blue2002
Full Member
If you own a GM product model years 1999-2008, please read this whole story. It may very well get you off the side of the road and it SHOULD save you an imminent breakdown. It will DEFINITELY save you an engine if you'll make these repairs promptly.
This is just a friendly tip to those of you who own a 1999-2008 GM vehicle. I found a weak link in the cooling system yesterday in a most unrfotunate manner. I had been to a swap meet near Tulsa driving my '02 2500HD. At about 80 MPH on a turnpike 60 miles from home I was alerted by the "check coolant temperature" light illuminating on the dash. I looked at the gauge just in time to see the needle blaze past the 230 mark on the way to the peg. I shut it off and coasted to the shoulder as steam rolled out of the front end. Great ! Here I am broke down on a turnpike with no buildings, people or resources in sight. I popped the hood to assess the situation.
I noticed immediately that the leak was high and above the back of the engine. The clue was the copious amount of steam and the coolant dripping from the hood. I'm smart like that. It was then that I noticed a broken fitting going to the heater core outlet. Here's what the fitting looked like after the 5/8 hose fell off and dispensed the coolant back into the atmosphere.....
As you can imagine, I was really scratching my head at the mess I was in. Here I am standing on the side of the road with absolutely no means of getting the heater hose back on the outlet since the outlet nipple was broken off in the aforementioned hose. It was at this point that my mood shifted to anger at the pencil necked geek engineer who designed this type of connector in the first place. If I could have gotten my hands on him I would have beaten him to death with the offending hose connector. Fortunately I had a pair of channel lock pliers and a cooler full of water in the back of the truck.
I removed the clamp from the hose and the remains of the outlet nipple crumbled out in my hands. My initial thought was to disconnect the other water pump to heater core hose and just loop the hose back to the pump. That would work on our other cars right ? Not so simple on this deal. The other outlet is a 3/4 or bigger and while I was able to force the 5/8 hose on the water pump nipple ( It's amazing how pliable rubber is when it's blistering hot ), the 5/8 hose clamp wouldn't go over the nipple and the 3/4 clamp wouldn't tighten enough to hold it. I managed to insert some plastic cut from a water bottle between the clamp and the hose and it held. It was at this point I realized that the puke tank/ reservoir was now useless as a coolant additive location since I had disconnected it from the system. The reservoir shares a hose with the other side of the heater core in the form of a "Y" type hose that I had just removed from the water pump. Refer back to previous engineer comments at this point.
Being somewhat of an "engineer" myself, I deduced that the only way to add coolant to the system now was to remove the upper radiator hose from the radiator, elevate the end of it to about head high and pour water into it allowing air to burp periodically. That technique worked like a charm and I was ready to go in no time. I was a bit concerned that this was now a sealed system with no vent capabilities but I figured I'd make a run for it anyway. I nursed my old dog home the remaining 60 miles without a hitch and made the repairs today. In retrospect, these are my thoughts on the situation................
I love this truck ! It's the hardest working pickup I've ever parked my butt in and I show it no mercy. I've replaced a water pump, a fuel pump and a POS hose connector after 145,xxx miles of service. It spends more time with a trailer hooked than unhooked and I view the GVW warning sticker as just a helpful piece of advice that I ignore on a regular basis. A few weeks ago we made a long trip weighing in at just over 17,000 pounds combined. :shock: It's a stud and I'll drive it till it drops !
I am darned lucky to have a cooler full of water in the bed of my truck. The ice had melted the day before and I hadn't refilled it yet. I try to keep an ice chest and drinks with me at all times during the summer months. Winter too for that matter
I was equally lucky to have a pair of channellocks laying in the back floorboard of the truck. I think I'll keep them in there from now on.
Keeping a couple of hose clamps in my junk box under the back seat is probably a good idea.
I'm also lucky the antifreeze ( ethylene glycol ) didn't light off on the exhaust and converter. It will burn and I have personally seen it cause a car fire.
