The title says it all. Ruin my day ..... The hose 'disappears' behind the driver's (left) side fuel tank. What kind of $ and a job am I looking at here? Image Unavailable, Please Login
Looks like an original hose. A big PIA but needs to be done. In many cases we splice a piece in but that is an old hose and needs replacement. Get a squirt bottle full of water/dishsoap mix. With safety wire or similar stitch the end of the new hose to the end of the old hose. get access to the front end, squirt soap everywhere at both ends and get a friend to feed the new hose while you pull on the old. A hose that old will have rusted to the panels in the rocker box where it runs. It isn't a lot of fun.
Thanx Brian. Isn't there 2 hoses one TO the radiator and one FROM the radiator? If so, shouldn't I do both? 'While I'm there,' of course?
One goes from the large coolant pipe near the back of the radiator to "t" and goes to both heater cores. The other is the hose you are dealing with and it also goes to a "T" and then to both heater valves then on to the cores. Yes, I'd take the trunk liner out and do them all. It's time.
Ok. Darn ... The front plastic trunk liner is already out. Which way should I PULL these suckers; FROM the FRONT or FROM the AFT of the car? IF it is rusted to the car, Push, Pull and Twist to 'Break' it Free .... Correct?
It will be much easier to pull it from the front. Lots of soapy water. Over the front of the tank, up in the rocker panel....everywhere.
It would not be unusual to see a great deal of corrosion on the nipple in the head. I have had to replace a few. I just drill it out, tap the hole with a pipe thread tap and install a barbed brass nipple from Home Depot. GM crate motors intended for marine use do that at the factory.
Mark, i don´t think that the hoses are the problem in your case. "not be unusual to see a great deal of corrosion on the nipple in the head." (Rifledriver) may be the problem. In my case you saw nothing while all was connected. But see after removing the hose: Image Unavailable, Please Login I used a stainless steel and i am happy with this: Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Paul
Do both hoses while you are at it (coolant and vacuum hose.) You need two people, one pushing through from the back and one pulling from the front (gently and after the push)
I am quite certain he has a hose problem but it is nearly as certain he has some level of nipple problem as well.
What's good to help eat this type of corrosion away so I can get the nipple out and not damage the surrounding aluminum? Suggestions?
Ammonia or diluted acid but make sure you stop it going elsewhere and rinse well. You will probably need to use a chisel and hammer carefully as they used a hard sealant.
Guys, I must be misreading something. In the '81 GTSi Parts CAT I was looking at those hoses are SHORT. They mate to metal pipes which run most of the length of the car. One would NOT have to Pull the hose near anywhere to replace them from the pics. What am I missing?
Mark, normal way is bore out the center. I did that another way like that using a dremel and cut only on the side wall: Image Unavailable, Please Login Then hit the nipple to center: Image Unavailable, Please Login The result is stable but i used a sealant: Image Unavailable, Please Login Or you do the quick way like cut all out and using a thread insert (Ensat, Helicoil,..) If so you understand that new hoses are not the big thing here. Paul
These are the radiator connections with the bigger diameter (40mm). "metal pipes which run most of the length of the car" -> yes The other thing is a smaller hose to the rear cylinder head (pictures above). Paul
Drill, pipe tap, new nipple locally available. Everything you need at Home Depot. In the Fatherland there should be a similar resource.
The aluminum pipes going down the center of the car are for the radiator hoses. In the July 80 parts book table 20 or the November 81 parts book table 19, part # 39 is the heater hose rubber all the way through the left rocker box.