PHH Woes

[DuManchu]

I hate this freakin thing, I've read through countless ways to do it, and there's one part I can't do.

The clamp on the nipple on the head, the part you pinch together to get it off is facing the rear of the vehicle and there's NO WAY for me to get anything in there to remove it. I dried the dremel approach but I just grenaded 2 cut-off wheels, and I can't see what I'm doing.

Argh! I don't know what to do now. Once I get that friggin thing off I'll be able to get the new one on no problem.

Ugh... maybe I'll just tear down the top of the engine to get to it.

Rant over...

 

[4WD Toyota Owner Magazine]

Possibly cut/scrape away all remnants of the original PHH with whatever tools work best, so that the clamp can be pulled away?

Can you get a hooked tool around it and pull it off?

 

[ed97fzj80]

I was able to get a channel-lock around the back side and pull it around enough to get a wrench on it.

 

[cruiserdan]

This is difficult to describe but I'll try:

As you already know the clamp has two ears that you comperss togther to remove it. Get yourself a tool with a lip on it, such as a paint can opener, and hook the lip on the upper ear of the clamp. pull doun on that ear and you will partially open the clamp and you should be able to rotate the clamp by continuing to apply downward pressure on the upper ear. Keep rotating it til you get it to a point where you can get to both ears.


D-


EDIT:

A bit slow, I was.

 

[DuManchu]

Thanks for the tips everyone, I'm gonna give it one more shot with the dremel, with the help of someone more experienced with a dremel.

If that doesn't work, its time to try every method mentioned for removing the little bastid.

Thanks again, here's to me actually getting this finished today.

 

[Rich]

You can always get a pair of long needle nose pliers, heat the ends red hot with a torch, and bend to what ever angle is necessary to be able to grab the hose clamp ears.

 

[Brentbba]

Shoot - I think I broke three or four cut off wheels before I got the clamp closest to the body completely off. You have to go at it at an angle. I have the flexible attachment to the dremmel which made it easier.

 

[Gumby]

I've never tried the dremel tool method. I use the c-dan method and it's worked great a half dozen times.

45 min job - at the most.

 

[DuManchu]

Success!

I ended up cutting half the clamp that's closest to the cylinder head, then putting a penny on my finger I pulled the clamp down to where I could get some pliers on it.

Now I just gotta get the new one in.

Glad that part is out of the way.

 

[DuManchu]

Ok, so I got the hose on the head, how in the heck am I supposed to bend the metal tube back into place? I can't get any leverage to bend it back.

This is by far the biggest pain in the ass repair I've ever done.

EDIT: I got it over the hose, but I can't get it perpendicular to the head, I don't think bending the tube is the best way to go.

 

[4WD Toyota Owner Magazine]

http://www.4wdtoyotaowner.com/PHH.html

 

[DuManchu]

Its bolted up, but the pipe is still bent at an angle. Like I said, I don't think recommending to bend the pipe is a good idea, it appears mine has been bent too far, and it won't go back.

This sucks, now what?

 

[DuManchu]

Here is the PHH as it sits right now.

Do you think if I tighten it down I might be ok?

I can't seem to get the metal pipe any farther into the hose. Its as far in as the first hose clamp, about 1" or so.

 

[DuManchu]

Ok, I tightened up the clamps and the pipe straightened out, or at least it looks like it did. Hopefully there are no leaks.

Now on to the water pump... ugh...

 

[turbocruiser]

Just to add the paranoid psychotic's perspective...bending that tube is a bad bad thing to do...one little kink will lead to leaks...i'd replace that thing pronto. Prolly not what you wanted to hear but again its the paranoid position.

 

[DuManchu]

I don't think I bent the tube itself, I can feel along most of the length and it doesn't feel kinked or pinched anywhere. I think I just bent the bottom bracket that holds the pipe.

Thanks for the advice though, hopefully you didn't jinx me .

 

[turbocruiser]

I don't think I bent the tube itself, I can feel along most of the length and it doesn't feel kinked or pinched anywhere. I think I just bent the bottom bracket that holds the pipe.

Thanks for the advice though, hopefully you didn't jinx me .

No I never jinx anyone, I just worry for all to prevent future problems! If only the bracket is bent you should have no worry with the tube. You can relax!

 

[Slomo]

If you left the bottom bolt of the PHH tube in place and only removed the top one then I am sure you only bent the bracket that holds it to the head. It does make it a pain to get the pipe back where it should go and all bolts in place and get the PHH fully on the tube. Make sure you get both bolts back in place otherwise you could end up with too much vibration of the pipe resulting in a crack and leak down the road. This PM does suck.

 

[alia176]

Andrew,

If you want the pipe to stare at the block nipple dead on, you need to make sure that the pipe is back where it belongs up top. Meaning, remember the top bolt that you removed on top of the intake manifold? Well, make sure that this bracket is back home first before fiddling with the pipe down below! Once the pipe is ok up top, you'll then need to shove the pipe into the hose by using a long crow bar or something. You can use a long pry bar to push the pipe INTO the hose with little patience. Be sure bury the shiny part of the pipe directly into the FHH (I upgraded it from PHH) as it was orginally and you won't have any worries.

Good luck man.

Ali

 

[lovetoski]

I've read a bunch of the posts on the PHH. The range of difficulty in removing the old one is huge. Even if you factor in experience/skill, it's still a huge range.

So, I have a theory...one of the comments about "normal" heater hose vs silicone is that it bonds to the metal over time. My theory is that the difference in difficulty in removal is (in part) because of a difference in how tightly the OEM hose has bonded to the tube. Plus, the hose expands/distorts as it ages, further complicating removal.

In my case, I did the PHH at 260,000 miles - why it hadn't blown - I've no clue - it was badly distorted/swollen. It was glued like you can't believe to the pipe.

FWIW...