silverriff

This thing is leaking really bad, both out of the little vacuum actuated arm (see pic) and the hose clamp on top. So I am assuming this is the watervalve I have read about. I didn't take notice to it because it didn't look like the pictures I have seen, but it got my attention today while I was working on my vacuum problem and spraying antifreeze all over me and my shiny new chrome coil (see pic). So from what I read, these were only for AC cars, so I don't need it. So I can either try and unscrew it from the manifold, which just has disaster written all over it....and then put a correctly sized nipple fitting to clamp the hose down....OR just try to hack it off at the base, but still leave enough meat to clamp onto. Is all this correct? Or am I way off? HELP! I am not having a good car day, and my left hand middle finger slipped into the cooling fan and smacked my finger nail REEAALLLY hard and cracked it. Guess its better than cutting it off, but luckily it was freewheeling at the time, so not too much damage.

2blu442

If you don't need your car to look original yes you can remove it and put in a simple nipple. I've seen cars run like this before. The decision to try and unthread it or cut the stem and use that as the nipple, I've not done that before so I'm not able to give you a good opinion. Maybe try to unthread it first and see just how badly it has or has not rusted in place.

There are a couple different styles of these valves. I've only seen one like yours before and it might be interesting to check the Chassis Service Manual pictures and diagrams to see if its the original design for a 1972 Cutlass/442 or something that was replaced over the years. John

Lady72nRob71

That is what it is and that is your problem! They always get bumped when messing with the disty...
Yours does not look original - I think it should look more like this:


Rockauto has them - heater control valve, FOUR SEASONS Part # 74602 , 46 bucks.
You could just replace it with some plain pipe fittings until you get a new valve.

I am not sure how hard they are to remove intact, but i would like to know, as mine should fail soon, too. It looks like it went down with the "Titanic" so I would also be concerned with it breaking off in the block...
I guess lots of penetrating oil is a must.

I bet hacking the valve and trying to clump down on its stem will result in perpetual leaks. However, it might be worth a try before trying to wrench it out.

Please be careful... Getting your finger in the fan is a sure sign of fatigue and a need to rest a bit. Close the garage, grab a beer, watch a comedy, and sleep it off - continue the next day. A freewheeling fan could have easily done more damage due to its rotating mass. It wouldn't know the difference between your finger and a june bug...

silverriff

Yeah this was at the end of the day after I had been out there all afternoon working on my vacuum issue. The crazy Baltimore weather wasent helping....this time last month is when we had some of those record breaking snowfalls, and now I am out there in 80 degree weather slaving over a hot 455....its a lot nicer than working out there in a blizzard, but apparently Maryland doesn't get spring anymore. It is streamlined from winter to summer! In any case, I am not concerned about the engine looking completely stock, too late for that, but I am tired of it leaking, so I will gingerly try and take it out, if not a hacksaw it is!

Yellowstatue

If you can get a proper size wrench on it,looks to be about 1 1/8 or so, try that...or open ended wrench on both ends and then hook a box wrench into the open end to give you lots more leverage and it should come out easily

Bluevista

I think that valve may have been used on the big cars? The CSM shows it for the 88-98 but doesn't show the other one that I can see?
The A body assembly manual shows the other type for A/C cars and my car was all original and it was the deal like Rob's. I got one NOS for ten bucks on evilbay.
The CSM says A/C cars all have the valve but they used a calibrated nipple in the heater core to reduce coolant pressure on non A/C cars. What the heck is a calbrated nipple? A flow restricting nipple?
Where do I get my nipples calibrated?
I hate when my nipples aren't calibrated.

don71

Yes, that coolant valve is restricted. The OP needs to replace it with one that functions the same. If you use an ordinary nipple the heater core will blow eventually. The one pictured looks just like my old one from a big car. I got my new one at the auto parts store for 45 bucks.

Nothing like augmentation for nipples, gotta have it.

Lady72nRob71

Instead of using a wrench on the valve, it might be better to hacksaw the valve off and then use a big socket (with extension) over the hex fitting to get it off.
A wrench could collapse the fitting, or round it like using an open end wrench on a brake line fitting.

Never heard of the nipple restrictors; make sense to limit flow through the heater core though...

