Oil Cooler to Oil Pan O-rings Replacement

[longlivenacars]

Getting to the point where I'm going to drain the oil to replace the two o-rings located at the oil pan where the oil cooler flex lines join into.

Are the fittings throw a wrench on and twist (similar design to a brake line union fitting where the nut rotates on a threaded portion?) , replace o-rings and put back, or is there a more complicated procedure to doing this?

[CrickiKaze]

Lines come off and then the adapters on the oil pan need to be removed to get to the o-rings IIRC, Adapters take some effort to pull out from the pan. Line nuts and screws. Hope you have extra o-rings.

[longlivenacars]

Thanks will get some extra o-rings and may ask for more help when doing this.

General questions:

About to get very busy with work, and going to fall behind on repairs on this car. I have someone coming back from the states soon that's going to suitcase a bunch of parts to avoid ridiculous Canadian custom charges. Because I am forced in a way to buy my parts and have them shipped to US address soon, I am thinking of removing the oil cooler o-ring components listed by crickikaze now (May need more than O-rings if I break something on removal) . This means I have to drain the oil. Car has Motul synthetic 5w40 in it right now. If I drain the oil now, will there be enough residual oil stuck to components to be safe from rusting internals, in the case that the car sits for I'd say a max of 3 months before I put it back together?

I've decided to clean up around oil pan and all other oil residue and leave oil pan reseal and belt tensioner for another service later this year after I drive around and get a better idea of where leaks are coming from. I think somebody has tried to re-seal oil pan previously on this car and there are bubble bulges of sealant popping out between lower oil pan seal and mating surface. Not sure what will happen in terms of prying force required so leaving it for now, and the sealant is black in colour in case someone know what the OE sealant colour is.

[CrickiKaze]

There will be a film on the components that have been lubed that will prevent corrosion, but to be safe plug up the open ports and it will be no different than a car sitting with oil.

This should only take 2 hours max and that's taking your time to ensuring the o-rings don't get damaged on installation. Be prepared for oil coming out the lines going to the cooler and have more oil on hand to compensate for when the oil thermostat opens.

I warn on the o-rings due to converting to the Forge kit on another car, one of them got pinched and took a couple of days to find a replace. Difference for me is that the Forge kit has the adapters on a plate, so a single piece, so I couldn't install them one at a time.

[sti2relaxxin]

There will be a film on the components that have been lubed that will prevent corrosion, but to be safe plug up the open ports and it will be no different than a car sitting with oil.

This should only take 2 hours max and that's taking your time to ensuring the o-rings don't get damaged on installation. Be prepared for oil coming out the lines going to the cooler and have more oil on hand to compensate for when the oil thermostat opens.

I warn on the o-rings due to converting to the Forge kit on another car, one of them got pinched and took a couple of days to find a replace. Difference for me is that the Forge kit has the adapters on a plate, so a single piece, so I couldn't install them one at a time.

I am about to install the Forge Oil Cooler kit. Are you saying there are o-rings which could become damaged when switching over to the Forge oil cooler? If so, do you have the part number(s) for the o-rings?

[CrickiKaze]

Nope, no part number, when I pinched mine I had to go to Napa I believe and look in though their not really on the shelf stuff, it was a smallish store in HI.

Just lube everything up good and you should be fine.

Current car had oil cooler line replaced and JHM fittings but I just installed the Forge kit and reused the JHM fittings so if need be I can measure the forge o-rings for their adapter but only tomorrow as I'll be gone for about 2 months afterwards. I wonder if the JHM o-rings fit the Forge fitting?

[sti2relaxxin]

Nope, no part number, when I pinched mine I had to go to Napa I believe and look in though their not really on the shelf stuff, it was a smallish store in HI.

Just lube everything up good and you should be fine.

Current car had oil cooler line replaced and JHM fittings but I just installed the Forge kit and reused the JHM fittings so if need be I can measure the forge o-rings for their adapter but only tomorrow as I'll be gone for about 2 months afterwards. I wonder if the JHM o-rings fit the Forge fitting?

Thanks for clarifying. So the o-rings in question are between the oil pan and the oil line connectors? And when you remove those connectors to install the Forge connector, there is the possibility these o-rings can become damaged? I checked the Forge oil cooler instructions, and the "sandwich plate" they provide comes with two o-rings, so I think they will suffice.

[CrickiKaze]

Correct, as the instruction indicate the o-rings are on the adapter and is inserted into the oil pan. I thought I lubed it enough or I may have missed aligned the adapter but the outcome was a leak at the adapter due to pinched/damaged o-ring. You will not reuse the oem o-rings, completely different size IIRC.

[sti2relaxxin]

Correct, as the instruction indicate the o-rings are on the adapter and is inserted into the oil pan. I thought I lubed it enough or I may have missed aligned the adapter but the outcome was a leak at the adapter due to pinched/damaged o-ring. You will not reuse the oem o-rings, completely different size IIRC.

Ahhh; all is clear now. Thanks!

[sti2relaxxin]

Correct, as the instruction indicate the o-rings are on the adapter and is inserted into the oil pan. I thought I lubed it enough or I may have missed aligned the adapter but the outcome was a leak at the adapter due to pinched/damaged o-ring. You will not reuse the oem o-rings, completely different size IIRC.

FYI- when I installed my Forge oil cooler last week, I sanded down the sharp edges of the holes leading into the oil pan, but the o-rings still got damaged upon insertion. They didn’t leak though. The only reason I found out is because I had to remove the oil pan adapter to make some adjustments and noticed they were slightly torn. I put oil on the rings as well as the holes in the oil pan before inserting the adapter, so I think it’s just a tight fit with the o-rings they supply.


