Coolant hoses

[Pablo sho]

To start with my 1996 sho ac quit when it was hot outside. Car was running about 3/4 of the way up. I pulled the thermostat and tested it. It wasn't opening until about 200. I got a new one. It tested about the same. I put it back together without it. Temp was running about 1/4 now. I started running it harder to see if it would warm up. Next thing I know the add coolant light is on. I pop the hood and it appears it's leaking at the Y going down in front of the intake. The hoses look like a PIA! Anyone got any tips?

 

[stephen newberg]

The plumbing for the AC is such a PITA that I have given up on trying to restore the AC. Oh well...

pax, smn

 

[Pablo sho]

I started out trying to fix the AC. I think it wasn't working cuz the car was running hot. Problem now is the coolant hoses that go behind the ps pump. I'm hoping I can pull the pump and find the other end?

 

[luigisho]

You got a pic of the area? We're talking about replace/repair coolant hoses and not ac lines correct?

 

[Pablo sho]

I don't right now. There is a small hose that comes out of the top of recovery tank. It splits right behind the ps pump. Can't see where it goes from there. Guess I will find out later or sell it!

 

[98SF19]

Pablo, when you say "front of intake", is that passenger side near serp (return lines coming up next to PS pump) or the big one feeding heads under TB? Both will require some time to dig in, but your due diligence on replacing with good parts (esp. spring clamps!) will be worth every second it takes.

I have given up on trying to restore the AC

That's a tough call for us down here.

 

[Pablo sho]

Yes. It's about 1/4 ". Goes from top of recovery to behind ps pump. I will try to post a pic. The screw driver tip points at where it Ys and where it comes off tank.

 

[stephen newberg]

On mine the AC lines are gone.

pax, smn

 

[Pablo sho]

I was not referring to AC lines. They're coolant hoses as in antifreeze.

 

[Rick Thomas]

I was not referring to AC lines. They're coolant hoses as in antifreeze.

I just replaced those hoses on mine this week. After the " y " the hoses crisscross and go into ports on the heads. They are about six inches long. You have to remove the ps pump to get to them. I couldn't find the molded hoses in any local auto parts store so I used heater hose and replaced the spring clamps with screw clamps.

 

[Pablo sho]

Perfect. That is what I was hoping. Thank you!

 

[luigisho]

You may be able to find OEM hoses from a NOS specialty place or a good dealer network search. Heater hose is next best option. Hose leaking or the Y?

 

[Pablo sho]

Not sure. Can't see the y.

 

[Rick Thomas]

You may be able to find OEM hoses from a NOS specialty place or a good dealer network search. Heater hose is next best option. Hose leaking or the Y?

Mine was the hose but I broke the y removing them as it had become very brittle. I ended up replacing that with a t splitter.

 

[luigisho]

It's been so long since I owned and wrenched on one of these. I remember using a brass T fitting near the heads to replace the brittle plastic Y piece but I forget if those were the same hoses.

Dang, stuff like this wasn't as easily available when I was doing my GenIII

https://www.amazon.com/Interstate-P...ocphy=9008543&hvtargid=pla-386002509290&psc=1

https://www.usplastic.com/catalog/i...v27Jb3zKDWTwqm8tww64KjpRigo9EgVQaAhIBEALw_wcB

You may need a different size but this stuff is out there

 

[98SF19]

Here's a recent post from our buddy Nuke:
https://shoforum.com/index.php?threads/need-coolant-hoses.136801/
I have a response here that shows where I installed the brass tee. I kinda wished I'd gone with the symmetrical brass wye that luigi posted above (amazon). With the tee, there are 2 flow directions, one straight through and the other at 90 degrees to the first, and I just worry that one will flow more than the other, which seems to be the case with stock setup, as you'll see in my pics that one of the hoses is fatter than the other. This indicates a higher temp/pressure in that one.

 

[Pablo sho]

Well it was overcast and the temp was bearable today so I tackled it. What a pita. It would've been easier if I would've had the right hoses. One hose was blown and the Y was broke. Looks like they could've designed it better. I got a couple hoses that had 90 degree bends in a a T. It didn't come out great but should be good for awhile. Now who wants to buy it? Thanks for the help. I would've been ****** if I pulled the ps pump off and couldn't get to the lines.

 

[luigisho]

Mine ran for a long time after I installed the brass T so I would not overly worry about that. Keep an eye on it if you must. I was looking pretty hard for the Y design replacement but it was nowhere to be found a decade ago

 

[Pablo sho]

Well I put it together with a plastic one. Figure if the first one lasted 22 years the second one should last a plenty long. After I got home I figured some kind of h fitting would've been better but I'm 20 miles from town so I made due. Wish I would've seen that post before but it's done now.

 

[gamefanatic]

Realizing you have already fixed your leak with the plastic variant, I just wanted to make note of the brass Y style for future posterity... The one I originally purchased for my SHO's is no longer available from NewEgg, but found these options at FrozenCPU. Again, I chose these over others as they are the closest to the original shape, and black in color.

Basic Black Brass Y:
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1...e_Black_63344.html?tl=g30c499s639&id=g9p6m8wy

Custom Y block:
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1...ock_-_BP-MBYB.html?tl=g30c499s639&id=g9p6m8wy