Oil cooler lines leaking gen3

[Viperdark]

Dealer wants $1200 and wants to remove the front bonnet to get to the lines. I have less than 14k miles on my 2006 and know they are a problem on these cars but never saw oil leaking. However, is this worth doing for $1200 or is it a rip off from this dealer?

[swexlin]

Can be done on a lift, hood does NOT need to come off. Most of us (I've had Gen 3 and 5) have had this done. Was a couple hundred bucks from my dealer a few years back. Put car on lift, drain oil, take off old lines (can be a bit tricky) put the new ones on, refill.

Find another dealer, pronto. He'd takin' for a ride.

[Viper vince]

Dealer wants $1200 and wants to remove the front bonnet to get to the lines. I have less than 14k miles on my 2006 and know they are a problem on these cars but never saw oil leaking. However, is this worth doing for $1200 or is it a rip off from this dealer?

Get a hold of viper specialtys and buy his two piece lines. Expensive but worth the extra $$$!

[sonicbloo]

My local garage changed mine (in the UK, so no experience of Vipers) and it took no time at all on the lift. Maybe 2 hours labour. Cost of factory OEM replacements was £200 ($300)

I would have bought aftermarket replacements, but they were out of stock at the time

6 years on and the replacements haven't leaked (yet :) )

[Steve M]

If you are asking the question, you likely already know the answer.

Yes, it is a rip off.

The question, though, is this: are you mechanically inclined and do you have enough tools to tackle the job yourself?

For that price, you don't want to replace the lines with the same shitty design that landed you in this spot in the first place. In this case, the OEM solution has a design flaw...replacing them with OEM lines will not fix the underlying problem. It may fix the symptom for the time being, but it will eventually come back to haunt you.

There are plenty of aftermarket options available; I'd personally recommend the lines from Viper Specialty. While they aren't cheap, they are well thought out, use premium parts throughout, and are expertly assembled. I did this job many, many years ago on my '08, which was documented here: https://driveviper.com/forums/threads/146-Oil-Cooler-Line-Replacement-Gen-IV

Plenty of tips and tricks in that thread that will give you an idea of what you will face should you decide to do it yourself.

I've not worried about them since.

[1Willy1]

my 05 has leaky oil lines as well, according to the dealer that checked the car out before i bought it, but i see NO OIL on the ground when its parked, am i wrong to think its just seeping a bit?

Any reason i cant drive with them like this for a while and just monitor the oil levels ?

[Steve M]

They don't tend to fail catastrophically.

I'm sure you can drive them around for a while and not really have an issue...many do that probably haven't noticed theirs leaking. I discovered mine were leaking when I found a single drop of oil on my garage floor...who knows how long it had been going on prior to that.

The issue in my mind is if it does start to leak a bit more, it could be putting down oil that your rear tires might pick up. It's a remote, but non-zero chance; I don't need anything other than my right foot helping the ass end of my car find the nearest ditch/tree/whatever.

[pokeyl]

My guy here charges 3 hours ($300) and you supply the parts and oil.

[1Willy1]

They don't tend to fail catastrophically.

I'm sure you can drive them around for a while and not really have an issue...many do that probably haven't noticed theirs leaking. I discovered mine were leaking when I found a single drop of oil on my garage floor...who knows how long it had been going on prior to that.

The issue in my mind is if it does start to leak a bit more, it could be putting down oil that your rear tires might pick up. It's a remote, but non-zero chance; I don't need anything other than my right foot helping the ass end of my car find the nearest ditch/tree/whatever.

thanks steve that puts me at ease a bit

I ordered coilovers , restored my door panels and been focused on a full paint correction since i took ownership, havent had time to fix the boring stuff yet , ill get too it soon i hope

[Viper Specialty]

We have standard oil lines in stock, have parts for either HS79 Quick Connect version, or could make a set of Pro-Plus Quick Connect in about a week.

[FrgMstr]

We have standard oil lines in stock, have parts for either HS79 Quick Connect version, or could make a set of Pro-Plus Quick Connect in about a week.

I used VSP to replace mine years ago on my Gen IV. They have been perfect since. I actually installed mine with the car up on jack stands. Was not fun, but it was doable if you take your time. The only tool I needed to buy was a wrench big enough for the connector at the bottom of the block.

[Viperdark]

Ok, thanks, the technician said he saw oil leaking. I told him I never saw one drop on my garage floor so maybe its minor oil leak. He said he knew one guy that was driving down the street and the pressure made the oil line burst and he had to call a tow truck after he was discovered it leaking and advised the customer to relace it. I am not sure if he just wants to bring money int he dealership as he said he told the sales manager he would bring viper customers in. What is the likelihood it will just burst? Does this happen? I dont see any cases of this and I was plannign on driving it a few hundred biles this weekend to a family mambers house. $1200 seems like a rip off and he says he takes off the entire front end to ge tto the lines as they are hard to reach.

[Viperdark]

Also, he also wanted to scan a check engine light with the full diagniostic. I asked if he could use a hand held as it was a wekend and he said I had to come back during the week. After the hand held scan said it was a oxygen sensor/upstream. I told him not right now and went to Autozone and bought ntk sensor for $64 and I jacked up the car and replaced one myself and likely saved $400+ from this dealer. In context, I don t want to get ripped off. Perhaps, I can do the oil line job myself as he says I need to leave the car there a day as the front end has to come off. Cr only has 13k miles.

[Viperdark]

I am starting to think the dealer just wants to put the fear into you to make you do it right away under their cash register. I have read in another forum, some said they never heard of the line busting off but I dont know.

[Viper Specialty]

LOL, the whole front end, eh?

With our standard lines, a couple hours with the right tools... most of which is spend swearing and bandaging your knuckles. With our Quick Connect lines... 30 minutes.

And to answer your question, yes, absolutely have seen lines rupture but generally that is due to physical damage/rubbing.

[Brewersprts]

Just take your old ones off. Take it to a local high pressure hose place. Have them make you new ones.

That’s what I did. I think I paid $125 or $150. Took them less than a day to make

[dreamcarviper]

This was one of the first items I changed on my 2003. Can say enough about the Viper Specialty Lines and Dan himself. He was great in delivery and even answered some questions during install.
The install itself is not difficult at all but you do require some time and patience. If you can go for the quick connect do it! If not removing the oil pan makes it a lot easier OR you can be like me with a lot of contortion of arms, some colourful language, a buddy and a couple of beverage get the the job done with he one pieces. Plenty of info on other threads available. In summary do not go with OEM. I went with VSP lines and very happy with the outcome.....and they look better.

[blankline9]

i got the quick connect lines from Dan @ Viper Specialty probably 2 years ago. Worth every penny! The lines he makes to replace the crappy factory ones are top notch. I honestly have to say i don't have a lift so it took me longer to get the car jacked up and on jack stands high enough for me to work underneath it than it did to actually remove the old lines and install the new ones. I opted to spend the additional money on the quick connect lines to avoid having to drop the oil pan. Can't stress enough how glad i am that i went that route. I had the old lines off and new ones installed in less than 30 mins after the car was up in the air.