What s the cause of the leaky oil cooler lines

[Louis]

Hi Everyone

Like most, my oil lines started leaking just over 11,000 miles. In rural Mississippi there are no Viper Techs around and there is an issue with me swapping out the hoses under warranty. So this is turning into a more lengthy process than I wanted but the hoses will get replaced one-way-or-another. So, does anyone know why these lines leak? Is it the crimp? It's a hydraulic line and it shouldn't leak with pressures less than 100 psi. The AC lines are crimped and with 134 freon they can run several hundred psi and never leak.

I'm just perplexed as to why Dodge has had this issue for so long without fixing the problem.

Thanks!
Louis

[swexlin]

From what my Viper tech tells me (and he has been working on these since the Gen 1 days) it is a combination of the lower-quality lines, combined with their location. The engine flexes and torques, and the line loosen. After my lines were replaced (at 12,000 miles) the NEW fitting in to the block started to leak a couple months later, and he replaced that again. And my new lines, if I had to bet, will probably start leaking again soon.

Honestly, since it's more of a seep/weep than leak, I'm done worrying about it. Car is under warranty. It is highly annoying though, I will admit! If you read the Hellcat forums, it's a problem on those cars as well.

[Steve M]

Some leak at the crimp, some leak at the quick connect fitting. If I'm not mistaken, they use a single o-ring to seal at the quick connect.

Dodge has never seemed to care when it came to this part. It's a problem that has been around for many, many years. I didn't have a warranty to worry about when I bought my '08 many years ago, so I just went aftermarket and haven't worried about it since.

[swexlin]

Some leak at the crimp, some leak at the quick connect fitting. If I'm not mistaken, they use a single o-ring to seal at the quick connect.

Dodge has never seemed to care when it came to this part. It's a problem that has been around for many, many years. I didn't have a warranty to worry about when I bought my '08 many years ago, so I just went aftermarket and haven't worried about it since.

This is correct. Mine leaked at both points. And as I said, the replacement fitting O-ring leaked almost right away and was replaced again!

[ForTehNguyen]

any sealant that can be applied to stop the leaking knowing that the dealer fix will eventually fail

[ViperGeorge]

Go aftermarket and you'll never have to replace them again.

[SilverACR]

any sealant that can be applied to stop the leaking knowing that the dealer fix will eventually fail
The o-ring is designed for the seal and any additional sealant will either end up in your engine or provide no value on the non pressure side. Kind of a bummer but that just the way it is. O-ring are used in specifically designed groove to pipe connections and are intended to see either small lateral or vertical movements seen with thermal expansion. Sealant is designed for a fixed sealing surface so try and picture where the sealant ends up. Hell the problem could be as simple as they don’t pre-lube the o-rings during original assembly...

[SilverACR]

To follow up on my other post. The fitting on the good aftermarket lines are hydraulic compression fittings which technically are super overkill, but certainly a fix forever.. The fittings utilize a metal to metal compression fit with dissimilar metals/ hardening for the seal without sealant or o-rings. This is the same technology used in hydraulic lines under thousands of pounds of pressure. Likely the hoses become the weak link but at worst they are seeing oil pressure of 100lbs. The aftermarket setups I have seen from the vendors you can find referenced on this have some seriously nice lines that you won’t have to worry about. Obviously they have to be installed right and torqued properly to perform as expected.

[red heat]

Hi Everyone

Like most, my oil lines started leaking just over 11,000 miles. In rural Mississippi there are no Viper Techs around and there is an issue with me swapping out the hoses under warranty. So this is turning into a more lengthy process than I wanted but the hoses will get replaced one-way-or-another. So, does anyone know why these lines leak? Is it the crimp? It's a hydraulic line and it shouldn't leak with pressures less than 100 psi. The AC lines are crimped and with 134 freon they can run several hundred psi and never leak.

I'm just perplexed as to why Dodge has had this issue for so long without fixing the problem.

