lounge lizard
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- December 13, 2010
- Messages
- 807
- Reaction score
- 2
- City, State
- Eastern PA
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 1997 xlt awd
so
back in January I put a 3" body lift in my truck. and over the months I have seen threads about radiator leaks.
there was one thread where it was asked if the bulkheads could be resealed to the core.
well recently my radiator started to leak. at first I thought it was a loose hose clamp.
weather is changing, temp is getting colder. would make sense that the hose clamps may need to be tweaked a little to stop it.
but then I though! what if the upper hose is putting to much pressure on the radiator bulkhead on the passenger side?
the driver side is fine! no leaks on that side.
so I went and got a new hose. but not a stock molded hose! I picked up and universal hose that could be looped into the space to take pressure off the bulkhead.
so here is a picture of the two hoses.
top hose is the factory hose and does not give you any room to move it around.
the universal hose worked out really well on the install. at first I installed it on top like the factory hose.
but that didn't work well. could use 2" longer and might have been better.
so I looped it under the a/c line and over the alt. this gave it just enough room to put no pressure on the bulkhead that I can see.
universal hose installed at radiator. it looks much cleaner in the bend then the factory hose.
universal hose went straight into the thermostat housing perfectly.
now I am just watching the next few days to see if this stops the leaks and lets the raditor seal it self.
back in January I put a 3" body lift in my truck. and over the months I have seen threads about radiator leaks.
there was one thread where it was asked if the bulkheads could be resealed to the core.
well recently my radiator started to leak. at first I thought it was a loose hose clamp.
weather is changing, temp is getting colder. would make sense that the hose clamps may need to be tweaked a little to stop it.
but then I though! what if the upper hose is putting to much pressure on the radiator bulkhead on the passenger side?
the driver side is fine! no leaks on that side.
so I went and got a new hose. but not a stock molded hose! I picked up and universal hose that could be looped into the space to take pressure off the bulkhead.
so here is a picture of the two hoses.
top hose is the factory hose and does not give you any room to move it around.
the universal hose worked out really well on the install. at first I installed it on top like the factory hose.
but that didn't work well. could use 2" longer and might have been better.
so I looped it under the a/c line and over the alt. this gave it just enough room to put no pressure on the bulkhead that I can see.
universal hose installed at radiator. it looks much cleaner in the bend then the factory hose.
universal hose went straight into the thermostat housing perfectly.
now I am just watching the next few days to see if this stops the leaks and lets the raditor seal it self.
