A/C Lines Tips?

So I tried following the instructions in another thread about pulling the hoses through by attaching it to the old hoses.

Well the old hoses came right out and left the new behind.

I'm able to get one hose installed, but trying to fit another one is insane.

Why on earth Ferrari "designed" this the way they did is beyond me.

There are trusses inside the damn tunnel at the turn so things get caught.

They had the genius idea of also running the radio antenna in the INCREDIBLY tight space that you have to fit these two hoses into.

I'm certain the hoses were installed from the factory with the body off. Because otherwise they'd spend hours trying to put two A/C hoses in the car.

Now if they would have made the hole about an inch bigger...OR not had a truss directly near the turn for the hose... OR just had an actual tunnel that doesn't also have a hole at the bottom so the hose doesn't actually route correctly then yeah... but I cannot for the life of me figure out how the hell you would get two hoses in this "tunnel" I use that word VERY loosely... without getting them EXACTLY perfect in position.

Which I've been unable to do for the last two days.

So if anyone has a tip I haven't tried I'm all ears.

 

Run a length of baling wire through the "tunnel" from the front to the rear of the car. Attach the wire to the new hose and patiently pull/push the new hose through. It will go..
Cheers

 

I had good luck with using weed trimmer string. Do you have the tank out and heat shield removed?


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I have pulled new cooling hoses in both a 308 and a 512. It's not easy but possible. Pull the fuel tank. Use the old hose's for pulling and ENSURE to connect the new hose thoroughly to the old hose BEFORE starting the pulling process. Grease the new hoses with plenty of non rubber aggressive grease (Silicone grease works fine). Pull from the front of the car and have a helper in the engine end to push on the new hose. Good luck.

Best, Peter

 

The trick is to attach the new lines to the old lines with threaded couplings and pull them true and lots of lube you can pull hard that way

 

I got it through with the help of a friend. Lots of lubricant and looking down the tunnel from the front and guiding him to basically "turn" the hose when it got stuck in the corner.

It's a ridiculously hard thing to do.

One of the old hoses I connected the new line and pulled and it pulled right out leaving the new hose behind.

The other I attached with a barbed fitting and hose clamps and it didn't come apart... but there was NO WAY that fitting was going to make that incredibly tight turn.

In fact, the fitting is now slightly bent from me trying to pull it through.

I saw another thread where someone somehow (and I don't know how because I tried it with mine) got the old hoses out of the incredibly tiny hole at the bottom of the turn and made them straight and did it that way.

The only way I could see that working is if their car was somehow modified to have a hole in the back of that tunnel that allowed for a straight shot... OR their car was just different than mine. My '82 has a metal plate that completely covers that rear section leaving a very very small hole at the bottom and there's absolutely no way one hose nevermind TWO hoses would fit into that space.

I tried wire, fish tape, taping one hose to another that I had managed to get through... nothing worked... two days of agony because of a very poor design.

Like I wrote above... unless Ferrari had some special tool or something when they installed these things... they did this job with the body off of the car. Otherwise I could see it halting production on the line because they couldn't get a damn hose to make that turn.

Even if they would have welded a tube in there it would have made life SO much easier. But instead it's an angled tunnel that does a VERY good job at catching anything you try to push through it.

 

Antenna where the AC hoses are??? The antenna is behind the right rear wheel. The AC hoses go nowhere near that.

Many people of all levels of ability and experience have replaced AC hoses in 328s and I have never once heard whining like yours.

 

The antenna ran directly into the tunnel on my car and up above the gas tank.

You can call it whining if you like. Doesn't really matter to me. It's a poor design that could have made a job much easier with a couple simple changes.

 

That antenna wire seems odd. On my GT4 it ran from the center console up the rear fire wall and through into the engine bay. Maybe it is different on later cars? Cutting a slice into the hose and inserting a loop on the weed trimmer cord then binding the lot with duct tape worked well for me. I think I made a post on it with pics.


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Yeah mine ran from the radio down the center tunnel and into the tunnel for whatever reason. I don't know I'm guessing these cars are different from day to day.

And that little bugger was running right across the turn of the tunnel. I managed to pull it up to get it out of the way... MOSTLY. But it was still a bear.

When I tried duct tape and wire it kept getting caught. I'm guessing the combination of the very sharp turn, angled tunnel and the antenna wire just had to many opportunities to get stuck.

If the lower part near the turn had an access to it... the job would take 5 minutes. Either a hole cut into the plate (which I'm guessing they didn't do for structural reasons) or simply have a bolt cover so you can remove it and get access.

 

My car had an access plate in the front wheel well and a heat shield in the rear that could be removed. Both are just pop rivetted on.


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https://www.homedepot.com/p/Klein-Tools-Premium-Synthetic-Clear-Lubricant-1-Quart-51028/100660159

Lot's of lube is your friend as others have posted.

 

Whew!
This is like the Italian Opera. The hero is very close to finding his bride prize but turns wrong at the last minute.
One minute we are crying the next we are angry and frustrated as our hero is only one turn from success.
The emotional roller coaster fabricated.

 

Replacing rocker/sill hoses on a 308GT4
https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/index.php?threads/Replacing-rocker-sill-hoses-on-a-308GT4.612598/




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I was really dreading this job but with the help of a friend to push those while I pulled both sides were done in a few hours.


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I felt your pain!!!

DO THIS:
I got some metal strapping from work, stuff used to bind pallets. About one inch wide. I inserted it from the front and covered all the holes the thing gets bound up on. Pulled the hoses through, then removed the metal strap.

Worked like a charm!!!


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That's a great idea!

If I ever have to do this again and the copious amounts of lubricant don't work I'll be going this route!

 

If I had to do it again it would probably take a couple hours. Now that I know alllllll of the other stuff I tried simply will not work (at least on my car).

Trying to do it alone... I think you just have to be really really lucky to get the things in there without them getting stuck.

 

Well it is the 21st century and you can now get reduced barrier hose which is (I guess) about 25% smaller OD than the old stuff. That helps but it is a bit more expensive. That's what I used.