I am looking to replace my Ts soon based on all the reasons mentioned. In case my Ts fall apart while disconnecting them, I'm thinking about pinching off the 3 connecting hoses first before removing each T so I won't have to worry about the fragments disappearing into the system. I've been looking through different hose pinchers on Amazon but can't seem to find something perfect for this job. Anyone has a recommendation on pinchers for this job?
Don't get stranded...change out those t-connectors now
- Thread starter rockcruiser915
- Start date
-
- Tags
- leak over heating radiator
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
Harbor Freight has hose clamps. U can use a 20% coupon online. it was 14 bucks for three different size
I don't understand why more people don't just remove the entire assembly (tees with hoses attached) and take it apart on the bench, if you need to. Just buy a double-offset hose remover pick and carefully remove the hoses at the engine and firewall connections. New hoses are cheap enough to just replace them with the new tees, but if you want to reuse the hoses, it's much easier and safer to fish out the plastic chunks once everything is off the vehicle.
I haven't needed these since I worked at a shop (I don't have the cable driven ones, just a standard plier style) - but they would have been invaluable in making this process faster:
Performance Tool Hose Clamp Pliers W80656
Performance Tool Hose Clamp Pliers W80656
This is how I would have done it, looking back. Next time
Annnddd another tool on my wish list, cheers!
Exactly the tool I used- made speedy work of the job.
Y'all really had trouble removing the clamps with just a channel lock? Maybe my clamps were just a little looser, they came right off.
I was able to get them done in part because the T's crumbled, giving me access to them.
The photo I showed was after the install - before, the factory orientation, has them pointing directly down. Getting pliers of any size in the space allotted is the difficult part, not being able to open/close the clamps themselves.
If a PO has done them in your car (or a mechanic) they were probably nice and pointed them upwards, where they are much easier to access.
Hi all, thank you for the recommendations and the links to tools (I guess my wallet is going to get even lighter than I thought). I'm with you and do plan on removing and replacing both the hoses and Ts as an assembly. After reading some people's experiences of their Ts breaking apart so easily and the fact that my LC is a '99 with over 200K miles, I was concerned about the mere pulling/tugging to remove the hoses at the firewall/engine ends may cause the Ts to start to break apart so I thought pinching the hoses off may be a good precautionary measure. Sounds like I may be a bit too cautious.
I'm still a little confused, are they 3/4" tees or 5/8"?
If memory serves, I believe they're 5/8" (large barbs) and 1/2" (small barb).
You're probably right with regard to the hoses being larger. The dims I gave were what I remember from the metal replacement tees. While the ID of the tees shouldn't be that far off from stock, the OD is smaller because they have a thinner wall. The factory clamps won't work with the metal tees, but I had no issues whatsoever using the constant torque clamps with new factory spec hoses.