On my '97 K2500, the steel tube crimped to the hose fit beautifully inside a brass ferrule intended for 1/2" tubing. My oil cooler hose was seized to the old radiator, I cut the metal part to get it to unscrew. Then spliced it back together with a brass compression union.
The actual fluid path is almost always smaller than the nominal tube or hose size, because tubing is measured by OD, so when you subtract the tubing wall thickness, the ID (fluid path) must be smaller than the nominal size.
Wall thickness varies. Thick-wall "1/2"" tubing will have a smaller ID than thin-wall tubing. Hose--usually, not always--is also smaller inside than the nominal size, just as tubing is.
Easy enough to verify--If a 1/2" open-end wrench fits nicely on the metal tubing of the oil cooler hose, you need "dash 8" or 1/2" plumbing. If that 1/2" wrench is loose, you might be dealing with 7/16 or 3/8 plumbing. Try a 7/16 or 3/8 wrench instead.
Perhaps this is a matter of GM using steel, 1/2" tube on the hose assembly, and the aftermarket is using smaller, aluminum tubing.
The actual fluid path is almost always smaller than the nominal tube or hose size, because tubing is measured by OD, so when you subtract the tubing wall thickness, the ID (fluid path) must be smaller than the nominal size.
Wall thickness varies. Thick-wall "1/2"" tubing will have a smaller ID than thin-wall tubing. Hose--usually, not always--is also smaller inside than the nominal size, just as tubing is.
Easy enough to verify--If a 1/2" open-end wrench fits nicely on the metal tubing of the oil cooler hose, you need "dash 8" or 1/2" plumbing. If that 1/2" wrench is loose, you might be dealing with 7/16 or 3/8 plumbing. Try a 7/16 or 3/8 wrench instead.
Perhaps this is a matter of GM using steel, 1/2" tube on the hose assembly, and the aftermarket is using smaller, aluminum tubing.