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[CrickiKaze]

That's some what good, may have supplied different o-rings compared to what I had years ago, its also cold out so keep an eye on it when you get warmer weather.

[longlivenacars]

I used film of silicone grease to install factory o-rings on mine and they are fine, although I have a Setrab unit. Not sure of differences in forge setup; guessing lines, o-rings, and design are different. Silicone grease maybe be a bit better than oil coating to avoid damage on install

[sti2relaxxin]

I used film of silicone grease to install factory o-rings on mine and they are fine, although I have a Setrab unit. Not sure of differences in forge setup; guessing lines, o-rings, and design are different. Silicone grease maybe be a bit better than oil coating to avoid damage on install

The Forge kit also comes with a Setrab cooler, but it's the adapter they provide that connects to the oil pan which is a tight fit with the supplied o-rings. It slides in nicely by tightening the two screws into the oil pan, but the o-rings tear slightly as it's going in.

[longlivenacars]

The Forge kit also comes with a Setrab cooler, but it's the adapter they provide that connects to the oil pan which is a tight fit with the supplied o-rings. It slides in nicely by tightening the two screws into the oil pan, but the o-rings tear slightly as it's going in.

Guessing the forge setup has a rectangular piece with two holes cut out of it? Pic would be great (looked online and couldn't make out which is the problematic bracket)

Can it be cut/modified in such a way that the lines/0-rings can be inserted individually like the stock lines (to reduce chance of tearing o-rings), or does it seem like they will tear even if they go in individually?

[CrickiKaze]

The one piece design is an issues but not impossible, you could cut it and clean up the edges but you would still have to play with it. I didn't use there adapter this time around as the PO had the JHM fittings on it already. Not a fan of using the screws to fully seat the adapter as any resistance and you can strip the threads on the oil pan, better to line it up and take you time seating it with the o-rings past the edge then you are good. What ever you want to use for lube should work.

Here is their adapter: https://www.forgemotorsport.com/Audi...uct--2007.html

[sti2relaxxin]

The one piece design is an issues but not impossible, you could cut it and clean up the edges but you would still have to play with it. I didn't use there adapter this time around as the PO had the JHM fittings on it already. Not a fan of using the screws to fully seat the adapter as any resistance and you can strip the threads on the oil pan, better to line it up and take you time seating it with the o-rings past the edge then you are good. What ever you want to use for lube should work.

Here is their adapter: https://www.forgemotorsport.com/Audi...uct--2007.html

I found that the adapter slid in very easily by switching back and forth between the two screws until it was fully seated. I did however have a hell of a time trying to screw the lines onto it. I spent an hour trying to screw them on and was fully convinced the threads where different sizes between the hoses and the adapter. Forge told me the oil lines have to be aligned perfectly or they can be very difficult to thread onto the adapter due to the fine thread size.

[sti2relaxxin]

FYI- when I installed my Forge oil cooler last week, I sanded down the sharp edges of the holes leading into the oil pan, but the o-rings still got damaged upon insertion. They didn’t leak though. The only reason I found out is because I had to remove the oil pan adapter to make some adjustments and noticed they were slightly torn. I put oil on the rings as well as the holes in the oil pan before inserting the adapter, so I think it’s just a tight fit with the o-rings they supply.


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Just to follow up on this- the O-rings started to leak oil in a glorious fashion, so when I pulled the plate I noticed the O-rings were pretty torn up. I replaced them with nitrile O-rings which fixed the issue. Forge includes silicone O-rings with the plate, and I think they are too fragile to handle the insertion of the plate without getting damaged.

Additional details- I always change my own oil, but I recently had my car into Audi for some engine refreshment (injectors/etc.) and they changed the oil. I wouldn't be surprised if they removed the plate to fully drain the oil, and the O-rings become further damaged when they re-installed it. Just a theory, but it's strange how it started leaking oil shortly after they changed the oil.

[CrickiKaze]

Maybe its just me but I see no reason to remove the plate from the oil pan, just the lines to the adapter...seems extra for nothing.

[sti2relaxxin]

Maybe its just me but I see no reason to remove the plate from the oil pan, just the lines to the adapter...seems extra for nothing.

Actually it is MUCH easier to remove the plate than those hoses. It took me over an hour to connect the hoses because they are so stiff and you have to line them up perfectly. Also- They require an immense amount of torque to create a tight seal. I was using a very long wrench to tighten them and I had to use all of my strength to tighten them down until the oil finally stopped leaking out of the fitting. It's a job I never want to do again, and I worry if they ever have to be unscrewed that they'll never establish a tight enough seal again.

[CrickiKaze]

Uh huh...if you are resorting to removing a piece like that then I presume installation or part error, you should have to pull the plate but if that's what you have to do.

[sti2relaxxin]

Uh huh...if you are resorting to removing a piece like that then I presume installation or part error, you should have to pull the plate but if that's what you have to do.

I'm not sure why you think that there was an installation error. If you try to screw the super stiff hoses onto the installed plate after the hoses have been routed through the bumper, they do not want to bend to line up. The threading is so fine that the plate and hoses have to be lined up perfectly, and it's very difficult to do that. Once I finally lined up the threads, the hoses screwed onto the plate with ease, but after repeated tightening, oil was still leaking out of the part of the hose where the screw part meets the hose. This is why more and more torque was needed to finally snug it up enough to create a seal.

Lastly, it is very easy to remove/install the plate with the hoses still attached. I did it many times while test fitting O-Rings until I found the proper size. If I had known this during the install, I definitely would have connected each hose to the plate before installing the plate. That would have eliminated all the time I wasted trying to line up the threads to the mounted plate.