I have researched this design and GM used these fittings on EVERY LIGHT TRUCK, VAN, SUV, MEDIUM DUTY AND HEAVY DUTY TRUCK BUILT FROM 1999-2008. They also used it on millions of cars from all of their brands. The odds are very good that you own one of these or a close relative does. REPLACE THIS FITTING NOW ! And do it every few years.
The factory GM part number is 15032062 and it will set you back about $33.00. The Dorman number is 800-409 and will cost you about $7.00.
GM is not the only company to use this type of fitting. Check your ride and replace as necessary.
Preventive maintenance is the key. Save yourself some headache and change these every 50,000 miles or four years accordingly.
I have also concluded that not all engineers are pencil necked geeks. Kyle is an engineer ( for GM no less) but he's a long way from being a geek. For those engineers who are not pencil necked geeks ( all 5 of you ), I apologize if I have offended you.
I would still like to get my hands on the mental midget who designed this fitting. Why in the corn dog hell he thought he was improving on a system 100 years tried and proven is beyond me. Hopefully that sorry bastard was among the thousands of GM employees who lost their jobs in the last few years. If he was and if he's flipping burgers at McDonalds now........ EAT AT BURGER KING ! When I find him I'm kicking his ass !
Here's a few pics to help you make your own repairs. It was simple really and I used only the tools shown. It took me less than twenty minutes to reverse the band-aid engineering I had done on the side of the road and to replace the failed connector and fill the system with coolant.
Here's the tools you'll need...................................
Here's the GM fitting on the left ( made in Mexico ), the Dorman fitting in the center ( made in China ) and the Lisle connector release tool on the right ( made in the USA )
Here's the tool in place after the removal of the broken connector....................
Here's the new fitting pushed into place over the heater core outlet. I used a Dorman piece on my truck. The others are for my wifes Tahoe and my Dads Silverado...............
Here's a couple shots of the new GM part, Dorman part and broken part all side by side. As you can see, WHEN it breaks off you're screwed !....................................
Go get yourself the service part and save yourself some trouble. I don't think I hurt the engine since I got it shut off so quickly. BUT, I sure didn't do it any good.
Just a little friendly FYI, Dean
This is just a friendly tip to those of you who own a 1999-2008 GM vehicle. I found a weak link in the cooling system yesterday in a most unrfotunate manner. I had been to a swap meet near Tulsa driving my '02 2500HD. At about 80 MPH on a turnpike 60 miles from home I was alerted by the "check coolant temperature" light illuminating on the dash. I looked at the gauge just in time to see the needle blaze past the 230 mark on the way to the peg. I shut it off and coasted to the shoulder as steam rolled out of the front end. Great ! Here I am broke down on a turnpike with no buildings, people or resources in sight. I popped the hood to assess the situation.
I noticed immediately that the leak was high and above the back of the engine. The clue was the copious amount of steam and the coolant dripping from the hood. I'm smart like that. It was then that I noticed a broken fitting going to the heater core outlet. Here's what the fitting looked like after the 5/8 hose fell off and dispensed the coolant back into the atmosphere.....
As you can imagine, I was really scratching my head at the mess I was in. Here I am standing on the side of the road with absolutely no means of getting the heater hose back on the outlet since the outlet nipple was broken off in the aforementioned hose. It was at this point that my mood shifted to anger at the pencil necked geek engineer who designed this type of connector in the first place. If I could have gotten my hands on him I would have beaten him to death with the offending hose connector. Fortunately I had a pair of channel lock pliers and a cooler full of water in the back of the truck.
I removed the clamp from the hose and the remains of the outlet nipple crumbled out in my hands. My initial thought was to disconnect the other water pump to heater core hose and just loop the hose back to the pump. That would work on our other cars right ? Not so simple on this deal. The other outlet is a 3/4 or bigger and while I was able to force the 5/8 hose on the water pump nipple ( It's amazing how pliable rubber is when it's blistering hot ), the 5/8 hose clamp wouldn't go over the nipple and the 3/4 clamp wouldn't tighten enough to hold it. I managed to insert some plastic cut from a water bottle between the clamp and the hose and it held. It was at this point I realized that the puke tank/ reservoir was now useless as a coolant additive location since I had disconnected it from the system. The reservoir shares a hose with the other side of the heater core in the form of a "Y" type hose that I had just removed from the water pump. Refer back to previous engineer comments at this point.
