1983 308 GTS Replacing the heater hose and Brake servo hose that runs throught the rocker. I can't get the hoses to budge. I am pulling from the rear, and can not get eigther hose to move. Front access panel is off and the gas tank is moved as far back as it will go without removing the rear wheel hub. The kink at the rear where the gas tank pad is located is a real pain in the ass!! Any ideas?
Well, removing the old (throw away) hoses is easy (snip!), so I presume you're talking about installing the new ones (or using the removal to see how you can install the new ones). Have you tried lubricating the hoses with oil, or WD-40 (effects on hoses?) ... or even just plain water? You might need to get a friend to pull gently while you push from the other side. (Wait, one: ... a friend to pull your hose while you push ...) Make that a good friend. But that does suggest another possibile lubricant to help make a hose fit in a tight place. (If Vaseline was harmful to rubber, ...)
Gosh, this is just so much more interesting than a ...dry mechanical ..issue. heavens, take my breath away, Woooooohaaaa, ::--)) chris Seriously, how do you get a "pair of hoses" to run up the old rocker pannels??? Don't take this personally, but i really gota know, cuz my hoses are looking kind of ratty and it would just break my heart, (or toast the engine) if my "hoses" leaked. with malice aforethought,\ chris
Use some slick soapy water to lube the hoses, stitch the old hose to the new hose with safety wire, wrap the coupling tightly with electrical tape. Make it nice and SMOOTHE! Pull the hose through. It helps if the ambient temp is above like 60F though, so the hose will flex more.
Oh the rocker panels -- oh, yes (in the words of Wile Coyote as he goes over the cliff again). I was thinking about the firewall (The mind goes fuzzy when you have a cold) Yep, the key to those, based on other threads, is to get it wet and warm ... (Dang those double entendres) If the search engine is back up, ignore babbling sick people like me (another double meaning)
Thanks for the input. With some dish soap as a lube I finally got the hoses broken loose and moving back and forth last night. I will try to pull the hose by myself tonight. If that doesn't work I'll wait til Saturday for some help. Bill
How are things progressing Bill ? I had a tug or two at the front end of the vacuum and heater hoses yesterday .... i am now considering leaving the task until a proposed major (engine out) rebuild in two years time. cheers, d
Lubrication is the secret. After you get the hoses good and lubed with straight dish soap they slide pretty easily. I wound up doing it myself. I drilled two holes in each end of each hose and tied the hoses together with wire. wrap the tie with duct tape. I pulled the heater hose from the front and the vaccum from the rear. It was a little tough because of the angle but went pretty well. It took about an hour after everything was out of the way. I started putting everything back togethere last night. After inspecting the old heater hose it looked like it was about to let go. I would pull the hoses now as long as you have the car that far disassembled. Bill
ok, you win ... i shall have a go tomorrow. I presume when you state you "pulled the heater hose from the front of the car", you were stood at the front end of the car, pulling it from the motor ? cheers for now, d
I pulled the heater hose from front to back, and the vaccume hose from rear to front. With plenty of lube it slid easily. For sure get a pump bottle with a 12" tube to get the soap right at that tight corner in front of the engine. Once I got the vaccume line started through that spot I pulled it in one tug from the front.
Also a small round mirror will help. I cut a 2" diameter mirror and held it at an angle. Shine a flashlight on it and you can see behind the pillar where the hoses go around the corner and down into the rocker. It really helps you figure out where to push to help bend the hose in the right direction. I also got the wire connector caught in a crevice in the welded area and could see what I needed to do to get it unstuck with the mirror.
I'm back together and have started the car this afternoon to make sure the coil wires are working. I knocked them all off when I was wrestling the gas tank back. Things look ok and I will run it tomorrow night to check for leaks. I accidentally ran three gallons of gas out on the floor through the drain plug that I had forgotten to put back in. My air exchange exhaust fan was so loud I couldn't hear the gas pouring out until I smelled it. That set me back two hours getting the mess up and the fumes out.
New pipes are fitted Bill, thanks for the help ... old pipes were in very poor condition - thanks for the persuasion. cheers, d
This is definately a problem area in these cars. A blowout in there would be a mess. Mine were ready to go any time. Glad you went the extra mile and got this overwith right now.
