taking a breather from PHH replacement (1 Viewer)

[jonb96150]

Whew,
Almost done and my back was killing me so I had to take a break. Whoever nick-named that a "pesky heater hose" has a lot more patience and tolerance than I do. Or he doesn't know any decent swear words.
Gee whiz, that gosh darned little rascal is the biggest pain in the*** 2" piece of **** I have ever had the displeasure of replacing.
Okay, I feel better now that I've shared that.

I printed out a lot of posts, and Slee's tech advice and they were a lot of help, as I knew it could be done, and I knew in advance it wasn't going to be fun. Somehow, knowing it was going to be a p.i.t.a. helped me to be patient and just keep plugging away at the lower bolt on the heater tube. I don't think I could have done it without removing the tube. I've read that others were able to but I spent a lot of time trying to remove the inboard hose clamp (dremel, pliers, dynamite) and I should have just removed the heater tube because everything got much easier after that. I used a ratcheting end wrench for the lower bolt. Yeah, about 1/32 of a turn at a time while trying to keep the wrench from falling off for the umpteenth time and wondering if my hand is being permanently damaged by the seriously contorted manipulations required. Did I say that this job is a pita?

On the positive side, sure is a relief to not worry about that component. I used silicone hose and constant pressure clamps from Brett @ 1fzfephh.com and with a little dish soap the new hose went right on.

Okay, youv'e wasted enough of your time reading this, and I have a cold beer waiting for me when I finish up this job.

Thanks again for all the info on this forum.

 

[spartan]

Congratulations you did it! Plain vinegar will soothe the scrapes and cuts on your hands and arms.

If you haven't refilled the coolant - now would be a great time to go ahead and replace all the other coolant hoses - just do it - the hard part is done.

Good luck.

 

[reffug]

Yes we all know plenty of excellent swear words. Its just that Woody prefers they are not used to awfully often in tech. Congrats though on a very tough but fufilling piece of PM.

 

[jonb96150]

Spartan,
All the other hoses look very good (on the outside that is) but it is a good idea to replace them. I am going to have a friend who owns a rad. shop flush the system, and I will replace the hoses prior to that. Thanks for the heads up. The phh had a slight bulge but no cracking or sludge.
94k on a 97 that I just bought and it had red coolant. The rigid tube was very clean in and out.
Thanks

 

[IdahoDoug]

Spartan - replacing all the coolant hoses sounds like a suggestion from someone who has not done this. Think the PHH is a pain? Wait till you replace the ones on the back of the engine behind the valve cover to the firewall......better have about 6 beers or a half bottle of single malt whiskey and a comfortable chair ready.

DougM

 

[miked]

after changing a friends last week end, i now call this item "the hose whose name we do not speak of".

 

[santiagol]

Best way I have found to get to the back of the engine is to place some old towels on the fenders and lay a wooden plank or two across the engine bay - this allows you to get on top and reach back there without hurting yourself. It does look like a construction project, so be prepared for an odd comment from the wife when she sees you sitting on top of the engine. Also, do not do this if you are over 300 lbs.