannifinn (a huge company manufacturing hydraulic
equipment) dealer. They'll make the lines for you. Here in Poland I paid
about $50 for both.
pros: both their fittings and hoses are of *excellent* quality. OE lines
are a piece of sh*t compared to Parker's ones
cons: they don't make the fittings specifically for Audis. They only make
universal ones: straight, 45 and 90 degree. Using these you can fabricate
lines that will fit the car nicely, but you have to take *very* good
measurements and figure out how to route the hoses. The space under the car
is tight and if you make a small mistake here (like making a line one inch
too long) they won't fit  - BTDT

>
>2) Any recommendations on how to remove the end of the line from the
cooler? I believe  they are a real PITA to separate without trashing the
cooler.
>

Sometimes it is simply impossible to take them off - you either round the
hex part of the fitting at the cooler or shear off the threads. First of
all, remove the cooler together with the lines and try to unscrew them on
the bench. Soak it with the penetrating oil for a couple of days before
doing the job. Use a tight fitting spanner on the cooler so it's less
likely to slip. Sing your favorite mantra ;-) If, despite these efforts,
you trash the cooler, don't panic - it's repairable. Remove the old
fittings (if you use a spanner and try to turn the fitting while holding
the cooler still it will usually shear off leaving a nice uniform hole).
Take the the old fittings to the machine shop and let them make two new
aluminium fittings. Tell them they're going to be welded to the cooler, so
they have to make them somewhat taller than the old ones to allow some
material to be melted. Then go to a *reputable* weld shop and let them weld
the new fittings to the cooler. Voila, your oil cooler is like new again.

>3) Lastly any recommendations (BTDTs) on replacing the whole setup with an
>aftermarket setup?

Why would you like to do that? Aftermarket oil coolers are usually
expensive and the stock one is more than adequate unless your engine has
been seriously tweaked.


Aleksander Mierzwa
Warsaw, Poland
mailto:alex@matrix.com.pl
87 Audi 5000CS turbo (mine)
88 Renault Medallion wagon (mom's)
91 mountain bike (just in case both cars broke at the same time :-)