what would cause coolant leak here?

[d0ubledown]

so ive got a coolant leak. its the 90* black rubber elbow tube that connects the metal PHH pipe to what id guess is the heater valve on the firewall? no visible leak in the head/block from what i can see from the engine bay and underneath. was looking for coolant around the #6 area.

PHH was changed last april. truck has never overheated. coolant under the rad cap still is clean and clear of any contaminants. flushed the coolant and filled with toy red when i did the PHH. res was at full line when cold. i guess over the last year or so, the leak has left the res very low. it leaks from both ends of the tube...any ideas?


the tube itself seems to be fine. perhaps the tension clamps arent securing it enough? would i be able to just replace it with those screw type hose clamps? are there better types of clamps that wont work lose after time?

attached pic shows arrows where coolant is leaking from. not my pic..but i'll take a pic of my leak when i get home today.

so what say ye? ill remove the elbow and replace the clamps n see if the leak continues...but id really like to know how/why it would leak from there...could be pressure related?

 

[Sno bored]

I would change out the clamp and see if it still leaks

 

[Gordopescado]

If you have removed the hose and clamp I would replace the clamp. I have replaced almost all OEM hose clamps. They prove unreliable after being removed even once.

 

[d0ubledown]

thanks for the input. yeah ill pull off the tube, clean off the coolant thats clumped up around it and replace. funny that the clamps on it are just those squeeze tension clamps, where on the other side of the valve, its got the one time use clap with pin like on the PHH.

would a standard hose type clamp work for the time being? im referring to the screw type ones...im trying to find the kind that the PHH uses...cant seem to locate them.

 

[Michael Hanson]

yes. Mike

 

[96r50]

Old age is probably the cause of your leak. The coolant can absorb into the hose and weep out at the ends through the fabric threads embedded in the hose. This is also why you shouldn't squeeze the hoses; it exaggerates the cracks on the inside of the hose and promotes the coolant seepage. That hose, and most of the others on the engine, are pretty cheap. I replaced most of mine last summer piece by piece, and only lost a negligible amount of coolant.

I've reused a bunch of the OEM squeeze clamps with good results (no leaks). Your choice. HTH!

 

[Gordopescado]

Screw-type clamps are fine.

 

[Kernal]

Could your leak be due to a crack in the plastic housing of the valve itself? I recently experienced that; the plastic pipe on the side that your top arrow points to cracked completely off as I accelerated from a stop light, spewing hot coolant all over the engine bay. Luckily I was only a mile from where i was staying so could coast most of the way. Put in a new OEM heater control valve and new OEM hoses on, with aftermarket clamps. No problems now.

 

[cruzer971]

My 80 was leaking pretty good from there when I bought it a year ago. All I did was slide the clamp up the hose a little bit(not all the way to the end of the pipe) wiggled it a little, and have not had any further leak (yet).

 

[Beowulf]

are there better types of clamps that wont work lose after time?

NAPA carries a constant tension clamp that is similar to the screw-type clamp but has a spring to keep a constant tension. They carry lined and unlined and come in stainless steel. They are not cheap but they are better and that was your question. I think the brand name is "Breeze" but I'm not sure on that.

-B-

 

[badmuthatrucka]

x2 on Beo's post. The Breeze clamps are the ones used in the PHH kit. While you have the clamp and hose off, I would check the plastic pipe's base as well. Good luck!

 

[bpenn1980]

I just discovered this exact leak. I did my PHH last August. The leak has run all the way down the metal tube to the PHH and caked up around the PHH too. I have a new OEM hose to replace that leaking portion, so hopefully that will take care of it. I think disturbing it when working on the PHH must have been too much for the 14 year old hose.

 

[jvazquez53]

This is how I solved that problem. That's heavy duty rubber, screw clamps and the wire to make the bends, 5 months and holding.

 

[bpenn1980]

Crosslink for a related thread:
https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/285050-check-your-heater-valve.html#post4452391

 

[OGBeno]

When I was rebuilding my top end, I used all constant torque clamps from NAPA. I have part numbers if you need them. It was pricey, but I figured why waste time on a trail fixing stuff if you can be done with it all in one shot.

I also did replace the heater valve as the ends had crumbled off over years of (ab)use. I did not use OEM hose but used the red Gates stuff that the shop here uses and swears by. It's beefy stuff--comparable to the blue and green Gates hose available.

Here are some pics....

 

[Omicron]

T bottom to the firewall hose part number

When I was rebuilding my top end, I used all constant torque clamps from NAPA. I have part numbers if you need them. It was pricey, but I figured why waste time on a trail fixing stuff if you can be done with it all in one shot.

I also did replace the heater valve as the ends had crumbled off over years of (ab)use. I did not use OEM hose but used the red Gates stuff that the shop here uses and swears by. It's beefy stuff--comparable to the blue and green Gates hose available.

Here are some pics....

Does any one happen to know the part number for the 90 degree pipe that goes from the T bottom to the firewall?