Corksport Oil cooler line defective.

[djmtsu]

Factory lines FTW!

[My5ABaby]

Originally Posted by djmtsu

Factory lines FTW!

That's what I'm saying. Is there a reason to get the SS ones (besides looks) when the stock ones last for 20+ years? Do the stock ones not work well on upgraded or high hp engines?

[TitaniumTT]

Originally Posted by RotaryResurrection

In a perfect world everything we bought would be a perfect fit. Unfortunately if you deal with aftermarket stuff much (I often do) you'll see that even "direct bolt on" stuff usually requires some tweaking and modifying to get to work right. And depending on what COMBINATION of aftermarket "direct bolt on" stuff you are trying to use together, you can sometimes encouter more major problems. It's just the nature of the beast when modifying a car. And, from the other side of the coin, a part maker cannot possibly know every deviation possible with different engine and part setups and account for it in their part design. Even a car that has been wrecked lightly before can cause some parts not to fit properly, such as exhaust, body panels, motor mounts, chassis braces, etc.

Couldn't have said it better myself This is the reason that I make all of my own parts or have a machine shop, CNC mill owning friend, or a hydraulic shop make my parts. I've tried the bolt on route and nothing EVER bolted right up. I just got fed up with it all about 10 years ago. Same holds true for my buddies Landi D90. When you have to take a plasma cutter to a brand new $900 bumper becuase it doesn't fit right, there's problems. of course that was an extreme case exhaserbated by an aftermarket intercooler that required and aftermarket grille, but wel still ended up cutting the bumper apart and completely reworking it. I wish I had before and after pics, trully a sight.

Originally Posted by RotaryResurrection

The only problem with that is, you have to have the car down for however many days or weeks it takes your shop to get your lines done, because they have to re-use your factory metal ends/fittings. Unless of course you buy a stock used set to have them rework...

Depends on the shop. There are a few local that will do that while you wait. of course you may not want to wait but it's usually done in the same day.

Originally Posted by vex

Well I'm trying to price out how much it will cost for me to make my own using some stainless steel lines but I've hit a snag. I know they're supposed to be -10 but what is the thread pitch on the stock FC oil cooler? Are they 16mm or something else? If they're 16mm I could just buy some RB adapters for 13 each, some -10 stainless steel line, and some -10 AN fittings and be on my way. I'm concerned however about the 90* from the rear iron since it will more than likely be an extremely tight fit.

any thoughts?

MT & RB have already done the math for you, and have figured out how to make it cheap enough for you to buy them pre-made, and expensive enough for you to buy them pre-made

Originally Posted by RotaryResurrection

Well I'll be a son of a bitch. I drove the FC around some today and popped the hood when I got back just to check things out and let it cool off. I notice some oil puddled on the undertray near the radiator, so I investigate. Come to find out my corksport SS line is leaking where the line joins the crimped fitting near the front cover.

Ugh, that blows Kevin. I had the same problem with my CS lines with the old engine setup.... except mine leaked at the cooler, not the front cover. Within 1207 miles it had SOAKED the undercarriage with oil. I was a little more than annoyed.

Originally Posted by RotaryResurrection

uhm, if you like your engine, you wont run stock ones. They leak and eventually bust. Sometimes they just bust right then and there for no reason. You dump out your oil supply in 30 seconds, and by the time you hear your buzzer go off, it is already too late.

I consider this right up there with a thermostat and pulsation damper replace/elimination, as high priority maintenance on an FC to prevent engine loss. It has nothing to do with hp, it has to do with reliability.

Originally Posted by My5ABaby

That's what I'm saying. Is there a reason to get the SS ones (besides looks) when the stock ones last for 20+ years? Do the stock ones not work well on upgraded or high hp engines?

It's also a cost thing. I don't know the recent prices on lines but when I was replacing my blown factory ones, that like Kevin said almost cost me a motor, they were 2-3x the price of the stainless ones through the dealer.

[My5ABaby]

Originally Posted by RotaryResurrection

uhm, if you like your engine, you wont run stock ones. They leak and eventually bust. Sometimes they just bust right then and there for no reason. You dump out your oil supply in 30 seconds, and by the time you hear your buzzer go off, it is already too late.

I consider this right up there with a thermostat and pulsation damper replace/elimination, as high priority maintenance on an FC to prevent engine loss. It has nothing to do with hp, it has to do with reliability.

I guess the reliability thing is where I'm confused. I've heard of many oil cooler lines failing, but as far as I know they're all original lines. I have little faith in anything original still on my car after 23 years.

Originally Posted by TitaniumTT

It's also a cost thing. I don't know the recent prices on lines but when I was replacing my blown factory ones, that like Kevin said almost cost me a motor, they were 2-3x the price of the stainless ones through the dealer.

I would never buy the Mazda lines. Going to a local hydraulic shop would probably run ~$50. I guess I'm just not seeing the point of paying $130 when the stock lines easily last 15 years.

However, if someone (especially a builder) chimes in with experience that the stock lines tend to fail sooner than that, I'll definitely be open to listening.

