thread: Changing the pipe from hell

  1. #1
    bigcw's Avatar
    Oct 2008
    Weston Turville, Buckinghamshire
    111

    Changing the pipe from hell

    Morning all

    One of my coolant pipes - the ones that go to the heater matrix - was bypassed completely by Paul during my V6 conversion. Apparently it was leaking too badly to fix, which isn't suprising considering the coolant system on the car froze solid due to lack of antifreeze the winter before the V6 conversion was done. It has a rubber hose that runs front to back for one of the heater matrix hoses.

    Now since I've had the V6 I've had never ending cooling problems with the car, not Paul's fault I hasten to add. It leaks water from somewhere, but only when it's hot.

    The engine is currently out as I'm fitting a turbo gearbox, Fidanza, etc and the body is at my mate's paintshop so the whole front end has been dismantled. I'm intending to solve the cooling problem once and for all, and as I'm doing it, I figure I might as well change the leaky heater pipe at the same time just for the sake of completeness.

    So, the question is, with the engine out and the front end of the car dismantled, how much more of a job is it to change the pipe from hell completely? Obviously I'll do the 'mod' at the same time to get rid of the weak point on the last bracket, but from what Paul said there are other leaks along the pipe.

    Do I have to drop the fuel tank to get it out? If so, how hard a job is that?

    Cheers, Chris
    Bright green MR2 with V6 and loads of carbon.

    www.locostbuilders.co.uk

  2. #2
    snowtigger's Avatar
    Sep 2007
    stockport
    5,475
    While the engines out it should be easy, if droping the tank empty as much fuel as possible, should be quite easy from there just watch for seized and rusty fittings.

    As for replacing it a long length of thick wall copper pipe or sections of it between the hoses try and minimize rubber hoses though as the more you have the more chance of a leak developing.

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