95 Suburban rear heater hose questions

[AuroraGirl]

If it's the product I'm thinking of, it wraps ordinary wire around the hose to clamp it.

I'd expect that over time, you'd wind up with major hose damage from the wire cutting into the rubber.

Not something I want to risk.

www.amazon.com/Clamptite-CLT01-Stainless-Aluminum-Bronze/dp/B00XWLDZC4/ref=sr_1_3?

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I dont think it was that, but i think it was like that concept but it used bands. I think. Im having trouble discerning if that was a memory or a dream LOL

 

[DeanH]

Webasto? I installed a shitload of them in City Buses.

Webasto knockoff

 

[DeanH]

(previous post continued)

I removed the front wheelwell to gain access. This is almost mandatory, IMHO.

Pictures here illustrate how the coolant lines' compression fittings can be split using a cutoff wheel, and it and the hose removed from the pipe.

Quick-connect fitting was removed at the intake manifold and replaced with a conventional fitting suitable for 3/4" hose (not illustrated). A Gates 28480 hose and Gates clamp then connected to it; this was mentioned earlier.

In the engine bay, at the head of the rear coolant lines, new 3/4" hoses are shown installed and secured with Gates PowerGrip p/n 32929 clamps.

Would a Dremel work for the cutoff wheel or are you using something more robust?

 

[1998_K1500_Sub]

Would a Dremel work for the cutoff wheel or are you using something more robust?

I think a Dremel would work. I was using a pneumatic cut-off tool to cut through the collar on those fittings, but it was quite easy to cut.

I just cut a slot down most of the length of the collar, but stayed clear of the spot where the collar narrows and gets close to the pipe beneath. I then inserted a flat-blade screwdriver into the cut and twisted it to pop the collar open... very easy. Just take your time and don't cut into the pipe beneath.

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[Godholio]

Would a Dremel work for the cutoff wheel or are you using something more robust?

I used a dremel. I cut aaaalmost all the way through but wanted to make sure I didn't go too deep and damage the hard lines beneath. So I didn't cut quite all the way through the clamps, I left a little bit still attached at the bottom of the "troughs" and just popped it off with a screwdriver.

I haven't kept up on the thread for the past few months, but there's a lot of awesome stuff in here.

 

[Catbox]

I am going through this right now with my Sub and this information is most excellent!

 

[KansGeo]

I replaced my rear and front heater "hoses" using Gates molded hoses that I fitted together to replace the OEM pieces while retaining the hard lines, e.g., see images attached in this and my other posts in this thread.

This includes the squirrel's nest of hoses in the engine compartment that interconnect the front, rear, and (in some vehicles) coolant shutoff - bypass valve, as well as those to / from the engine and water pump.

I also used bulk hose where appropriate.

Notably, I kept all the OEM coolant hardlines to the rear but removed the deteriorated rubber hose from their ends (i.e., by using a cutter wheel and slicing through the OEM crimp collar - see my later post - and/or removing all quick-connect fittings). This left the bare hard lines from (a) the engine compartment to mid-frame (under the passenger's door), and (b) from mid-frame to the right rear.

I then added rubber hose to (re) join the various hard lines together, as follows. Note that I did not bead / flare the ends of the metal tubes; while I think it's a good idea, I didn't do it. The clamps I used create a tight "hose to pipe" fit that's been working now for four years. Read on...

In the rear, I used off-the-shelf Gates 19129 molded hoses, then cut, trimmed and spliced each with a brass PEX connector to get the proper fitment, and finally "clamped" the two pieces together with Gates PowerFlex (heat shrink) hose clamps. More on this in a later post.

Mid-frame, where the hoses splice the front and rear pipes together, I used Gates 18082 molded hose, 5/8" on one end and 3/4" on the other, to accommodate the different pipe sizes, and simply sized, cut and bent the hose to fit.

In the engine bay, I used bulk 3/4" and 5/8" heater hose in most locations, and molded hose, e.g., Gates 28480 3/4" with molded 90-degree bend, to connect to the intake manifold, and a Gates 28474 (or equivalent) to join some connections at the front / rear coolant splitters (see picture). Again, these were sized and cut to fit.

In all cases, I used the Gates PowerFlex host clamps. I discuss these more in a later post.

My list of parts:

Gates 19129 ¾”dia to 5/8”dia 15" long, qty 2, modified for rear heater connections. I cut them and spliced them as shown in the picture and discussed in a later post.

Gates 18082 - 5/8"dia to 3/4"dia 18" long, qty 2, to join the lines mid-frame, i.e., beneath the passenger’s door. See my comments earlier in this post.

