PHH and Block Heater Sucess (1 Viewer)

[snowcruiser]

Thank you the members of this forum for your writeups and recomendations. I just replaces the PHH and it certainly lived up to its name. My truck now has about 91K on it and after reading the stories I thought it was time. I started by flushing the cooling system with a prestone flush kit. Then I removed the freeze plug right above the block drain and installed my engine block heater sourced through CDan from Canada. I was able to remove the freeze plug by drilling a 3/16 inch hole in it with a long drill bit extension and then using a punch with a long extension and a few taps to get it through the drilled hole. This knocked the freeze plug free and I then used needle nose vise grips to remove the plug. It is possible...thanks Robbie! After this I removed the top heater hose and loosened the bolt for the tube to the PHH. With the left front wheel and wheel well skirts still removed I located the little damn bugger and spent some time figuring out how to remove the oem clamps. I ended up tapping the cotter pin in the front clamp enough to be able to get a grip on it and bend it with some vise grip to remove it. The rear one was a real pain though and I ended up using a small cat's claw nail remove to pull on the top part of the spring tension clamp. This rotated the clamp to a position that I could remove it with vise grips. I cut the hose off with a sharp razor and then rotated the tube away from the block nipple. This provided enough room to slide the new blue/red silicone hose over the tube. I then slid the constant tension hose clamps over the tube and replaced the top bolt to realign the tube with the block nipple. Then I slid the hose over the nipple. These were suggestions by someone on the PHH writeup on Slee's Website...Thanks. I did not have to remove or lossen the top bolt for the tube which I see no way of doing anyway. I messed with this bolt for an hour before trying the other approach and I have those new gear wrenches that some others suggested. I have included some pictures of the procedure. I am now going to refill my cooling system and hope everything holds tight. Cheers.

 

[snowcruiser]

Proof of Freeze Plug removal. Note the hose clamp types. No one I asked knew what the hell constant tension or constant torque hose clamps were except my farmer uncle. They do exist and were sourced from McMaster Carr. They are the largest clamps in the picture.

 

[snowcruiser]

By the way. Unlike most of the threads pertaining to the PHH. Mine was in perfect condition upon removal and was the original with 91K on it. The top hose was however no good. Go figure!

 

[snowcruiser]

Back to work!

 

[Riley]

Very nice pics of the PHH area. Nice looking hose as well. I like the blue stuff.

 

[Beowulf]

Nice post snow.

When you drilled the hole in the block freeze plug, did you drill it off-center? Then you used that hole to center the punch and drive it into the hole?

-B-

 

[snowcruiser]

Yes Mr. Beowulf...you are coreect sir!

 

[Safado]

WOW...way to pad the post count! J/K

That's the same hose I used...did you have any difficulty getting it in place? I didn't and just wondered you esperience.

 

[snowcruiser]

Nope but I wouldn't have wanted to do it with the original rubber hose or the other red stuff I got. Cheers

 

[flintknapper]

flintknapper

By the way. Unlike most of the threads pertaining to the PHH. Mine was in perfect condition upon removal and was the original with 91K on it. The top hose was however no good. Go figure!

Just replaced mine with 108,000 and it was perfect as well! I don't know what to attribute it to but apparently some fail with very low mileage and some survive quite a long time. I was quite happy to follow the good advice that was given to me about changing it out as a preventive measure.

 

[cruiserdan]

Much better to do it in the driveway when you are mentally prepared for it than on the side of the road with a HOT motor....D

 

[IdahoDoug]

Snow,

In your first post, you talked about the bolts for the metal pipe in the 4th to the last sentence. I think you meant you did not mess with the LOWER bolt, eh?

DougM

 

[snowcruiser]

Doug . My mistake. Cheers

 

[Rookie2]

The freeze plug thing is a new one on me. So what's the purpose of removing it and replacing it with the brass fixture shown in the picture???

Thanks,
Rookie2

 

[CDN_Cruiser]

The freeze plug thing is a new one on me. So what's the purpose of removing it and replacing it with the brass fixture shown in the picture???

Unless you move a bit further north than Knoxville, no need to worry about it! The plug that he removed is designed to 'pop' out if the block ever froze (ie coolant not up to task) to prevent cracking the block.

The brass gizmo is a 'block heater' that does just that. The pic is missing the plug-in that you then plug into a power source to warm the engine before start (ie to help with cold starts). My truck started this winter (not happily) at -40 without any type of block heater - I would only worry about it if you are often in conditions of lower than -15C.

PS CDan (if reading this) - can you now get these?

Cheers, Hugh

 

[lurker]

Just replaced mine with 108,000 and it was perfect as well! I don't know what to attribute it to but apparently some fail with very low mileage and some survive quite a long time. I was quite happy to follow the good advice that was given to me about changing it out as a preventive measure.

I just had my mechanic do my lower and it was fine after 244,000 somewhat miles.

Bad news was I had 8 other heater hoses replaced (some swelling, some not) for a total of about 3 feet of green stripe Gates.

$105 not bad.

 

[Rookie2]

CDN_cruiser:

Nice explanation. Thanks.


Rookie2

 

[RavenTai]

WOW...way to pad the post count! J/K

That's the same hose I used...did you have any difficulty getting it in place? I didn't and just wondered you esperience.

When I did my PHH I could only find standard bulk black heater hose

I got some stuff that looks the same at AircraftSpruce

It is marked "instrument use only" is that what you guys have? Generally instruments are low pressure air, how is this stuff holding up to coolant?

 

[RavenTai]

Bump^

 

[Safado]

The stuff I used I got at EVCO and is "the best" they had. Highest pressure and temperature rating. I can get the specs for you if you want.