Upper Composite Heater Hose
Vegaman_Dan
07-03-2004, 08:58 PM
After smelling coolant for a bit but not seeing any obvious leaks or temperature increases, I decided to dig into the situation deeper since I was indeed running low on coolant.
I pulled the engine cover and found coolant puddled up around the distributor. It was running under the intake manifold easily. I dried that up, went and tried adding more fluid to the radiator- immediately it was leaking and running back to the distributor. Okay...
I've tracked it down- there is a metal and rubber composite heater hose that connects to the top of the thermastat housing. On most cars this is just a simpl 5/8 or 3/4 hose running to the heater core. In my case it's a metal and rubber combination. From the pipe nipple in the thermostat housing it runs about 3" in rubber, then through a pressed fitting into the metal line and then goes through several bends before disappearing. I suspect into the HVAC assembly.
That short 3" piece of rubber hose at the pipe nipple has blown out rather impressively. All coolant poured flushes right out of that gaping hole even without the engine running. Luckily with the engine running it doesn't pump out of that hose actively, but obviously it needs to be replaced.
I had thought at once point of cutting the metal line somepace nearby where it was straight and running heater hose over that cut off end and back to the pipe nipple. Easy fix, should be fine. The pipe appears to be 7/8" in diameter, but I'm having trouble getting a good measurement with calipers due to space clearances. That might be 7/8", but I somewhat doubt it. Seems like 3/4" is far more likely, especially at the hose nipple end at the thermostat.
Question: What size is this metal line, what size is the pipe hose nipple, and am I on the right track to replace it with a chunk of hose?
Question: If you are all done laughing at that notion, this appears to be a GM dealer part only from what I can find online. What is a ball park figure to expect to pay for this hose and.... replacement time? While I have the tools, I don't have the space to work on it (apartment forbids changing your headlights as that is 'auto repair') and might have to take it to a shop.
Your thoughts are appreciated. Thanks!
I pulled the engine cover and found coolant puddled up around the distributor. It was running under the intake manifold easily. I dried that up, went and tried adding more fluid to the radiator- immediately it was leaking and running back to the distributor. Okay...
I've tracked it down- there is a metal and rubber composite heater hose that connects to the top of the thermastat housing. On most cars this is just a simpl 5/8 or 3/4 hose running to the heater core. In my case it's a metal and rubber combination. From the pipe nipple in the thermostat housing it runs about 3" in rubber, then through a pressed fitting into the metal line and then goes through several bends before disappearing. I suspect into the HVAC assembly.
That short 3" piece of rubber hose at the pipe nipple has blown out rather impressively. All coolant poured flushes right out of that gaping hole even without the engine running. Luckily with the engine running it doesn't pump out of that hose actively, but obviously it needs to be replaced.
I had thought at once point of cutting the metal line somepace nearby where it was straight and running heater hose over that cut off end and back to the pipe nipple. Easy fix, should be fine. The pipe appears to be 7/8" in diameter, but I'm having trouble getting a good measurement with calipers due to space clearances. That might be 7/8", but I somewhat doubt it. Seems like 3/4" is far more likely, especially at the hose nipple end at the thermostat.
Question: What size is this metal line, what size is the pipe hose nipple, and am I on the right track to replace it with a chunk of hose?
Question: If you are all done laughing at that notion, this appears to be a GM dealer part only from what I can find online. What is a ball park figure to expect to pay for this hose and.... replacement time? While I have the tools, I don't have the space to work on it (apartment forbids changing your headlights as that is 'auto repair') and might have to take it to a shop.
Your thoughts are appreciated. Thanks!
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