Couple of plumbing questions

1) Do I need to add any type of thread "goop" or tape to brass fitting going into parts like an oil cooler, thermostat, etc.
2) Replacing fuel lines with new german type hoses. Metal fuel line through the body doesn't have a flare on either end. Can I just slip on the new hose & clamp or should I add a small flare to help hold the hose in place.

I use sealant in some places, tape in others. What is critical is to make absolutely certain that tape never extends into the flow path of anything. I have seen one small chunk of tape cause a rod bearing failure when it migrated to the oil passage for that rod....silicone sealer is even worse about migrating if used where it can migrate. I tend to use teflon based plumbers sealant in a tube. Properly fitting connectors should not require sealant, but that does not describe most of the fittings we get today, nor does it describe the various places we use the fittings....cheap Chinese made castings machined with a hammer and monkey wrench etc... etc...or badly abused German castings and the like...

Regards a flare on the fuel hose, a fuel hose running at 3.5 PSI should not need more than a good clamp properly fit and tightened. That said, some people suggest any hose under any pressure should have a "positive retention feature" and a small flare would provide that. Besides, who is to say that you, or a futire owner, might want to try EFI, and a hose under 60 psi REQUIRES positive retention. Otherwise it may get very messy and possibly burn down the car...for the record, I would not use a stock VW fuel hose setup for EFI, but I have seen it done by others

Thanks for the info. I've always been carefull about using tape for the reasons you stated. I noticed on my engine that some of the fittings have a blue goop on the threads. I'm assuming this must be some type of mild thread lock.

Engine has carbs & a 3.5psi fuel pump so I should be OK with the fuel line.

I'm midway through changing to a different type of oil filter.

I've read warnings about using teflon tape for these kinds of fittings.

I used Permatex High Temperature Thread Sealant #59214.

The blue goop is probably medium strength thread locker, not sealant. It may not be oil resistant.

For what it's worth, I always use five or six turns of a good, professional grade of electrical tape over the outside of any hose I intend to clamp. The tape helps to prevent the hose clamp from biting into the rubber I'm clamping. I also use it to wrap any braided line I'm going to cut with a cutting disc, to contain the wire strands after the cut is complete.

Mike:

Permatex High Temperature Thread Sealant #59214 is OK in oil (petroleum) applications because it does not "coagulate" (for lack of a better term).

Teflon-based stuff (tape, thread sealer) has a bad habit of disintegrating and attracting to itself or like stuff in the absence of oxygen and "clumps". Not a good thing in our applications.

Room Temperature Vulcanizing (RTV) silicone stuff is derived from petroleum products and can disintegrate (break down) in the presence of some (other) petroleum products. It may or may not "clump" depending on which one you use and the environment it's used in. That means that it is questionable whether you can use it in heavy oil applications - definitely not in the presence of gasoline and maybe not near crankcase oil, but that depends on what's used, how it is applied, set up and cured. The blue stuff is OK for general seals (oil pans, case halves, etc.) as long as it fully cures before being introduced to oil. If it's cured for a couple of hours and immediately exposed to oil - not good.

There are some industrial RTV compounds (Gray, used in the military) which tolerate gasoline and kerosene well, but they're not available at your local auto parts store.

I use a high-pressure, non-teflon, paste thread sealer on oil connections. I can't remember what the hell it's called, but I think Stan recommended it and I bought a tube locally. Bring your deep credit card when you buy it - it was something like $50 bucks per tube. I'll get out to the shop tomorrow and see if I can find my tube and report back (It's close to 11pm here, now).

gn