Being somewhat of an "engineer" myself, I deduced that the only way to add coolant to the system now was to remove the upper radiator hose from the radiator, elevate the end of it to about head high and pour water into it allowing air to burp periodically. That technique worked like a charm and I was ready to go in no time. I was a bit concerned that this was now a sealed system with no vent capabilities but I figured I'd make a run for it anyway. I nursed my old dog home the remaining 60 miles without a hitch and made the repairs today. In retrospect, these are my thoughts on the situation................
I love this truck ! It's the hardest working pickup I've ever parked my butt in and I show it no mercy. I've replaced a water pump, a fuel pump and a POS hose connector after 145,xxx miles of service. It spends more time with a trailer hooked than unhooked and I view the GVW warning sticker as just a helpful piece of advice that I ignore on a regular basis. A few weeks ago we made a long trip weighing in at just over 17,000 pounds combined. :shock: It's a stud and I'll drive it till it drops !
I am darned lucky to have a cooler full of water in the bed of my truck. The ice had melted the day before and I hadn't refilled it yet. I try to keep an ice chest and drinks with me at all times during the summer months. Winter too for that matter
I was equally lucky to have a pair of channellocks laying in the back floorboard of the truck. I think I'll keep them in there from now on.
Keeping a couple of hose clamps in my junk box under the back seat is probably a good idea.
I'm also lucky the antifreeze ( ethylene glycol ) didn't light off on the exhaust and converter. It will burn and I have personally seen it cause a car fire.
I have researched this design and GM used these fittings on EVERY LIGHT TRUCK, VAN, SUV, MEDIUM DUTY AND HEAVY DUTY TRUCK BUILT FROM 1999-2008. They also used it on millions of cars from all of their brands. The odds are very good that you own one of these or a close relative does. REPLACE THIS FITTING NOW ! And do it every few years.
The factory GM part number is 15032062 and it will set you back about $33.00. The Dorman number is 800-409 and will cost you about $7.00.
GM is not the only company to use this type of fitting. Check your ride and replace as necessary.
Preventive maintenance is the key. Save yourself some headache and change these every 50,000 miles or four years accordingly.
I have also concluded that not all engineers are pencil necked geeks. Kyle is an engineer ( for GM no less) but he's a long way from being a geek. For those engineers who are not pencil necked geeks ( all 5 of you ), I apologize if I have offended you.
I would still like to get my hands on the mental midget who designed this fitting. Why in the corn dog hell he thought he was improving on a system 100 years tried and proven is beyond me. Hopefully that sorry bastard was among the thousands of GM employees who lost their jobs in the last few years. If he was and if he's flipping burgers at McDonalds now........ EAT AT BURGER KING ! When I find him I'm kicking his ass !
Here's a few pics to help you make your own repairs. It was simple really and I used only the tools shown. It took me less than twenty minutes to reverse the band-aid engineering I had done on the side of the road and to replace the failed connector and fill the system with coolant.
Here's the tools you'll need...................................
Here's the GM fitting on the left ( made in Mexico ), the Dorman fitting in the center ( made in China ) and the Lisle connector release tool on the right ( made in the USA )
Here's the tool in place after the removal of the broken connector....................
Here's the new fitting pushed into place over the heater core outlet. I used a Dorman piece on my truck. The others are for my wifes Tahoe and my Dads Silverado...............
Here's a couple shots of the new GM part, Dorman part and broken part all side by side. As you can see, WHEN it breaks off you're screwed !....................................
Go get yourself the service part and save yourself some trouble. I don't think I hurt the engine since I got it shut off so quickly. BUT, I sure didn't do it any good.
Just a little friendly FYI, Dean