PDA

View Full Version : Heater line T Fittings



JFerg65
03-22-2009, 17:19
OK,
Had my second official break down on the freeway today... I had been having a slow drip, nothing to write home about or barely see or smell. I tracked it down to one of the ends of teh T fitting where the heater hose goes toward the core. Anyhow, the thing apparently had cracked on the inside under the original clamp. After the white smoke screen drill, I got pulled over and yep, the plastic had gone south. I pulled the broken pieces all out of the inside and got the hose back over the T fitting with a replacement hose clp to cinchh er don. I'm good to go for now, but want to replace both of them, and while I'm at it will most like find my self replacing some hoses.

Here is the question, has anybody found a replacement T that was not plastic? I would love to find a beefy brass, bronze or stainless T that would do the job.

As an aside it does make you feel pretty good about a situation when you can save your own ass on the side of the road!

THEFERMANATOR
03-22-2009, 21:15
You could install a brass one, and I have seen aluminum ones. The problem is the factory ones have a restrictor in them to restrict coolant flow to the rear heater core. You could probably build a restrictor though and put into one with epoxy.

JFerg65
03-23-2009, 03:32
Thanks for the information regarding the restrictor. With that being said I may stick with the OEM plastic ones. I got the hose pulled up a bit more and think I'm good to go until new ones get here.

Robyn
03-23-2009, 06:55
I have made some of these in haste by using a galvanized pipe T and screwing in the brass barb fittings.

I made a restrictor and pressed into the feed to the rear core.

This does take a little machine work to do the restrictor but a quick trip to the hardware store will suffice for the rest of the parts needed.

Those plastic T fittings are a dissaster waiting to happen.

Best

Robyn

JohnC
03-23-2009, 10:46
Thread the inside of the fitting and put a brass screw into it with red loctite. Saw the head off and drill the screw to the size of the restrictor.