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BuffaloGuy
05-21-2004, 08:35
Hello Dr. Lee,
I'm installing a by-pass oil filter and I'm wondering if it is Kosher to use soft copper tubing to plumb the oil to and from the filter assembly.

Is there any issue with leaching minerals, corrosion or the like?

Thanks,
Ken
CleviteKid
05-21-2004, 13:06
There are two issues with using soft copper tubing for this application:

1. Soft copper is too soft, i.e. too weak. The vibrations and pressure pulsations will cause it to crack due to fatique. A cracked oil line will lead to a bad day at black rock. (The rock wasn't black until the diesel oil sprayed all over it.)

2. Pure copper acts as a catalyst for degrading petroleum products. It is worst as a gasoline line; the gasoline will gum up and constrict flow. Even in an oil line, you do not want to encourage chemical changes to the oil and the additives. Pure copper also does not have the corrosion resistance of bronze or brass - one of the tests for engine oil is the copper corrosion test. Fresh high quality oil will not attack the copper too badly, but who knows what about the junk that the QUICKIE-CHANGE put in when your neighbor borrowed the truck and thought he would treat you to an oil change as a "thank-you" :rolleyes: .

So, please find some appropriate tubing or hose for this job. Don't want to break down on the road with your prize Stud Buffalo getting horny in the trailer. (eavesdroppers - check out his website)

Dr. Lee :cool:
Bobbie Martin
05-21-2004, 17:03
Dr Lee,
As you know, I dabble in Minis and it is quite common to find Mini specialist in England selling what are called "Copper" (http://www.minispares.com/web/Item/GL1018/InvDetail.cfm) brake pipes. I'm sure they are a copper alloy or maybe copper plated. They do seem to be quality lines, they are easy to bend and are much more corrosion resistant. I have never seen anything like this in the USA and wondered if you have any info you could pass on about them.
CleviteKid
05-22-2004, 05:04
Based on my German ancestry, you want me to comment on the quality of British "engineering" ? ? ?

I owned a 1970 E-type roadster for a while, and when my first wife got it in the divorce, I could not have been happier.

And no, I don't know anything about British coppery-coloured brake lines.

Dr. Lee ;)