Posts
GM's obsession with molded in plastic fittings on fuel tanks and radiators still baffles me.
Tonight, while removing parts to get enough room to get a tool on the GODS FORSAKEN FUCKING PINCH CLAMP on the radiator side of the lower hose... For some fucking reason some Australian union worker put the tabs for the clamp against the core support, not facing out where you could get any tool on them.
You have to cut the hose center out, remove the fan assembly and unbolt a trans cooler line to get a special tool on it and only THEN can you have a helper pull the remains of the lower hose off the pipe.
I snapped off the fitting that leads from the radiator to the steam vent line.
Expletives were expressed.
This is a common problem with the PPV and there's a ready solution.
Get a 1/8 NPT 5/16" hose barb.
Drill and tap for 1/8 NPT into the plastic where the fitting used to be.
Epoxy the shit out of the hose barb, screw it in, let the epoxy set, drive on.
Or buy a $180 radiator that will have the same fragile plastic fitting.
I've chosen a nice black anodized aluminum fitting.
Pretty fetching, no?
So we're in a holding pattern until Sunday. SIGH.
The new hoses do look amazing! I had not started the lower hose when I took this snap.
The lower hose.
I've replaced the pinch-clamps with the worm gear hose clamps that came with the hoses.
https://www.lislecorp.com/specialty-tools/17300-flexible-hose-clamp-tool
ReplyDeleteI have a slightly different style with a different handle but they work the same. Snap on sells them also, Astra has a model as do other manufacturers since the parent expired. They work very well, so well that I started leaving the pinch clamps on the hoses.
Here's my kit: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DLKVDMBR?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
DeleteThe tool that worked was the remote cable model like you linked. Because of the placement of the clamp, I needed to remove the fan housing and it still barely went onto the clamp.
The problem isn't the clamps so much as someone installing them where they can't be accessed by ANY tool while in the car. I'm guessing the clamp on the radiator side was installed on the radiator assembly outside the car.
I really hate plastic tank radiators. I've had a few problems with them in the past. For my C4 I ended up replacing the original radiator with a larger all aluminum one and a separate transmission cooler, added an oil cooler and a 2nd pusher fan (and override switches to force the fans on) as well as the "big mouth" chin scoop to get more air into the radiator. C4s notoriously run hot, so all that just basically got it to manageable.
ReplyDelete-swj
Marv upgraded to a 'lumnum radiator in his C4 as well.
DeleteMy C6 cracked a plastic tank once. https://mcthag.blogspot.com/2019/04/ready-for-reassembly.html
I have to say that access to things is much better in the WM Caprice than the C6. Despite fighting the spring clamps.