Coolant Leak at Oil Filter Housing Console

[951tom]

Yeah, I actually have a collection of these consoles (long story). I'm just hesitant to switch over because I'd feel the need to disassemble to clean the innards and then test the thermostat in a pot of boiling peanut oil. I ordered a tube of Curil T (now Curil T2) and will give it a try. I'm not sure my other consoles have the threaded hole for the oil cooler hose bracket either -- the early ones didn't. My thought is to install the console (and heater pipe) with Curil T2, then fill and pressure test the system before putting all the other parts back, and let the results choose my console.

My aversion to sealant is just a lingering Boy Scout (Indian Guide?) sense of duty to fix leaking parts properly rather than slathering them with sealant. That probably stems from my youth where my high school firebird was 25% RTV, 25% JB Weld, 25% spray paint, and 25% Pontiac.

With the Boy Scout reference, now you're taking me back to my middle school days lol. I'm the same way. I was thinking more along the lines of a little sealant providing a secondary measure to assist the outer o-ring. Wasn't aware the early consoles didn't have the hole for the hose bracket. PET does show one of the oil hoses has an updated part # based on vin#. I always find it interesting to learn the production changes along the way.

Tom
'87 951

[Tom]

Blasted all the parts and did them in satin black. Figured they wouldn't show the grime as much that way. I also polished and waxed the sway bar, since it it too big for my powder coating oven...

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[blueline]

Blasted all the parts and did them in satin black. Figured they wouldn't show the grime as much that way. I also polished and waxed the sway bar, since it it too big for my powder coating oven...

They look brand new Tom! Awesome job!

[Tom]

Today's update... I installed the oil console with a new Victor Reinz gasket and a thin film of Curil T2 on both sides of the gasket. (new connector pipe, o-rings, OPRV o-ring, etc.) I then temporarily re-installed the coolant pipe and filled the system with distilled water. It pressure tested great -- held 13psi for 10 minutes without a drop anywhere, so I think it'll be fine. Onward and upward!

I used my updated, 3D-printed OPRV alignment tool and it seemed to work great. After torquing the console in place, I removed the tool and the actual OPRV screwed in nearly the whole way by hand, so it seems pretty well aligned.

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To vent the system, I didn't want to just open the vent bolt and let water drip down the motor. That would make it hard to detect leaks, so I really wanted to keep it all dry, yet still fully vent it. So, check this out. I used the banjo bolt from the intake manifold, which normally has the FPR and KLR banjos attached. I pulled that out and borrowed one of the banjo fittings to use as a spacer (capped off). Then I took the KLR bajo and line (from my old harness) and use it as a vent tube/drain. With this set up, I was able to use the pressure tester to fully fill the system and force water out the vent without spilling a drop -- all with parts already on the car.

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[t36]

Genius method!! I hate the positioning of the vent. Awesome way to bleed it away from the motor!

[Tom]

Genius method!! I hate the positioning of the vent. Awesome way to bleed it away from the motor!

I was pretty pleased with that myself I might have to make up little kits (ya know, to give certain 944 stores new things to copy )

[ROB III]

Very Cool set up!

[Tom]

Still working away getting the car back together -- hampered a bit by a back that just isn't cooperating at all. Managed to get the headers installed.

I went to install the infernal 3-piece heat shield under the headers today -- because I thought it would be easier to get the headers without that shield in the way. While that may (or may not) be true, I forgot what an epic pain it is to assemble all three of those pieces while working around the headers. I think the best method is to wiggle the parts into place and bolt them together from below with the two lower M6 bolts, making sure all three holes are aligned for the top bolt you install from above. Then with the shield still loose, you can wiggle it into a position where you can install the third M6 from above, between the headers. Once it's all together, it's relatively easy to mount it to the block from below. Of course, building a lunar lander is 'relatively easy' compared to getting the shield assembled, but I digress....

Before ever getting to the heat shield I noticed I neglected to install the little M6 bracket bolt that holds the oil cooler hose to the oil filter console. And of course, with the hose torque tight, the bracket didn't line up close enough to get the bolt in. So, my choice was to leave it without the bolt -- which I'm sure would have been fine but for all the lost sleep thinking about it -- or (gulp) loosen the hose somehow in situ. Getting to that coupling nut is impossible with standard wrenches, and I seriously cranked down on it when I installed it, so a stubby was never going to work. So, I took matters into my own hands and sacrificed a HF 'thin' wrench to make a tool that allowed me loosen the nut 10-15 degrees (so I could align the bracket) and then re-tighten... I present Frankenwrench-3... (yes, I've done this before...)....

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[Tom]

Well fast-forward a month or so, and I was able to fire up the motor this afternoon with no apparent leaks. Still need to put the sway bar back on, with the new bushings, but looks like the new oil console gasket with Curil T2 is holding. Also pleased to report my oil pressure is fine/normal, meaning my 3D-printed Oil Pressure Relief Valve alignment tool worked! Will give it a full shake-down after getting the sway bar back on, but for now I'm just happy nothing is squirting out of the motor anymore.

(Power Steering seems fine too with new fluid, after lending out the pump to help test another car while it was out.)

[blade7]

So, I'm spending time changing the bushings on the 968 30mm sway bar and feel the need to clean up the brackets and drop links. They are dirty, but also a combination of black paint, red powder coating, and yellow zinc. Since they are all small enough to powder coat, and I can do it while waiting, I'm mulling whether to powder coat them all in red or maybe yellow, or just do them in satin black? I'm thinking black might be the least boy racer-ish, but open to thoughts. The nuts and bolts will be new yellow zinc, since I have those, so it's really all the other parts with arrows in the picture below. They were all yellow-zinc as made, but it doesn't seem worth waiting for a plater to redo them -- my car won't be confused for an all-original time capsule any time soon either way...


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Some people say those red drop link reinforcements actually stop the anti roll bars working properly. I took mine off, and I think there was an improvement.