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Galaxie500XL

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I swear that this car hates my wife. Once more, I'm on a trip on the other side of the country, and the Cutlass is torn up again. This is the THIRD time the car has broken, nearly leaving my wife stranded while I'm 2,000 miles away. The heater hose that comes from the front of the water pump (close to the radiator) on the LQ1 is now leaking severely. I recall that this hose has about 4-6 inches of rubber hose, which then appears to be permanently attached to a metal line, which then snakes along the subframe on the passenger side to the firewall...

 

Basically, I have two questions: Is it possible to remove only the rubber hose, and reuse the metal line? The metal line on my car is in very nice shape, I don't see any rust...

 

If it is not possible, does anyone know the P/N of the line? I'm in Washington state right now, the car (and wife) is back home in Tennessee...If it is necessary to order the part, I can go ahead and do so now, so that it would be waiting for me when I get back home, and repair the car (again!).

 

Let me know what you think...

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Upon second thought, that's not a heater hose at all, is it? It's actually the water pump outlet, I think...

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yeah thats one of the heater hoses. you should be able to use a small saw or pipe cutter and cut the line right after the crimp then use some generic 3/4 heater hose to reconnect it to the water pump.

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Exactly what he said, for us Up North guys they pipe actually rusts!

 

I ordered one from GM a few years ago, I think it was like $50. Honestly though save yourself the time and just cut it.

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I was afraid of that...more and more parts are becoming unavailable for our cars...

 

I think I may go ahead and replace the water pump while I have it apart...It makes an odd sound sometimes, and while I've got the cooling system apart (again)...might as well replace the pump.

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I replace that entire hose/pipe on every w-body I have. I just remove the entire assembly, disconnect from water pump and disconnect from heater core and replace the entire thing with a roll of heater hose from the local auto parts store. $5 fix and it works much better than the GM ones that rust out and leak everywhere.

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Well, I got back home, and checked it out...the hose has a nice cut where the hose clamp has been all these years. On top of that, its been leaking coolant on my brand new (3 week old) Goodyear Gatorback serpentine bent, and now it's pretty well ruined....

 

Thanks for all the advice, the wife did GREAT. She investigated as soon as she strongly smelled coolant. While the engine compartment is something of a mess now, and the belt is ruined, the radiator was still full, so she didn't overheat the engine. Great news, because the other things are minor, and easy to repair.

Edited by Galaxie500XL
misspell
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gotta hate when serp belts get ruined. my girlfriend's euro is going to need another soon. I got her a gatorback then the alternator seized and ruined it. then I put a dayco on it, then the waterpump went and coolant plus a out of whack pulley have taken their toll on it. :roll:

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don't underestimate the power of soap and a brush on the belt first...... but glad you have it figured out.

 

When I have to change any line that has one of those compression type connectors I cut the connectors of with a grinder or dremel, leaving the metal tubing unharmed. some such connectors(cooling system) have a flared end on the tubing and are intended to be used with hose clamps in the event of a replacement. Other I have added a flare to making them easy to clamp a hose to (power steering, tranny cooler lines)

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You probably already know this- the water pump is super easy to replace. Even easier if you loosen the bolts before removing the belt.

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I was not aware of the way those lines are assembled...thanks! As far as the belt, the top surface was pretty well gone, and the belt was no longer able to provide proper traction for the water pump...a shame, but way better than what could have happened if my wife had ignored the leak, and continued driving. I created a temporary fix for the hose by cutting the original rubber line, leaving about 2.5 inches still attached to the steel line, then bought the moulded hose mentioned in the thread, along with a Dayco metal (brass) coolant line repair kit. Looks kind of ugly with two hose clamps next to each other near the frame rail, but it isn't leaking... depending on how it looks over the next few weeks, this may become a permanent repair, if it behaves itself.. :roll:

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