Gates 28480 ¾”dia 52" long, cut to fit, to join the intake manifold fitting to the tees and water valve in the engine bay.

Gates 28474 ¾”dia 10" long, cut to fit, as noted above, in the engine bay.

Bulk hose, ¾” or 5/8" as necessary, to join the lines in the engine compartment.

Constant-force clamps were used throughout; more on this in a later

The new standard of hose clamp GM and others use is a "SAE Constant Tension Clamp" that is the name. Worm drive clamps work perfectly for what they are designed for. Like anything else someobe finds a away to screw things up. The Breeze and Aeroseal and others have tge inner liner on worm drive clamps to prevent tearing, shaving of the outer hose skin. New synthetic hose materials high temp, low temp, burst strength but can be damaged from sharp contacts. Inner liner solved that problem and improved clamping torque. You said you used a "pex barbed union " for your connection. Notice the

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factory tube ends have beaded ends not barbs. Barbs are actually designed to hold the hose with barbed ends, no clamp. Beaded end tube is designed for a clamp. Clamp grips hose onto tube, beaded end prevents hose from trying to slide off. I know race teams use the Gates heat shrink hose clamps, but I'm not sold on them being placed or used in a " out of sight out of mind" area just yet. There are alot of different types of " Constant Tension" clamps that use a multitude of tension applications. Under all the industry names. Breeze, Aeroseal, Marmon, AirResearch, Aveco, Triton, and on and on.
It's not difficult to raise a Bead in aluminum tube for a hose connection.
Get a tubing flare kit.
Fit the tubing as your going to flare the end.
Fit the driving end on start the flaring process as the tubing starts to bulge widen a little like 1/16 of an inch.
It's not exactly SAE perfect, but it has worked for me for since 1974.
And I'm not gonna spend another $ 400.00 on Parker beading tools. Once is plenty. And if your not happy with this well the truth can be brutal. Good luck.

 

[KansGeo]

Help please…On the suburban rear heater, mid frame photo above, would the 3/4 or 5/8 hose push over and past the bead on the metal tubing lines? Would the hose stretch without damage. Put clamps on after the bead of course. I need to replace the hose on my 1994 Suburban. LOL…that not a scratch…just an older person got tired of polishing wax…

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[1998_K1500_Sub]

Help please…On the suburban rear heater, mid frame photo above, would the 3/4 or 5/8 hose push over and past the bead on the metal tubing lines? Would the hose stretch without damage. Put clamps on after the bead of course.

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On my Suburban (which has the same color combo as yours, nice ride ) the OD of the pipes from mid-frame to the rear heater are 5/8. The rear heater core, which is designed for press-to-fit connections (which I abandoned), has pipes with are 3/4" OD. Too, the pipes from the engine bay, which are also designed for a press-to-fit connector, has pipes which are 3/4" OD.

If you look at my earlier post in this thread, you'll see at the rear heater (I'll discuss the mid-frame connection, about which you asked, in a moment) I used a Gates hose which I cut and spliced to fit. That hose is molded by Gates for 5/8" ID on one end and 3/4" ID on the other, so its ends fit over the 5/8" pipes and the 3/4" heater core fittings at the rear just fine.

The 3/4" press-to-fit pipes on the heater core do not have a retaining bead on the end. You may wish to add one. I did not, and simply slid the 3/4" ID hose end over the 3/4" OD pipe and clamped it with a constant-tension elastomeric clamp as I described, which has not leaked for me. A metal constant-tension clamp may be as effective. I would NOT use a worm clamp on these or any other coolant hoses.

Mid-frame you have a very similar hose / pipe situation, as I detail in my posts. There, I used a stock Gates p/n 18082 molded hose with 5/8" ID on one end and 3/4" ID on the other, cut to length, along with the elastomeric clamps.

RockAuto has the Gates 18082 molded hose for $7.65.

RockAuto has the Gates 32925 elastomeric clamps for $2.06 (but they're selling them by the box of 10, so it's $20.60 a box), and NAPA has them in unit qty as p/n 42925 for $5.49/ea.

 

[KansGeo]

Nitro Junkie….As best I can tell by measuring with an electronic caliper gauge, all the hose to metal lines connections for the auxiliary heater are .75 (or very close) (difficult spots to measure accurately) including the rear heater inlet/outlet on my suburban. I think the only 9/16 or 5/8 is the return from the front heater to the T Port. I see one of the lines on the mid frame photo above is 5/8 and the other is 3/4. The question being with slightly longer hose, could the hose be pushed over that bead that the hose is pushed against as a stop….Thanks!