&@#$%%& heater hose quick connects

[treehan77]

They're quick connect. Not quick disconnects! Yeah they suck to remove.

 

[Doubeleive]

You don't crush them, just take some long needle nose pliers and where the thin plastic part is just grab it and snap it off both sides then the fitting will come right off, there old and going in the garbage no need to be NICE with them it's just plastic.

 

[Rocket Man]

They're quick connect. Not quick disconnects! Yeah they suck to remove.

You don't crush them, just take some long needle nose pliers and where the thin plastic part is just grab it and snap it off both sides then the fitting will come right off, there old and going in the garbage no need to be NICE with them it's just plastic.

Exactly!!!

 

[boost junkie]

I use a long flathead screwdriver - like the type you would use to reach the lower rad clamps. I slide it between the lock and twist. It snaps the locks and allows you to pull them off with ease. You have to rotate the fittings a little to get the right angles on them but it works much easier than the tool. Which i own. I do at least one set this way a week like this. Only use ac delco parts when going back together with it, unless you just enjoy doing them frequently.

 

[08HoeCD]

It's a hateful design. But, yeah, if it's cracked or leaking already, and you have the replacement ACDelco part---the Dorman part is far more prone to failure than the ACDelco part---don't worry about preserving its condition and just do as above.

 

[Larryjb]

Okay, I've tracked down most of the connectors. I have both T's (15055342, 15055343), one of the heater hose quickconnect fittings (88909491). But, I can only find the other heater hose fitting on Ebay (15059584 or 15192058). The Dorman one looks entirely different with barbs. I did find one picture of the GM one, and it looked similar to the Dorman with barbs on it. So, it seems that these fittings are not interchangeable.

 

[Larryjb]

I just finished doing the plastic connectors. They're actually not that bad to remove from the metallic heater core lines, and the metallic lines going to the rear heater core. The straight plastic connector will not remove easily from the plastic Y, and that looks like by design. The bevel on the metallic tube that holds the plastic clamp is rounded and so slides off easily. The same bevel on the plastic Y is not rounded, and really locks the straight connector in.

It is probably best to replaced both Y's and both straight plastic connectors at the same time. If you are doing this, remove the plastic Y from the heater lines first, then remove the straight plastic connector directly from the heater hose. Don't bother trying to separate the Y from the straight connector. You could spend the extra time to cut and destroy, but that is only satisfying, not efficient.

I would probably replace the Y heater hose as well as those can leak too.

Also, I used a black straight where there was a white straight connector. There appears to be no functional difference.

 

[Larryjb]

I'm now smelling a faint coolant smell in the truck. I may have damaged the heater core when trying to separate the heater hose connector from the "y".

If this is the case, take a word of advice from me. Remove the " y" from the heater core first as this comes off easily on hand. Then you can do what you want to the plastic connectors without damaging anything else.

 

[Rocket Man]

I'm now smelling a faint coolant smell in the truck. I may have damaged the heater core when trying to separate the heater hose connector from the "y".

If this is the case, take a word of advice from me. Remove the " y" from the heater core first as this comes off easily on hand. Then you can do what you want to the plastic connectors without damaging anything else.

I’m hoping you’re just smelling coolant that was spilled in the engine compartment and the outside air is pulling it in. Try setting the controls to recirculate.

 

[Larryjb]

Okay, so far so good. The coolant smell has dissipated, and the coolant level is stable.

I did notice that if I overfill the expansion tank, excess coolant is pushed through a hose to drip beside the FR wheel well.