DIY: Replacing heater hose pipe T's *important* (1 Viewer)

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That makes sense, I'll do that. Thanks.
FWIW, i drained 1L from the rad, pulled hoses with T's still attached and lost a couple of cups...
 
a good thread, lots of helpful info! i'd been putting this off for too long and finally decided to carve out a few hours to take care of this before having to take a long trip over the Easter weekend... surprisingly it only took maybe 30 minutes, half of which was just getting set up and putting things away.

after removing the big plastic cover I put a couple layers of old blankets over the engine and climbed up/layed on top (it was quite comfortable!). not sure why but the clamp ends were all positioned in their worst-case-scenario orientations (so unlike Toyota...) I used large curved-end needle-nose pliers like the kind shown below, they really helped to access & rotate the hose clamp ends so they could be fully compressed & slid down each hose, that made it super easy with no fussing.. i used a small flat blade screwdriver & gently separated the hose ends from the barbed T ends, after which they came out with practically no effort. despite ~225K both pipe T's showed very little deterioration and didn't crack. also very little - like maybe 3-4 oz. of coolant was lost. I used brass replacements with full-length barbs, they took a little persuasion to fully seat, then the curved pliers to re-position the clamps. no leaks.

I was amazed at how simple this was & how quickly it could be done. cheap, fast insurance!

curve pliers.jpg
 
So my Ts were leaking, so I swapped them out. No documented history of them being replaced (truck new to me, 2003, 118k miles). The plastic Ts themselves actually seemed to be in decent condition, not too brittle and didn't break as I removed them. But there was old crusty coolant so they had been leaking. Installed new OEM Toyota Ts and fired up the engine to ensure everything was good and ended up with a more active leak than before I started on it. I had put the clamps back where they were when I took them off. I repositioned the one that seemed to be leaking to be a bit further out and it SEEMS to have stopped, but now I'm nervous about it. Should I replace with screw type clamps?
 
I always reposition the clamps to a new place to try to get a better clamp.
 
So my Ts were leaking, so I swapped them out. No documented history of them being replaced (truck new to me, 2003, 118k miles). The plastic Ts themselves actually seemed to be in decent condition, not too brittle and didn't break as I removed them. But there was old crusty coolant so they had been leaking. Installed new OEM Toyota Ts and fired up the engine to ensure everything was good and ended up with a more active leak than before I started on it. I had put the clamps back where they were when I took them off. I repositioned the one that seemed to be leaking to be a bit further out and it SEEMS to have stopped, but now I'm nervous about it. Should I replace with screw type clamps?

I replaced the Ts and all of the hoses at the same time. I did not want to install new Ts, and later finding out I need to replace the hoses. It is not difficult, but the location is a real PITA for me.

Mine was older (MY1998) but still you are dealing with 14 yr old hose with yours. I am sure they are not as pliable as the new hose, and maybe it is the cause for the leak. If you don't want to replace the hoses, I would try screw type clamps.
 
It is not a bad idea to put light coat of sealant on hose before re-installing. It also helps it slide on easier and keeps you from breaking heater core. As a former professional mechanic I used this stuff all the time. I also would use a razor blade to cut a slit in old hose removing from heater core side to prevent breaking tube [or cracking core] out of heater core. It allows hose to come right off without having to really force it which can damage core. Hoses are a lot cheaper and easier to replace than heater cores.

Permatex® High Tack™ Gasket Sealant - Permatex
 
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Lacking a good place to do this, I had a local guy who works on cruisers do it for me. I supplied the brass Ts and it cost me an hour's labor. I'm glad to have it done. I asked him to save the Ts, and as expected one had broken during removal,making me even more glad that i had it done.
 
So, on our 06 with 182k my drivers side T started seeping so I ordered all new hoses and T's. Upon removing the drivers side T it crumbled in my hands. I plan on replacing it every 100k from here on out.
 
I swapped mine out last week. The T on the passenger side looked OK. The one on the Driver's side looked a little rough.
I then installed stainless Ts and clamped them down with new hose clamps.

Here is the problem...

After putting everything back together and running the engine for a while, I noticed that the lip on the driver's side T at the end facing the dash was missing. Oh s***, right?
I took everything apart and pulled the hose and found what I think was all of the broken plastic. If there is any left, it would only be a 1mm or so.

So here is my question: if a tiny piece of corroded plastic is floating around in there, will it destroy my engine? What should I do?

I have been driving the vehicle for a while and haven't noticed any changes.
 
Depends on how large the piece was and in which circuit it went (supply or return). Its 'possible' for a large piece of plastic to obstruct/impede the flow of coolant in the supply line to your heater core, but the result would at worst be less heating capacity. IF it went into the return line (back to the engine), give it no further thought, its highly unlikely to cause an issue there.

If you are pretty sure it was a small piece (pencil eraser size), then in either scenario, forget about it....and then forget about it some more, no harm.
 
I used hose clamp pliers and it was a pita but its done. My t on the driver side crumbled but i was able to use a coat hanger and get the pieces out. Glad its over and i positioned the hose clamps where they will be easier to engage when i find some hoses. Speaking of replacing hoses, that was my goal but the first hose i tried to remove would not come free (driver side hose that attaches to the firewall) and i cussed and gave up.

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Just put an end to heater T's issues for ever.

My heater T broke when I lowered my drivetrain when I was converting my t-case to part-time.

View attachment 1405860
I was happy when I realized I have the correct one time replacement 4Season T's (part #84543) on the shelf. The 4Season T's have 2 - 5/8" and 1 1/2" nipples being SAE and not metric the factory clamps will not seal on used hose so I used the correct sized Breeze clamps.

I did make a tool for removing the broken piece on the fly that worked great.

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I have now put an end to heater T's failures forever.

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Thank you for the part recommendation LandCruiserPhil. Successful replacement before anything bad happened.
 
I've searched and have not been able to find the part numbers for the (6) heater t hoses. Does anyone have them handy or should i buy a couple feet of heater hose and cut to fit?
 
I've searched and have not been able to find the part numbers for the (6) heater t hoses. Does anyone have them handy or should i buy a couple feet of heater hose and cut to fit?

Here you are:

87245-6A210
87245-6A800
87245-6A220
87245-6A180
99556-20155
87245-6A190
 
Do you know if those parts will fit any year lc? I have a 2000 and a 2006.

Thanks
 
Do you know if those parts will fit any year lc? I have a 2000 and a 2006.

Thanks
Uncertain there, worked for my '04. McGeorge toyota, where i purchased them from, has a good tool that should answer that.
 

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