FAQ: Turbo Oil Lines (feed and drain) Primer.

[Goatcrapp]

Lots of info out there, but i'll reference a post of my own from the past, which is pretty complete.

Oil Feed:

Tapping the sending unit - this is one of the more common methods of getting oil to the turbo for us 2g guys. There has always been a bit of contention re: the OPSU's thread and pitch size...

The sending unit IS BPT - however, its so negligible a difference, that you can absolutely thread it into an NPT tee, and thread that tee into the block. Use a bit of high temp, fuel safe teflon tape on the threads, and you'll be golden. For the uninitiated, this is the YELLOW teflon. White teflon will dissolve under continued exposure to heat and petroleums.

For my own install, i also used a small bit of blue oil safe rtv. 3+ years, i've not had a leak form this particular spot.

LINES: after messing with -6AN for a while, and various reducers, to get it down to an acceptable level (its what was laying around, from a fuel setup) - i recently redid everything with -3AN. Use SS braided, fuel/oil safe lines. Do it right, do it once.

everything you need can be purchased here:

http://www.atpturbo.com/Merchant2/m...tegory_Code=OIL

however, i wound up getting the actual braided line and fittings from a guy named darkesteclipse on ebay but here is his site, for direct shopping.

Turbo-supply.com - Turbo-supply.com

*****PLEASE DO NOT SEND HIM MONEY WITHOUT CHECKING WITH HIM FIRST - I'VE HAD REPORTS THAT HIS WEBSITE WILL ACCEPT THE ORDER, BUT KEEP IN MIND THIS IS A FEW YEARS AFTER THE FACT. HE MAY NOT BE AN ACTIVE SELLER ANYMORE.

His prices were better and his communication top notch.

I'm including the specs on each part, since you may very well find your own local source for the items, and can get them cheaper.

anyways, just to keep things centralized, here's what you need from ATP - feel free to substitute your own stuff, as MOST of the brass fittings can be found at home depot, or other retailers, for less money...except the npt-->AN adapters.

1/8" NPT tee
8.25 ATP price... way high. Can be found for 3.29 at a lowes or home depot, but i had to go to 4 different ones before finding one in stock... your call. nyc hardware stores suck, yours may not. Note: for this to work, it HAS to be a M-F-F tee. There are m-m-f tees that simply won't do the job without introducing more adapters (more possible leak points down the line)

-3AN to 1/8 NPT adapter - NOTE: they can be straight and bent - read on... You will need one on BOTH ends of the AN line, 1 for the sending unit side, and 1 for the turbo, if you are using a garrett turbo, that is. On the sending unit side- you thread the tee into the block. I used some loctite. DO NOT DO THIS. the fittings are brass, unless you're lucky enough to find someone who stocks them in harder materials. BRASS FITTINGS BREAK EASILY IF YOU TRY TO UNSCREW THEM WHEN YOU HAVE LOCTITE ON THEIR THREADS!!!!! - at least, do not use the RED loctite. Green or blue should be ok, but you'll need to add heat to break it free (reason i didnt use it is because it kind of defeats the purpose. these components are always hot.)

do yourselves a favor and find HIGH TEMP TEFLON.. used for oil lines in homes, or gas pipes, etc... it should be yellow, not the standard water pipe white teflon tape.

anyways thread the tee into the block, with a female end facing up... throw your STRAIGHT -3AN adapter into this end.. the other end.. well it gets tricky here.. really depends on your setup, how you have the turbo clocked, etc... depending on where your inlet winds up, you'll need to use a straight or 45 degree. fitting.... Or in cases like mine, a 90 degree, however... good luck finding one. If, like my setup, you don't have the hood clearance to run a 45 degree without kinking the line, then use a m-f 1/8" npt 90* elbow - available at home depot... plenty on the shelves, even here in nyc... and then use a regular straight AN adapter, linked above. i used some red loctite on these as well.. again do not do this unless you are 100% sure on what you are doing. DO NOT LOCTITE ANYTHING TO THE TURBO OIL INLET. it will suck when the fitting breaks, trust me. Use only teflon and/or rtv.

Next on the list is the actual oil feed line.. Again i would recommend http://www.turbo-supply.com - he hooked me up nicely - 32.00 shipped for a 36" -3AN line, with the AN-NPT adapters linked above, as well as the tee linked above.

HOWEVER, if you wish to shop ATP instead, heres a link. at least you can use ATP as a resource for visuals on what you should get, even if you can get it elsewhere.

-3AN line


now lastly is the oil inlet restrictor.. absolutely necessary on a garrett turbo if running -4AN, as our native oil pressures are too high. with the -3AN, i ran it sans restrictor for quite a while without any new oil blowing into my intake tract.. i didnt have nearly the problems i had when i was running a -6AN feed line (lol, i know, i know!) even with a restrictor on the -6AN.

I defeinitely say -3 instead of -4 because a> its cheaper.. b> less likely to kink (yes even SS braided CAN GET KINKED) and c> a little extra protection against turbo-killing oil pressures. Try to blow through a -3AN line, vs a -4... its much harder to do so... which means oil will have a harder time getting through it as well. Its all about volume.

Another alternative is using hard brake line. Search on PT for some quick write ups.. If you do it right, and give it some "give" by coiling it at both the block side and engine side, to make it somewhat flexible, which will relieve the stresses placed on the lines if the turbo and engine ever move slightly out of synch with eachother, it can literally cost next to nothing. You'll still need a tee and fittings however.

DRAIN LINE:

firstly... unless your turbo came with it - BUY A DAMN FLANGE. just do it.. i've tried the DIY solutions too many times where it comes to drainage, and you know what.. spend the 15$ for a flange, gasket, and bolts. that too can be had on ATP - but i've found it to be much cheaper on ebay.

then spend 2.19 at home depot for a 5/8" barbed adapter... Don't bother with heater core, silicone, or other type of rubber or coated hose.. ITS NOT WORTH IT. The line will kink when hot, so keep that in mind. It will also eventually eat through, and make the inside sludgy. Do yourself the favor and buy a -10AN aeroquip or similar OIL RATED stainless steel braided line that you can use with barbed fittings... OR forego the aforementioned barbed adapter and just get the -10AN screw in connector, whichever fits your drain flange.

You'll have to have the oil pan tapped... just have a 5/8" brazed/flared end welded on, maybe an inch long and you're good. a little more expensive, and harder to fit (but worth it to some) would be a threaded AN fitting, to allow for -10AN line.

beyond that - use as many screw clamps as needed to ensure nothing pops off, and use as many metal zip ties (great for use with your header wrap also, but its cheaper to use clamps for the headerwrap [img]images/smilies/icon_darin.gif[/img]) as needed to tie things up/tuck them out of the way. if you use plastic zip ties, they WILL melt, or get brittle and pop. go metal. be it these metal ties, or cheaper metal strapping, etc... trust me [img]images/smilies/smile.gif[/img]

other options are ebay "kits" which are pretty darn complete... you'll need a longer drain line, obviously... as well as the restrictor, and whatever else you dont see in the pics.. but it IS a decent 1-stop solution, with just a few misc items to buy... but it costs more than you can piece it together yourself for... buyer's choice on this one... If i were starting out, i would probably go this route, and get some longer length of 5/8 or -10AN drain line.

Obviously, if you tap a different spot for the oil, you'll need to get the necessary reducers, from 3/8BPT to 1/8"... but for the most part, the formula remains the same.