Biggwaukegan

this hose could possible be leaking where its clamped. It looks like there plenty to cut and re attach if needed. Where it connects you can see rusty color.

Afternoon gentleman. And thank you to every single Veteran that protected our freedoms of this country.

Problem is this. 84 Delta 88 is leaking antifreeze which Im not completley sure where leak is from. I believe its the pump but I heard a hiss sound by the pump/a hose near the pump. Didnt notice any hose leaks as top and bottom hoses are newer. Thermostat was replaced as well with those hoses 4 months ago. Water Pump looks like its been leaked on or something because its rusty looking. The rest of the motor is not, California. Help me figure this out so I dont waste money I dont have. Please, and thank you.

oldcutlass

In addition to the heater hose that looks to be leaking, the lower rad hose is also. You can look at the bottom of the water pump, there is a weep hole, see if coolant is coming from there. An inspection mirror comes in handy.

jaunty75

This is, frankly, hard to believe. Those hoses and hose clamps look downright ancient, with corrosion on the clamps and what looks like an actual tear in one of the hoses.

This clamp looks to be more corroded than I would expect after four months.





This is the worst. I've circled what looks like a tear or rip in the hose. I would think this should be replaced without question. That hose clamp is no spring chicken, either.




I've never heard of cutting off the bad part of a hose and reusing it. If the end is bad, it's likely the rest of the hose is just as old and crispy, and I would think the hose would no longer fit. Radiator and heater hoses are readily available new for this car, and I would replace them all. Rockauto has upper and lower radiator hoses from several different manufacturers all for around $10 each. They also have several water pumps to choose from as well as fan clutches. I don't see heater hoses called out specifically, but you can buy generic hose at an auto parts store and cut it to the right lengths using the old hoses as patterns.


If the water pump on the car has never been replaced, suspect that, too. Water pumps are not difficult to replace, just time-consuming because you have to remove the fan belts, radiator, and fan to get at it. But while you have them out, you can check them over, too, and possibly replace the fan clutch if it's still the original.

m371961

I agree with all said above, and you can usually borrow a radiator pressure tester from a store and find all you leaks.

Biggwaukegan

Man, this site is absolutely awesome. The clamps we're not replaced. I am replacing all hoses tomorrow, as some had to be ordered. I'm also replacing the water pump and will look at the fan clutch. Hopefully this fixes me up.
The one end of the heater hose seems to run into the firewall.. easy to replace?
Thanks for all the help guys

jaunty75

Yes, no more difficult than any other. There are a couple of stub-outs that the hoses fit over. Loosen the hose clamps and carefully pry off the hoses. You may have to twist them to break them loose if they've been on there forever, and I've had to resort to taking a knife and cutting them along the long direction and just prying them off. Of course, that destroys the hose, but I'm replacing it, anyway. What you don't want to do is damage the fittings they're attached to. That's the heater core in there, and damaging one or more of the fittings means replacing the core, or at least getting it repaired, but in either case it means removing it, which is never very much fun.

The two heater hoses are different diameters, so you'll want to make sure that you get the correct size replacements.

This is a Chevelle heater core, but it's typical of what they look like. Note that the lower fitting is a larger diameter than the upper one. I think the purpose of the different diameters is to make replacing the hoses foolproof. You want the inlet and outlet lines attached to the correct fittings.

jaunty75

But this is only useful if you can fix the leaks. Most do-it-yourselfers don't have the equipment to do that, so knowing where they are doesn't help all that much.

I just take the radiator to a local radiator shop and have them submerge it in their big water tank with an air hose attached to pressurize it. You'll find all the leaks in two seconds this way, and the shop can tell you if the leaks are fixable. If they are, great, but if they're in the core of the radiator and not the tanks, that pretty much means getting a new radiator or having a new core made to attach your existing tanks to if no new radiator is available.

The latter is the exact situation I faced with the radiator out of my '78 Toronado. No one makes new radiators for any of the second-generation Toros, so the shop had a new core made and attached the old tanks, which were in good shape, to it. Cost me a heart-stopping $600 all together versus a typical new radiator, which might be a third of that. But I had no choice. You can't drive the car without a radiator.

jaunty75

If you've never replaced a water pump before, I have one piece advice. Keep track of which bolts go where. There's like 8 of them around the circumference of the pump, and they're all different diameters and lengths. Some have a threaded portion that extends out from the pump to attach things like A/C compressor brackets. If you just put them all into a pile, you soon not remember which one goes where. Eventually you could figure it all out, but it's much easier to just keep track of where they go when you take them off.

What I do is make a trace of the pump gasket (your new pump should come with one) on a piece of paper, oriented properly for fitting on the engine, and then put an X into each of the screw holes in the gasket. Then, as you remove the bolts, lay them on the X where they go, perhaps even securing them with a piece of tape so they don't get out of place if you bump the paper or something.

Some people don't order a new pump until the old one is off and they can take it to the store with them to compare the old with the new. Sometimes the pump is not in stock and has to be ordered. The point is that it might be several days between when you remove the old pump and are ready to put on the new one, and it's during those days that bolts, if not properly accounted for, can easily get jumbled up.

As Joe Padavano always says, ask me how I know this!

Biggwaukegan

guys thanks. thanks alot. Water pump was done and both heater hoses, top and bottom rad. hoses and thermostat replaced. So far no leaks, car seems to have a litttle more pickup and heaters blasting. thank you

jaunty75

This is the power of suggestion at work. I can't think of a single reason why replacing radiator hoses and a water pump would improve the car's performance, but one never knows.

I always get the same feeling, that the car rides a little better and has a bit better acceleration, every time I have it washed.


Glad things went together ok and that your problem appears solved.

oldcutlass

Good work