Thanks!
Louis

stock oil lines are garbage.
buy stainless steel braided lines from viperspecialtyperformance.com. the install is a bitch. unless you want to invest hours in the install, have a mechanic install them. once the these lines are in, it will be a problem forgotten forever

[ForTehNguyen]

the QD fittings from VSP are suppose to be a lot easier, no need to drop the pan

[ViperJames]

This is really interesting because when my 2014 was serviced at Meadowlands in Carmel, NY a few months ago, CJ (the Viper tech) found the leaking oil cooler lines, and said it was NOT a common issue and he had no idea what caused them to start leaking. He is one of the MOST knowledgeable and respected Viper techs out there and he had no clue about it. This is very interesting.

[swexlin]

Ha! Leaky oil lines may be one of the top 3, if not the top issue on Vipers going back years and years. Basically every car does it soon or later. My Viper tech has done so many, I think he could do it with his eyes closed!

Maybe your tech meant on the Gen 5s only, which, of course, it still is.

[Dr.Ron]

I had mine replaced under warranty last time the car was at the dealer for no cold a/c air.
Their Viper tech (he's the only one that touches Vipers) also has been working on Vipers for years across all generations. He said it's common and they even had the lines in stock.

Ron

[Louis]

Thank you all for your replies! Great information!!

I looked into the Viper Specialty hoses and if I have to install the hoses myself I will go that route. I paid for the warranty so I might as well use it.

Thank you again!
Louis

[SRT BILL]

I had mine replaced under warranty last time the car was at the dealer for no cold a/c air.
Their Viper tech (he's the only one that touches Vipers) also has been working on Vipers for years across all generations. He said it's common and they even had the lines in stock.

Ron

Ron which Viper tech are you using?

[Dr.Ron]

George at sea view auto in ocean county. He's great!

[Zach]

I just took mine to the dealer for an oil leak at 12k miles (few drips on floor overnight). They told me it was the oil lines and the o-ring at the block, and said the oil lines were covered under powertrain warranty but the o rings at the block are not. They quoted me nearly $300 labor to replace the o rings at the block (mind you, they'll already have the lines off as covered by the powertrain warranty). I declined the o rings as I'm more than capable of doing that myself and can purchase more than enough beer to cover my suffering for $300, then they came back and said "we were mistaken, the tech told us that the o rings are leaking, but not the lines".

First off, I'm blown away that the oil lines are considered powertrain, but the o ring at the block is not. Second, that's some really shady behavior from the dealer to change their tune after I decline the work. I'm not upset about $300 for repairs, but if I'm going to touch the car, I'd rather spend that $300 building higher quality oil lines and just do the job once and for all. If it were almost any other repair I'd just pay them.

I'm tempted to try another dealer, or attempt to get in touch with someone that handles warranty claims. Is there a number for warranty administration at FCA? It hardly seems worth the effort, but the dealer's behavior is what's most unsettling about this.

[Dr.Ron]

You need to switch dealers! That's a bunch of crap!

[Zach]

Also, warranty pays 0.7 labor hours for O ring replacement. They quoted me $280 labor, and I assume their labor rate is 120-140/hr, so they quoted me 2-2.3 hours when warranty was already covering R&R on the lines. I understand warranty pays less, but now they're getting zero dollars.

[AZTVR]

I just took mine to the dealer for an oil leak at 12k miles (few drips on floor overnight). They told me it was the oil lines and the o-ring at the block, and said the oil lines were covered under powertrain warranty but the o rings at the block are not. I just looked at the 2013 Dodge Viper warranty (https://www.moparownerconnect.com/oc/US/en-US/sub/Documents/2013_SRT_Viper_WI.pdf). The parts that are listed as being covered by the powertrain warranty do not include the external oil cooler lines, IMHO.

[Zach]

They said the lines were covered, but the O ring to the block was not. That's what struck me as odd.

