1988 6.2 oil lines

[Mikeandwendy74]

Hi just wondering I've seen a few posts on folks fixing thier own oil cooler lines by using clamps and cutting the aluminum crimps off.....not sure exactly what these folks are doing.....are the crimps cut right off then you flare the ends of the cooler line side aluminum hoses? Then using clamps on the existing hoses? the crimps are exactly what is leaking on mine. Now thats alot of oil pressure in those hoses.... dont want to be on the highway and boom :), any help is appreciated. thanks

[neo]

Personally, I would never trust clamps on a oil line. Best move would be take them off and to a place to have them rebuilt. Many NAPA's will do it, and virtually any hydrualic place will. Check your local phone book, unless you are in a little town (even we have one) you can probably find several places to rebuild them. Good luck!

[bigeasy]

Oil lines and clamps are bad news.
Seems the hose gets soft then pops off at the most inopertune moment.
Cut double flair a nut on then hook to a hose barb atleast.

[john8662]

IIRC, there was an article on here about that.

Don't just use regular hose clamps, they ain't got the strength in the long-run to call them reliable in this application.

I saw mention of using small exhaust clamps (U-bolt type) to clamp on with the hose clamp. That probably wouldn't slip off.

Best best, go to the dealer and buy another set...

Or, upgrade the lines and cooler from Lubrication Specialists, or the larger DSG cooler and lines (more money, more better lines and cooler).

J

[simon]

I had a engine grenaded by one of these factory oil line couplerclips breaking and popping the line out of the block , I replaced both lines with stainless tubing and hydraulic hose and fittings ,and replaced the quik connectors with screw in fittings as well.
I advise everyone to inspect these quik couplers carefully for tightness when changing the oil filter as these little hairpin clips can and do fail . It did cost me $2500 in rebuilding an exelent running engine.

My two cents worth

[Subzilla]

Jim B did a complete how-to article with nice pictures a few years ago on how to do this by rotary tooling off the aluminum, crimped pieces and using clamps. I did this on my Blazer using 2 high quality clamps on each end and have had no more leaks. I check them every 6 months or so for tightness.

[Mikeandwendy74]

I just scored some braided stainless hydraulic line rated and tested to 400 psi. 2 foot sections all with half inch fittings built in on both ends. Scored 16 of these total 32 feet. I know what I'm doing this weekend :)

[belizean6.2]

I lost a engigine because of those darn hoses. I suggest anyone who is still using the stock hoses to get rid of them and fabricate your own. I learned the hard way.