Dorman vs. OEM GM coolant "T's"

[gooffeyguy]

Not an issue. The hoses are silicone and I used clamps designed for silicone hoses. They'll still be on the truck in 15 years when it's in the boneyard.

Because silicone hoses and clamps have never failed, ever, lol

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[Geotrash]

Because silicone hoses and clamps have never failed, ever, lol

I don't understand. Are you arguing that the Gruven tees with silicone hoses and proper clamps aren't a 100% reliable solution for the way I've said I use my trucks? Or are you trying to antagonize me in some way? I feel like I've done my homework on this and have chosen the best engineering solution for reliability and durability for my needs, and as a result will never need to revisit these parts again. If you think I'm wrong about that then I'm truly open to hearing why and others would benefit from that learning, too. If instead you're trying to antagonize me, that's unfortunate as I see this as a place where people can come to discuss ideas and learn from others' experiences. I have respected you through your posts and wouldn't antagonize you.

 

[gooffeyguy]

I don't understand. Are you arguing that the Gruven tees with silicone hoses and proper clamps aren't a 100% reliable solution for the way I've said I use my trucks? Or are you trying to antagonize me in some way? I feel like I've done my homework on this and have chosen the best engineering solution for reliability and durability for my needs, and as a result will never need to revisit these parts again. If you think I'm wrong about that then I'm truly open to hearing why and others would benefit from that learning, too. If instead you're trying to antagonize me, that's unfortunate as I see this as a place where people can come to discuss ideas and learn from others' experiences. I have respected you through your posts and wouldn't antagonize you.

I just brought up the point that the Gruven system's failure points would be the hoses and clamps and you seem to disagree with me. These parts haven't been out that long, so there's no track record for them, and you don't actually know how well the hoses will hold up. Hell, I think when they first came out they came with worm gear type clamps, which aren't a good match with silicon hoses.

I'm happy that it's what you've decided is best for you, and hope they don't cause you any problems for the next 10-15 years, and like you said, this is a place where people can come and discuss ideas and learn.

 

[Rocket Man]

I changed out the OE ones on my 2001 for good measure a couple years ago when I did a heater core back flush. They had about 200k miles on them, weren't cracked or leaking and just looked a liitle faded in color. I replaced them with the same GM parts.

To tell you the truth, I never new these were a problem until I started reading on here a few years ago that they are such a problem! I mean, it's not like I see all these tahoes, yukons, and suburbans broke down on the side of the road everywhere I look, lol.

The aluminum Gruven parts look nice, but are very pricey and use rubber hose and clamps to connect, which right there makes more failure points if you ask me.

Now, if someone were to make metal ones that integrated the factory style quick connect system......win

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My thoughts exactly. The OEM ones generally last 10-15 years and are easy to replace. You should only have to do this once, and if you do it as preventive maintenance at say 150k you should never see a problem. I feel most of the issues people have is with the original Dorman parts that seemed to fail quickly, which caused panic and the unnecessary act of finding a different solution ie Gruven and their expensive “fix” which I have issues with, due to all the clamps necessary to make it work.

 

[Geotrash]

I just brought up the point that the Gruven system's failure points would be the hoses and clamps and you seem to disagree with me.

Correct. I didn't use the clamps supplied by Gruven and instead used clamps designed for silicone hose. One of the properties of silicone hoses is that they don't permanently deform under clamp loads, so they don't have the usual issues with sealing because the clamps don't give the material a 'set' like they do with EPDM rubber.

These parts haven't been out that long, so there's no track record for them, and you don't actually know how well the hoses will hold up. Hell, I think when they first came out they came with worm gear type clamps, which aren't a good match with silicon hoses.

Your comment is based on the assumption that because the Gruven tees are relatively new to the market that they're unproven. But there's a flaw in that logic: You're dismissing the fact that they're made from materials with well-proven field durability. Silicone rubber hoses, aluminum fittings, and silicone hose clamps have been out for many years. Their properties are well-known and they're widely used in more demanding applications such as aviation, because of their reliability. The Gruven tees are designed and manufactured in accordance with sound engineering principles for both the materials and application. Ergo, they will last and they won't leak when properly installed.

I'm happy that it's what you've decided is best for you, and hope they don't cause you any problems for the next 10-15 years, and like you said, this is a place where people can come and discuss ideas and learn.

Thanks. I hope so too.

 

[TahoeLTZ2012]

I've seen lots of pictures and write ups on these fitting failures.
My question: is it the quick connect fitting that is attaches to the Tee mostly failing? That is what I've seen in a great majority of posts? Anyone ever had the Tee itself break?

 

[donjetman]

It's the tee.

 

[a4edwin]

In the 13 yes I had my nbs I replaced them three time using oem and dorman.last one I put in was dorman.

 

[Rocket Man]

I've seen lots of pictures and write ups on these fitting failures.
My question: is it the quick connect fitting that is attaches to the Tee mostly failing? That is what I've seen in a great majority of posts? Anyone ever had the Tee itself break?

I had the one that attaches to the tee break and I eliminated it, it just has a clamp on it now. But plenty of tees break too.

 

[1BADI5]

I went OEM, yes, more expensive. BUT the first set lasted 10 years, so I will be happy if I get 5 years out of them. Easy 1 beer rating from me