993 - Oil Return Tubes

From pcarworkshop

The oil return tubes allow for oil to drain from the heads back into the crankcase. From the crankcase the oil is sucked by the return circuit of the oil pump back into the oil tank.

These do not typically leak but they can seep at the O ring joints where the tubes attach to the heads and the case. Here is an example of oil return tubes that should be replaced due to corrosion on the pipes.

The tubes looked pretty grim:

Here is the kit:

and the details of an expandable tube:

I tried different tools without success. Went downtown to find a tube clamp or something more useful and small enough!!! I used a kind of tube pliers with long arms. And with it I finally placed the two first tubes quite easily.

Then I tried the rear left tube. I initially placed it with the big tube on the engine side like the other one I did. This looks more logical seen the oil flow direction. But after spending all my afternoon trying to expand it, I was close to give up.

I finally decided to place the big tube on the cylinder head side. I was then able to use the heat exchanger to push the tube in place with a screw driver pushing on the big tube lip . On the other side I used my pliers to maintain the small tube in place. It worked perfectly and in 10 minutes the tube was in position!!!

In conclusion: it took me half an hour for the two front tubes, and all the afternoon for the rear one. The fact that I finally decided to place it reverse shouldn't have negative effect as far as the seals are in good shape. The part of the small tube which slide inside the big one has a lip wich protect the seal from a direct flow. So...we'll see how this will work when aging.

I then put the heating tubes back in place, the oil lines to the tank in the rear right wing, and this is how the car looks now

Original Article Credit : JP (ala Toga)