AN fitting oil leak
 

I've been chasing an oil leak for a while. I replaced the old fittings and hose with new Russell Performance hose and fittings thinking a better quality fittings would be the answer. I still have a leak, always the same spot. I have used three new fittings trying to fix the leak and just today lengthened the hose and used two new fitting on each end as a just in case. Still leaking.

It leaks at the swivel, NOT at the threads.

Suggestions?

http://i1283.photobucket.com/albums/...psrfqvkc6y.jpg

Try tightening it a bit more? It looks like a flare fitting so just make sure it lines up properly!

You should be able to isolate it if you break it down and consider each individual sealing point.

You have your tapered threads into the sandwich plate, which require thread sealant to seal. You look dry there.

Next out, you have the 37 degree AN flare seals. It appears, at least from the one photo, that your top fitting flare is leaking. This type of seal is formed by forcing a male and female 37 degree flange against one another. The only way they leak is if flare surface is damaged, or if something is in there preventing the flares from seating against each other. I suppose its also possible to have a manufacturing deflect like perhaps the flare is at the incorrect angle, but I would suggest this is highly unlike. If the flare seats are in good condition and there is no debris in there, it probably just needs to be tighter.

Next out from there, you have swivel ends (so you can twist the hose on the fitting for easier installation and routing). These seal with an internal oring. Its possible that the top swivel is leaking and its running down the pipe to the flare nut, hard to tell in the picture.

The next point for a leak is the hose barb... I am going to assume the hose is all the way in the nut and the the barb is sealing on the hose.

Next time, I would personally use non-swivel hose ends, since its just adding one more area for a potential leak just for a very minor convenience. But in the picture, it doesn't look like the swivel is leaking, but that the flare is.

Sell the car.

It's the top fitting, the threads are dry, I witness oil escaping from the swivel seal... the tapered flare side of the fitting, apologies for the improper terminology. Superman himself could not get the fitting any tighter, that leaves debris, or damaged flare. I didn't notice any damage, but it's the only piece that I haven't replaced yet...

Are the fittings still good or will they continue to leak now that oil has got around the seal?

I'm not in the right frame of mind for that kind of advice right now Andrew.

I'll put my bid in at $1

The tapered flare is not the swivel. The swivel is where the fitting can twist even after tight. The red nut tightens up against the swivel... its on the other end of the fitting from where the photo shows the drip. So if the swivel is leaking, then it would be traveling down the bent pipe and dripping off the flare nut.

If the swivel leaks, it will always leak. If the flare leaks, something is wrong with the flare and it requires inspection to know if it can be made to not leak or not.

If you have changed all fittings, elbows, and the adaptor that is screwed into the tapped block, or what ever its tapped into(cant really tell)
You can try using a small amount of stainless steel Teflon tape on the leaking threads?

Also double check that the elbow and hose is 100% clean and clear from any obstructions that may be causing the oil to not flow 100% forcing it to find the weakest point to leak...

Never put thread sealant on anything other than tapered pipe threads. Straight AN threads are not intended to have sealant

Great!

Then the flare is leaking at the elbow, not at the threads. The swivel is dry. The anodizing inside the flare looks ok, no scratches or groves or gouges, same for the fitting at the sandwich plate.

http://i1283.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9xkiazpt.jpg

I'm going to order new fittings for the sandwich plate as that's the only thing I haven't replaced yet.

Thanks for the help guys :tiphat:

its actually the complete opposite.... stainless steel t-tape is not a sealant. it strictly fills the threads and prevents from seizing

are you positive its not leaking from an oil line/fitting above it and dripping on the flare nut? Its just pretty rare to see a pair of AN flares not seal against one another.

Will she be good for Z-Fest tomorrow???

weird, never heard of a tape based thread lube. Either way, lubricating the threads on a flare nut isnt going to help the flare seal any.

Teflon tape is strictly a lubricant that helps make in the threads better. As for the flare? yes if its the flare, nothing will help it. The stainless steel t-tape would fill any imperfections in the threads. So long as u put a small amount, not interfering with the swivel.

