heater hose question

[trouttrooper]

I noticed a small puddle under the envoy and in looking under the hood I noticed an elbow was wet and I could pull a couple drops of coolant off with my finger. So this run of heater hose starts from the engine as rubber, which is crimped to metal, which goes to the elbow, then back to rubber, then attached to the heater valve. Is there any reason I can't just replace this whole nonsense with one run of plain rubber heater hose?? Why did they complicate it so much?

Thanks.

 

[mrrsm]

LOOK FOR THE LEAK COMING FROM THE FIREWALL SIDE TOO... RIGHT WHERE THE HOSES ATTACH TO THE TWO ALUMINUM PIPES LEADING TO THE HEATER CORE!!!

AC-Delco (NAPA and O'Reillys) sells an assortment of two part kit(s) made of Black Polycarbonate material... One end goes over the dual dimpled Aluminum IN/OUT Pipes leading to and from the heat Exchanger and the other end of the pair(s) fits inside the common heater hose end and that part has two in-dwelling "O" rings that manage to seal in the hot water. The reason yours is leaking is because either one or both of the fancy black plastic pieces have work hardened from engine vibrations and over time...just like bending a piece of metal... they suffer embrittlement and then crack and fail... losing the containment of the "O" rings that do all of the sealing...and Voila... Hot Water Leaks out. (Once this repair is complete, top off the Coolant Reservoir while the engine is cold to make up for any that leaked out during this repair)

You are going to get very angry and very frustrated trying to remove the "Squeeze" portion of these two pieces in order to get them off. My solution was to utterly but very carefully destroy both components with pliers to ease their removal and not injure the Heater Core Aluminum Pipes...and then just install Brand New Parts...one to the pipe...one to the hose...and once you lace the ""O" rings with a dollop (not TOO much) of White Petroleum Jelly... and they will slip together and lock solidly together PAST the dimples on the pipes...and THAT will solve the problem.

This is where you can obtain the parts you need... IF YOU ARE SMART YOU WILL BUY ALL OF THESE VARIOUS PARTS:
http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/s...2&make=Chevrolet&model=Trailblazer&vi=1398719

Make sure that you purchase BOTH sides of BOTH hose interface kits...just to be sure... you can always take back any extras...but once you have destroyed the leaking parts to remove them...you won't be able to drive back to NAPA or O'Reillys to get the rest of the pieces of this puzzle. Compare the NEW pieces in hand with what is on the hose pipes now before you tear into it!

One last suggestion for the sake of your patience and peace of mind... remove the air filter box and hose leading to the Intake -Throttle Body to give yourself enough "Elbow Room" to move around under there and lay a rolled up beach towel to lean on in that open space.... it will make your life much easier. If you have to undo any other common spring clamps... this is the BEST possible tool to have. Quite literally the best use of a $20.00 Bill...EVER!

http://www.amazon.com/ABN-Flexible-Clamp-Pliers-Water/dp/B00F3DP2KC/ref=pd_sim_sbs_469_2?ie=UTF8&dpID=41WhSOkzGTL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160,160_&refRID=07V7MWV9NXA2VD6X39TT

 

[mrrsm]

Please check this again..^.. I have updated the original post to mention where to get the repair components and added additional repair hints!

 

[trouttrooper]

but why do I need to replicate all of that? Both ends of this entire little run is a rubber heater hose slipped over a nipple and clamped. Why do I need to have it convert to a metal line, go through an elbow, and convert back to rubber? Can't I just replace this whole thing with one run of normal heater hose?

 

[smt 59]

I don't see why not if your using a good quality hose.

 

[Mooseman]

You might only need to replace that elbow connector. Why replace the whole thing unless it's leaking?

 

[mrrsm]

Yes... I thought that elbow was the same problem too...but...If you look at the insulated A/C line just above the elbow piece and feel around it with your bare hand... and if it turns out to be wet from there and trace it upwards,,,, you may discover that the connections I described at the Firewall... may actually be where all that fluid is coming from.... that is why all of the additional details, parts numbers sources...etc.

 

[Daniel417]

Go to the dealership and order the hose. Short one that goes to passenger side is $30. Comes with quick connect crimped on, hose clamp, and heat wrap. The one that wraps around the engine is $40.

 

[BlazingTrails]

The reason they have all of those Quick connects in the hoses is because this vehicle is designed to lift the body off of the frame for a lot of procedures. There is no reason why you can't just put a piece of hose there.

 

[smt 59]

Quick and easy fix. Yes

 

[trouttrooper]

well, the soonest I can get back to this project is Monday. I'll let you know what happens

 

[warriorpluto]

Go to the dealership and order the hose. Short one that goes to passenger side is $30. Comes with quick connect crimped on, hose clamp, and heat wrap. The one that wraps around the engine is $40.

Are these the complete hoses? From heater core to engine? What's the part number

 

[Daniel417]

Yes they are complete. The diagram @ dealership shows the quick connect and hose clamp separate but it comes together with heat shield. I believe the small one is 19130076 and the larger one is 15832905. But I got those numbers offline. If you have an 02 they are discontinued so you have to order a newer model hose. It's the same.

 

[warriorpluto]

Ok thanks. I'll order them now since my truck has been sitting up

 

[Daniel417]

You should get them from the dealership

 

[Daniel417]

Also xls use a different hose. That is for a 360