[My5ABaby]

Originally Posted by RotaryResurrection

Are you serious? You don't see the point of paying $130 instead of $1500-2500 for an engine, when your top stocker decides to vomit it's oil supply all over the pavement? Look, if you want to get some re-made at a hydraulic shop, then I am all for that, just don't leave them stock. However the stiffness of hydraulic hose can make these very difficult to install, which is one reason I never go that route.

Maybe the cost will be less than off the shelf SS lines, but my time is often precious and I'd rather pay a few bucks more to have them sent to my door and ready to install, to avoid trying to drive to and instruct the redneck at the hydraulic shop in what I want and expecting him to do it properly and then have to pester him to get him to do it.

When you live in a smaller town like I do, there are usually only 1 or 2 of any kind of shop or supplier, and the guy running it usually does shit with the urgency of a sloth. When I bought my big 1" drive impact gun it took me several calls around town just to find someone who could supply 1/2" ID air hose and fittings for it. I went to that particular shop 5 times trying to get 25 feet worth of hose and about 6 fittings. The guy was a nice guy but was less interested in my business and more interested in telling me stories about his foxbody mustang. He kept saying he'd have to order the shit I wanted, but it never "came in". Finally I got fed up of hounding him and ordered the stuff from an online supplier and had it within 3 days. Anytime I can order something online versus trying to do it in person, I will always order online...it seems to simplify life infinitely. Maybe I am not enough of a people-person to buddy-buddy up with these guys to get them to do what I want.

I'm not advocating for keeping the stock ones. I'm just asking if the SS are really worth it over new (i.e. hydraulic shop made) rubber hoses.

Originally Posted by RotaryResurrection

Hold on, I will see if I can go find somebody who is a builder and has years of experience with FC oil cooler lines...

Let's see now, where could such a person be found...

My comment was directed toward the prior question. How many oil cooler lines fail in under 10-15 years?

I'm not questioning the fact that SS lines are great. I'm not questioning whether or not the stock ones need to be replaced (since we all know they're 15+ year old rubber). My question is are the SS worth it over new rubber lines?

[TitaniumTT]

Originally Posted by RotaryResurrection

Maybe the cost will be less than off the shelf SS lines, but my time is often precious and I'd rather pay a few bucks more to have them sent to my door and ready to install, to avoid trying to drive to and instruct the redneck at the hydraulic shop in what I want and expecting him to do it properly and then have to pester him to get him to do it.

Yeah, I have to REALLY agree with that statement. Time to find someone and or drive around or phone around comparing prices just isn't worth it IMO. I think about what I make /hr @ my day job, and what I bill for fabrication/electrical side jobs and it;s just plain not worth it sometimes to look for the good deals when the answer is right infront of you or a few clicks away.

Originally Posted by RotaryResurrection

When you live in a smaller town like I do, there are usually only 1 or 2 of any kind of shop or supplier, and the guy running it usually does shit with the urgency of a sloth. When I bought my big 1" drive impact gun it took me several calls around town just to find someone who could supply 1/2" ID air hose and fittings for it. I went to that particular shop 5 times trying to get 25 feet worth of hose and about 6 fittings. The guy was a nice guy but was less interested in my business and more interested in telling me stories about his foxbody mustang.

:rlaugh:

Originally Posted by RotaryResurrection

He kept saying he'd have to order the shit I wanted, but it never "came in". Finally I got fed up of hounding him and ordered the stuff from an online supplier and had it within 3 days. Anytime I can order something online versus trying to do it in person, I will always order online...it seems to simplify life infinitely. Maybe I am not enough of a people-person to buddy-buddy up with these guys to get them to do what I want.

Yeah, about 10 years ago I buddy-buddied with all the shops local that I could ever need, autobody suppliers, parts warehouses, dealers, etc etc etc. It's worth it in some respects becuase I get wholesale at all of them. The special treatment is pretty nice and having someone know you're name when you walk into a store is always nice too.

Originally Posted by RotaryResurrection

Hold on, I will see if I can go find somebody who is a builder and has years of experience with FC oil cooler lines...

Let's see now, where could such a person be found...

Stock lines = $350 and last what... 10-15 years? SS replacements are a few clicks away and most don't know how long they last because they just haven't failed enough from old age. Hydraulic shop lines......... I had a turbo feed line that I had a -6 fitting silver soldered on. The Silver solder has been known to hold up to thousands of pounds of pressure and mine started leaking after ~1000 miles and the killer was 130 PSI for about 4 minutes. Impurities in the line they say didn't allow proper fusion. I buy it, has happened to me before when welding older aluminum. Shop repaired it for free though.

I think the moral that Kevin is trying to make is get rid of the stockers when they become an unknown. Right? I would consider it a reliability upgrade as well

[My5ABaby]

Originally Posted by TitaniumTT

I think the moral that Kevin is trying to make is get rid of the stockers when they become an unknown. Right? I would consider it a reliability upgrade as well

Totally agree. I'm not arguing or questioning the fact that the stock lines should be replaced for reliability (basically just like any other rubber part on the car). I just question if it's worth it to get SS over hydraulic shop lines. However, your testimony about how your lines leaked from a hydraulic shop is helpful (then again the OP had the same problem with SS lines...).