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Replacing Stock Oil Cooler Lines

The weakest link in the Defender 90s seems to be the stock oil cooler lines.  The stock lines have a rubber section that runs dangerously close to the exhaust manifold.  When the rubber deteriorates, it causes a leak that ignites from contact with the hot manifold.  What results is a barbequed Defender!

    

Don't let this happen to you!  Replace those old lines with stainless steel braided ones, or have yours rebuilt to withstand heat and to prevent deterioration.  Whether you decide to have yours rebuilt, do it yourself, or just order a kit, you will have better piece of mind.  I ordered my kit for $280 from Trailhead 4x4.  Trailhead has a nice write up on their website on how to install the kit, and my tech article is pretty much the same.  The install is pretty easy and should only take an hour or two, depending on how many beers you have.

Here is the kit from Trailhead 4x4.  I was very impressed with the quality of the parts.  All the fittings are pretty stout.

This is a shot showing the sandwich plate with the 20mm banjo fittings.  You will need to know what size (18 or 20mm) you have before ordering.  My understanding is that Trailhead are the only ones offering the 20mm kit.

I had a hard time reaching the banjo bolts, so I removed the plate with the lines intact.  The bolt/nut in the center is pretty easy to remove.

Next, remove the old lines and the adapters from the radiator.  Hopefully you have the original radiator like I do, otherwise you might be SOL!

Here is the sandwich plate.  Don't be lazy!  Make sure you clean it up before reinstalling it.

Cleaned up plate with new gasket installed.  Give it a little lube of oil before putting it in.  (I know what you were thinking, dirty mind!)

Put a little thread tape on the tapered ends and install them in the radiator.

These are the 20mm fittings installed.  Leave them loose so you can orient them at the end.

Install the lines on the radiator.

And then attach them to the sandwich plate.  Everything kinda orients themselves, just keep them away from the exhaust.

And the the final install.  Looks great and should keep me from watching a Defender barbeque!

Here are the old lines by the way.  Mine looked like they had already been replaced at some point.