Painless PHH replacement.......

[zipastro]

I just bought new radiator hoses from Dan and installed them (1 upper and 2 lower) about a week ago. While the system was drained I checked the phh and all looked ok, a little bulged, no cracks and not too soft but no leakage detected. I decided to let it ride after reading all of the whining on this board and other places about how hard and time consuming the phh project is.

About 5 days after completing the hoses I noticed a puddle of antifreeze on the garage floor. I assumed it was one of the new hose connections but it turned out to be the phh, must have squeezed it too hard on the inspection.


After completing the phh here are my directions.

1. Remove DS tire, trans dip tube and inside fender guard for easy access
2. Drain engine block of coolant
3. Use dremel tool with cutoff wheel to quickly remove OEM clamps
4. Cut hose off with utility knife
5. Use the old hose as a guide and cut the new hose piece the exact same length
6. Use KY jelly on the inside of the hose to make it slippery (seems to last longer than spit
7. Grab the metal tube and pull it away from the engine as far as you can. This should give you an inch or 2 of extra clearance without removing the bolts that hold it in place.
8. Slide the hose completely on the engine side first and then push the metal tube back towards the engine until it is touching the rubber hose. Now part of the hose should be lined up to go around the metal tube, place a small flat screw driver in this area and rotate it around the tube until the rubber hose is around the metal tube. (kind of like a tire machine forcing the tire over a rim)
9. Now that the rubber hose is started you just need to push(bend) it back into its original place tight against the engine. With the KY jelly on the inside the rubber hose slides easily over the tube as it bends into place.

Here are some things I wasted time on:
1. Calling around to find green stripe, silicone, special clamps ect. No that I have done the task once next time will be a breeze with the std hose clamps in place.
2. Dont bother trying to remove any of the brackets that hold the metal tube in place. Its very hard to get at them and completely unnecessary.
3. No Sears gear wrench needed, I am returning mine tomorrow.

This should be considered a 1 banana job and take 1-2 hours first time around and a ½ hour job there after.

 

[valentine]

Nice write up. I need to do this sometime soon!

I had to show the KY part to my wife, she noticed ours was missing from it's normal place & I told her it was in the garage....she had a wtf look on her face I was trying to get the air filter intake on my trail 90. It's old & I didn't want to crack the old rubber forcing it back on, they are hard to find new ones...

 

[e9999]

sounds great, any new ideas very welcome.

bit worried about pulling hard on a metal tube, though, how sure are you this isn't going to damage it? I would think a crack there would be a pain to deal with.

 

[zipastro]

I suppose a crack is possible but I feel it is unlikely. The metal appears to be quite ductile and I would guess you are forcing it to bend less than 5 degrees in any one spot.

I bought 3' of 5/8 hose just in case the project turned bad and I had to bypass the metal tube completely. If mine would have cracked or I could not get it to line up I was thinking plan B would be using heater hose to replace the metal tube AND putting a larger rubber hose over the top of it to help keep the 5/8 protected.

 

[Elijah]

Good job, zip. It's really not all that bad as long as people use the dremel on the OEM clamps. Just an awkward angle and area. I left the dipstick tube in though?

 

[Gumby]

The dipstick is really east to get out, as is the upper bolt, which allows the whole tube to bend easily at the lower bracket and not bend the tube itself.

No bottom bolt needed

No super secret hose needed

Easy as pie. (not that I could make a pie)

 

[fzj80kidpen]

Nice write up.
I will be tackling this soon.
As to the bending the metal tube, others have completely removed it and just terminated the hose where the tube ends. So if you do break it or crack it there is a fairly easy, non expensive fix.

 

[RWD]

I did it pretty much the same way but I removed the starter for more room. Doesn't take that much longer and, with it out, you can replace the starter contacts at the same time. Eliminate two of the the biggest known problems at one time.
Bob

 

[tucker74]

Exactly how I've done 3 ... I disagree one one thing though, removing the top bolt does make the hardline easier to turn. I've always gone with the Green Stripe, that stuff is twice as thick as the regular stuff (not any harder to install if you soak it in hot water right before installing) -

Tucker

 

[flintknapper]

Ditto on the "nice write up".

I am sure the "painless" part applies to all of you "normal" sized people.

BUT, if you have to stuff your "full sized" frame into a wheel well, Have "Popeye" like forearms, Wrists and elbows that are not triple jointed, Are 51 yrs. old and don't drink.........then it becomes more of a challenge than you have submitted.


Glad it went good for you! Personally, I'd rather have my skin peeled off in small strips......than to have to replace another PHH.

 

[Gumby]

Who you callin' normal sized?

 

[lahar50]

Zapastro you did good.