[Dr.Ron]

Mine was covered 100% under warranty, NO questions asked. In fact, they did it before they even told me what the problem was.

[Zach]

Mine was covered 100% under warranty, NO questions asked. In fact, they did it before they even told me what the problem was.

Powertrain or bumper to bumper? My bumper to bumper expired last month.

[swexlin]

Mine were covered under warranty as well, no questions asked. Not sure whether under powertrain, or extended that I have.

[Stealth]

This is getting harder and harder to understand.

About a year ago, I had similar experiences with 2 different dealers and Viper techs on 3 different matters, as well as damage to my car (which was fortunately no problem to fix on my dime). There must be some serious pressure to produce $$$$$ in the Service Departments to cause these situations! Further, of all of the Dodge customers to attempt to...well, Viper owners would likely be more particular, pay closer scrutiny to the work and charges, etc., and be more knowledgeable than the average customer. In fact, the Service Writer at one of the offending Dealerships said "we hate Viper owners" because they are so particular and discerning (i.e., we expect the job to be done in a first-class manner, done right, and without damaging the car or including bogus or inflated charges). IMHO such expectations are not out of line for a $130k car!

I am hoping that non-Viper Tech Dodge Service Techs can now handle Warranty Work on Vipers since the Viper is out of production and the number of Viper Techs will surely dwindle.

[swexlin]

"In fact, the Service Writer at one of the offending Dealerships said "we hate Viper owners" because "

I hope you reported that to corporate, or on the survey. No excuse for that.

I think we'll be saved by the other SRT owners. At my dealer, the Viper tech is also the SRT (Hellcat, etc) tech. Those techs will carry us into the future, if you can find a good one.

[Gen2man]

My 2005 Viper Truck had same issue and I put on the braided steel lines. Four years later they started leaking. Maybe they were chafing on each other because the leak was in the middle of the line. I used the lifetime warranty and got new ones. Zip tied so they won't touch each other.
On the subject of Viper Techs I had only ever used one, and he was the best, until when several years ago I took it to him, he had switched to a different dealer. He overfilled the oil. Said "that's what the computer said" he underfilled the coolant, scratched the nose on a driveway, and did an alignment that was way off from side to side. My a/c was also blowing hot so I got a/c service too. That lasted for six months. I am now a YouTube educated a/c expert now. Harbor Freight gauges. I evacuated the system and it held a vacuum for days, then I filled it up with 134a and I realized it takes time and patience to completely fill it. Mechanics are now rushed to complete as many cars as possible that they can't do a thorough job. I do all my own work now on my trucks and cars as long as the parts aren't too heavy for my recently broken back.

[Martin]

Hopefully you can find a good dealer and tech and really get the job done right. Ideally, you could buy the good aftermarket lines on your own dime, and have them installed under warranty. Keep the warranty supplied ones in case you ever want to go completely back to stock. Some service managers wouldn't blink an eye at that, but some will stick to the book (or throw the book at you).

Believe it or not, there once was a time where Viper techs bent over backwards to make sure the customer was happy, and they did outstanding work. After the BK BS, that seemed to change quite a lot.

[uberpube]

My car has 5 miles on it, its actually never really been driven, and the oil cooler lines are leaking at the block.

[swexlin]

My car has 5 miles on it, its actually never really been driven, and the oil cooler lines are leaking at the block.
I would have made them fix it before taking delivery. I remember you posting this. Should have been fixed at the factory before it was released for shipment.

[Dan Cragin]

I gave up on the production oil lines and fittings. Aftermarket AN lines solve the problem once and for all.

[Scot@Prefix]

We offer a complete AN replacement line kit, both ready to install or cut to fit.
Couple different colors on the hoses and stuff
I think all the vendors/tuners on here offer AN style setups.
Send me a PM if you would like more info.

[Bill Pemberton]

Especially for the West Coast guys, Dan should be on your call list! Great guy and dedicated to helping Viper folks since the 90s.