(mods, if there is another thread in the 3rd Gen section for this, feel free to merge me or just delete this thread.)

i found this thread in the 2nd gen section somehow clicky but figured i'd make a post in here, since i did mine for an FD. this is basically a quick write-up to let others know that there is an alternative to spending $100 on oil metering lines.

basically, i wanted to replace my oil metering lines, and was planning to get braided stainless steel lines. but as the expenses of building my FD are piling up, i'm trying to find ways to maximize the use of my money. i bought the materials to do this from McMaster-Carr (i've bought a number of things through them, they're a pretty good company). my order consisted of 5 ft of Teflon FEP tubing (part# 52355K12) and a bag of stainless steel double-pinch clamps (part# 54105K34), and my grand total, including taxes and shipping, came to less than $21. i somehow managed to get my order the next day, which was a nice surprise. the Teflon tubing is rated up to 400F, so it should stand the heat very well. it's also pretty durable. while i was trying to get one of the banjo fittings into an end of the tube, i accidentally bent the tubing over. i was happy to find that it didn't stay pinched where it bent, and there was no white "bend mark," either. also, in the description of the tubing, it says they are white/semi clear, but in person they are more clear than i expected. i used a cutting wheel on my Dremel to cut through the pinch clamps on the OEM lines to get the banjo fittings then used them on the new lines. just be careful not to buzz the fitting while you're cutting the clamp.

i cut one length of tubing to about 25" and the other to about 35" and that should give me some breathing room as far as length is concerned. be careful as you try to push the banjo fitting into the tubing, it's really tough to get in and you might mess up the tubing if you push too hard. i dabbed a touch of spit onto the banjo fitting to lube it up a touch (that sounds dirtier than it's supposed to) when i did the third and fourth fittings and it seemed to help. make sure you put the pinch clamps onto the tubing before you put the second banjo fitting on! if you don't, you've got to do some backtracking. i used a set of channel locks to pinch the clamps down and they worked just fine, so you don't really need any special tools.

all in all this project from start to finish took me about 50 minutes (pulling the banjo fittings out of the old lines and then make the new lines), which is definitely worth the $80 savings in my opinion. i'd post some pics of the finished product, but i'm currently camera-less. but there's really nothing to see, they're just clear lines with banjo fittings at each end.

 

post up some pics

 

 

CMonakar did something similar, here is a pic from his thread.


full thread: https://www.rx7club.com/20b-forum-95/cmonakar-mandeville-20b-gt42r-project-601192/

 

I wonder if they would be able to be shaped to some extent to route them the way the stock FD lines are routed - around the water pump housing. In the pic on the 20B above, they're routed similar to the FC, more of a straight shot. I think Mazda changed the routing to keep them away from the turbo's heat.

Wonder if using a heat gun or something could form the lines into a shape?

BTW, the stock lines (part numbers N3A1-14-660E and N3A1-14-670E) are right at $30 each.

Dale

 

it might be possible, but i'm not sure how well they'd take to shaping. if you could do it, i'd imagine it'd take a lot of heat due to their heat tolerance. i thought about the shaped path, but decided not to worry about it and figured i'd just find the best "straight shot" i could.

btw, my lines look exactly like the ones in the pic of the 20B.

 

one thing I didn't like about installing the braided stainless lines was assuring myself the other hoses and wires were tied away from the abrasive stainless lines.

 

I took off my UIM last weekend and noticed one of the stock lines broke and I have no idea how long it's been like that I ordered those same lines last week and I'll be replacing those lines as soon as I get the chance.

 

i did the same thing 20 bucks in parts ...ran em the stock route ...so far everything is a ok ...kind of interesting to actually see the oil going through the lines ...lets you know its really there ....make sure you replace those oil meter nozzles ....they go bad quite often ...the heat of the block gets em sticky inside ...the lines are a very inexpensive upgrade ...

 

just one question. why not use the 1/16" wall instead of the 1/32" it will only cost about 4-5 dollars more and uses the same pinch clamps.

 

well, I ordered the 1/16th wall stuff, so I will post up how well it works out.

 

So how did it work with the 1/16th's...any updates?

 

i made my own out of some extra stainless brake line i had and some tiny hose clamps, using the stock banjo bolts.

 

Stock OEM replacements are only $40 for both from Ray. They are pre-bent, ready to install. Hardly seems worth it to make your own IMO.