Could there be a ridge inside the cylinder?
Even if there isn't, try some fine emory cloth to break the edge.
951968 - It doesn't look like there's a ridge inside the plug, but it wouldn't hurt to hit it with some very fine sand paper.
Flash - Yep, that's the exact experiment I'm planning to do. Funny - whodda thunk working on a 968 can turn into a science project lol. But to me, that's what makes it fun.
also, apparently oil isn't good enough on the Viton seal. my guy says to use Wurth HSS 2000.
[quote name='flash' timestamp='1331234689' post='122950']
also, apparently oil isn't good enough on the Viton seal. my guy says to use Wurth HSS 2000.
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Ah, a lubricant recommendation - thanks. Any idea if that stuff is locally available? I thought Wurth stuff is generally hard to find. I agree that motor oil isn't thin or slippery enough to help get this o-ring into the plug.
Got it! I cleaned both surfaces again very thoroughly, and, upon the recommendation in a PM exchange with Chudson (I guess NASCAR and F1 can coexist after all...), corroborated by my machinist, I used a bit of vaseline on the o-ring, and then pressed the two pieces carefully together by hand, rather than in a vise as the manual states. Voila! I didn't even have to struggle - it popped together with no difficulty. I then used the alignment tool from Paragon to align the body of the oil/water heat exchanger to the block, and the OPRV slipped into its slot perfectly. The tool wasn't cheap, but it really made the job much easier, so I would definitely recommend using it, as the OPRV flexes quite a bit where the two pieces come together, making it not the ideal device for aligning the cover. In the unlikely event that anybody else is going to do this job in the near future, let me know, and I'd be happy to lend you the tool. Here's a picture, with my purdy new Canton oil filter:
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attachment=10008]
By the way, I ran that test to see if the o-ring expands or contracts when heated, and I couldn't detect any change.
Look at that clean machine....nice. Glad to hear it worked out so simple. No more special tools.