Olds64

I've used an aftermarket pipe fitting in the past with great success (maybe I didn't own the car long enough for the heater core to blow). The engine I removed from my 71 98 has one of those stuck in the intake manifold. I've tried and tried to remove but haven't been able to. Oh well...

cutlassgal

....Where do I get my nipples calibrated?
I hate when my nipples aren't calibrated.



You crack me up!!!!! You're gonna get calibrated one of these days alright!!!

Oldsguy

Excellent idea! If you can get to it with a hacksaw. A nice solid six point socket with a 3/4 inch drive would work well and if you used a six inch extension you could be high enough above the distributor and air cleaner to clear everything. It is really tight back there for a box wrench and I have had a few that were hard to get off whether the manifold was on or off the car. Maybe some application of something like PB Blaster first would ensure ease of removal.

joe_padavano

As do the rest of us...

Back on point, the hacksaw and socket are how I got mine out as well. It's much easier than trying to get a very large open end wrench on the fitting (and having it slip off, busting knuckles on something sharp).

Lady72nRob71

I bet it would break off much easier than trying to cut it off. One good shove and its off...

I remember cutting off a dead tree branch long ago by hand with a dull saw. After 10 minutes and a lot of sweat, it broke off by itself 6" away.
A small sledge finished the job in 2 swings. I should have done that in the first place.

A mini tubing cutter could cut it off if there is enough clearance.

silverriff

I am going to get out there and take a closer look. I am sure I can get it out one way or the other, I am just still unsure what to put in it's place, any old nipple, a calibrated nipple, or just get a new one and hook it back up. I just don't really want to spend $50 bucks for a valve I don't need if I can just get a brass nipple ( good name for a band) for a few bucks and put it on.

Lady72nRob71

If you live in a hot climate (like me) and would use the A/C, then i would put the valve in. Since the heater core resides inside the car, having it hot continuously would put quite a heatload inside.

Giving your location, you could probably use the threaded nipple.
(or be redneck-fancy and put a clamp on the hose (like a tiny vice) to block coolant flow in the summer...)

joe_padavano

If you don't have A/C, what would you hook it up to? Or is this an A/C car with the A/C removed? In either case, this valve only functions when the A/C is set to MAX. At all other times it is supposed to be open, so a Home Depot brass nipple is fine.

Run to Rund

As an alternative to cutting the valve off and using a socket, see if you can get a flare nut crows foot on it. The Snap On brand, and maybe some cheaper ones, will grab five of the 6 points. I second the advice to use rust penetrant. I have done well with the Mopar brand, at least on Mopar rust

gearheads78

Even getting a saw down there is a pain. See if you can find a crowfoot wench or if you have a welder to can make one with a old 1/2 drive socket welded to the stub of cut off wrench.

gearheads78

I started my thread and they got busy with work and had to go back to it. Great minds think alike.

joe_padavano

Oh, sure. Do it the RIGHT way...

Seriously, the valves on my 307s use a 1 1/16" wrench. I've been looking for a crows foot flare nut wrench that size for a couple of years now. Well, I've been looking for one that didn't cost over $50. Naturally my set only goes to 1".

gearheads78

$18.00 about 30 seconds to find on google

http://weldwarehouse.securesites.com...:number=11-849

Now what am going to do with the 1 year, 11 months, 30 days,23 hours 59 minutes and 30 seconds left.

Eddie Hansen

Crapppp just sprayed coffee all over my computer at work....

man your too funny, thanks for the gafaw!!!!

silverriff

The 455 currently in the car had a/c at on time. The car itself was not an a/c car. Right now I have a heat hose coming out of the top of the valve, and it goes into the firewall. The vacuum switch on the valve is running to a manifold vacuum port. If I unplug the vacuum, the thing stops leaking. Is that open or closed? Those are the only 2 connections to this thing. I think to be hooked up correctly it had to have been connected to the a/c controls correct? So right now it is just hooked up to a vacuum just to be hooked up?

Lady72nRob71

Since your car is a non-A/C car, I would just nipple it and forget it.

The stock valve in '72 is normally closed (apply vacuum to open). Sounds like yours is this way, also/
Later on (early 80's?) the valve was made a normally open to be more 'failsafe'.

Vacuum would normally be applied / unapplied through the A/C controls.