Thread sealant is used to seal the threads in a tapered pipe fitting. A tapered pipe fitting is not designed to seal without it, and its only pure luck if you manage to get a seal out of a tapered pipe thread without sealant.

Thread sealant has no business on the threads of a AN flare nut. The 37 degree flare seat is what provides the seal. With the flare correctly seated, it will be sealed. There is nothing for the threads to seal as the fluid would never make it that far. AN straight threads should not have any thread sealant on them, ever.

Thread tape could never interfere with the swivel, as the swivel is on the opposite end of the hose end, closer to the hose, not near the flare. However, you should have no thread tape on anything that isnt a tapered pipe thread anyway, so its a moot point.

lol you're right!!
I just work with this stuff everyday of my life with high pressured compression fittings and hoses;):tup:

BAck to Jason fixing his Z for Z-Fest tomorrow:tiphat:

The line going to the turbo and the sending units is slightly higher but those connections are dry, I'll double check them again though.

Do what you want every day, just make sure to stop putting thread tape on straight threads... not only does it make no sense but youre doing it wrong if you need it to create a seal.

I have some tools and oil packed. I'll keep an eye on the oil pressure gauge and giver. :tup:

I remember when I was a kid playing Spy Hunter at the arcade and dreaming of owning a car with the ability to do smoke screens and oil slicks... :tup:

If you take one of the NPT to flare adapters out of your oil sandwich... take a good look at the angle of the flare. I wonder if you somehow got SAE flare adapter instead of AN flare.

The SAE flare is 45 degrees... so if you lay it on the table on its flare, 180 degrees from where its touching the table would be standing straight up and down.

Hard to describe lol... but its possible since the 3/4-16 thread of a -8AN is also comes in SAE 45 degree flare fittings.

Got a way to measure the flare angle? I am with you that this fitting must be the trouble since you have tried multiple hose ends. Now I am intrigued as to why you have a leak.

So... You're not selling me your car for $1?

But... But... I <3 Mr. Gale!!!

It looks to me like the swivel is not going straight on the fitting causing a sealing issue. Is the line/fitting hitting the block causing it not to seal. I think that is your issue. Never seen an AN fitting have sealing issues unless something was in the way.

The only thing I can think of is route the line a different way or spacer the fitting out away in hopes of getting the fitting to line up better.

Jason,

You probably already have but if not get ahold of Sasha and just see what he did with my car when I brought it to him. He fixed it up for me this spring and it has been bone dry since. I went through this exact same thing all last year and even changed the fittings myself with the same sort of issues you were having.

I wish I could help more!

I was going to swap the NPT to flare adaptors to see if the problem moves, but I don't want to disturb too much before heading to Z-Fest tomorrow. I will order new fittings for the sandwich plate and compare everything once they arrive. I had no idea the flare was available as SAE 45 degree flare. I'll take photos for everyone to. :tiphat:

The fitting is clear of any obstruction, and easily threads on to the sandwich plate fitting using my fingers. I make sure it's fully tight with a proper -8 AN wrench. The finished result matches the fitting below it.

Thanks Mitch. I've replaced all the other fittings without issue, it's just this one. There is something up with it, possibly like Phunk has mentioned. I pulled out the original oil filter relocation plate thinking I could use one of the fittings off of that, well, those were definitely wrong, both fittings threads were stripped when I removed them. Needless to say I didn't try them.

I'll contact Sasha if I still have a problem after changing the sandwich plate fittings. Thanks :tiphat:

Ya I have never knowingly encountered a SAE 45 degree flared fitting... but I looked them up really quick yesterday to see if it was possible and found that there are fittings made that look identical to what you have in there only with a 45 degree flare. Perhaps a mix-up at the manufacturing facility packaged your fitting a -8 AN... just randomly speculating here.

I have this same problem but its my line connecting to the sandwich plate...