Td5 top radiator hose bleed screw

[Fluids]

I was checking fluid levels friday night, notice top hose bleed screw had a tiny tiny weep (just moist with dry red coolant around edge of rubber screw plinth) ... snugged it up about 1/8th turn. Wipe away all traces of red coolant ... top up coolant (about 200ml)

Saturday arvo I'm in the driveway, wifey pulls in ... I get a whiff of coolant as she stops. Pop the hood ... everything on the left hand side of the engine bay is red ! :eek: ... Bleed screw doesn't appear to be level. Give it a twist and it comes off in my fingers ! :eek: ... great! Coolant tank level is about 1" down. I guess I caught that one just in time.

Tried to (gently) unscrew stub of bleed screw from hose using several unsuccesful methods, then threaded section in hose starts to move, and then falls down into the top hose ! :eek: ... great! Now I can't even jerry a temporary repair (although a shortened golf tee, some gaffa tape, a 20c peice & some cable ties do look promising). Hose is original I believe, and D2a is almost 6yrs since manufacture. The hose itself is in excellent condition. Crappy bleed screw!! (Note to self - leave some golf tee's in the toolbox) :)


I gotta take the top hose off and retrieve the threaded section that's fallen into the hose ... don't I ??



... probably wont matter if it ends up in the radiator top tank, but It'll probably go down the return line to the thermosat knowing my luck.

I'll order a new hose AND a BRASS bleed screw ... and when I'm a little more flush I'll be ordering an ENGINESAVER ... sooner rather than later.


Here's another question - If I effect a temporary repair to the bleed screw, is it OK to run the Td5 with the coolant tank lid loose so as to not let the cooling system pressurize ?? (after I retrieve the bit inside the top hose) ... I run a Nanocom on the dash in instrument mode, so always looking at engine coolant temp (set with a 100deg alarm LED).


I don't see why not ? ... but it is ALWAYS safer to ask first :)


Thanks
Kev..

[Fluids]

I gotta take the top hose off and retrieve the threaded section that's fallen into the hose ... don't I ??



Reply to self .... YES doofus, you do ! :imwithstupid:

Easy job, made bloody difficult by the fact that the bottom end of the top hose (that comes from the thermostat discharge) had its clips facing in such a direction that I could not get the multi's onto it from underneath (Clip is on opposite side of hose) ... from the top there's almost no room to manouvre with the thermofan & radiator shroud ... 2hrs to get that clip off ! What fun!! :censored:

Upside was hose replacement was quick & easy (& allowed me to re-position the clamps so NEXT time it will be a quick job). The hose and water outlet on the head were as clean as a whistle inside with no trace of any gunk anywhere. Cooling system is VERY clean inside.

Fitted brass bleed screw, replace coolant (drained, saved and re-used as was only 6 months old), add extra 600ml lost in hose changeover, and all is good. :)

Hose $85.80. Brass bleed screw $15.30 - Ex Karcraft (good service and quick delivery too)

Kev..

[feral]

Well done Kev!

A little self diagnosis & repairs go along way.

Just think....as the car gets older with more breakdowns you will get better at fixing it :eek:

[Fluids]

Thanks Feral!

It's a very satisfying feeling when you knock over that _difficult_ job <LOL>

Would have been easy 'cept for that hose clamp ... I can just see the assy' line in Solihull ... "Hey, left put this clamp on backwards (heh he heh snigger snigger) ... that'll upset someone down the track"

Gettin' better at fixing stuff all the time! :)

Kev..

[strangy]

Hint..... remove inner splash guard next time for easier access.

cheers

[Fluids]

Hint..... remove inner splash guard next time for easier access.

cheers


I DID !! :eek::eek::eek: .... :(

Part of my day job invloves small engine repair.
There's no excuse for the time it took me for that hose clip .. :)

Kev..

[Zute]

Wait til you decide to change the thermostate.:eek:
Hint; jack front of disco just a bit to give you more space between diff and sump.
Best Hint: only change thermostate if its buggered.:mad:

[Blknight.aus]

Im so glad Im not the only one whose found the clamps on the cooling system a PITA....

its easy to see how they go on that way when the cars assembled it must save all of 1 second per car per clamp to put them on the way they go on but then takes an additional hour per clamp per car to change the stinkers..

my field fix for the top radiator hose problem is bluetack, a bandage, a shim of aluminium and lots of string.

wrap either side of the bulge for the screw with a turn of bandage so that the hose doesnt get cut by the shim. place a blob of blue tack into the hole cover that with some shimstock then tightly wrap the whole thing with string.

[Fluids]

Wait til you decide to change the thermostate.:eek:
Hint; jack front of disco just a bit to give you more space between diff and sump.
Best Hint: only change thermostate if its buggered.:mad:


Thanks Zute. When I did my coolant flush, I picked up a new thermostat along with the OAT coolant ... looked at the position of the thing after draining the coolant ... thermostat is still on the shelf 7 months later !

At least I have one ready to go if need be. They don't appear to fail very often.

Nice tip about jacking the body up a bit. Thanks for that!

Kev..

[Fluids]

Im so glad Im not the only one whose found the clamps on the cooling system a PITA....

its easy to see how they go on that way when the cars assembled it must save all of 1 second per car per clamp to put them on the way they go on but then takes an additional hour per clamp per car to change the stinkers..

my field fix for the top radiator hose problem is bluetack, a bandage, a shim of aluminium and lots of string.

wrap either side of the bulge for the screw with a turn of bandage so that the hose doesnt get cut by the shim. place a blob of blue tack into the hole cover that with some shimstock then tightly wrap the whole thing with string.


Dave ... fun, aren't they! :)

I guess as clamps go, they work OK, and give even pressure around the hose, but some fore-thought on positioning would help! I re-positioned mine so next time .... :)

Do they have a special tool for these clamps ?

Neat tip on the feild fix .... try a golf tee in place of the blue-tac (if the threaded insert has failed). Looks like it was made for the job ... I tried a hose clamp around it with a 20c peice ontop of the golf tee ... string looks like a better way of jerrying it up. Thanks for the tip!

Kev..

[Blknight.aus]

actually there is several varients of it.

since it looks a lot like a pair of slip joint multigrips thats what I use in stead.

[igould]

I gotta take the top hose off and retrieve the threaded section that's fallen into the hose ... don't I ??

I've just had the same thing happen, and I can't find the bit that's dropped in. I think it may have dropped down the hose that goes to the bottom of the engine.
What's the best way to track it down and get it out?
Do I need to back-flush, and if so, which hoses should I take off, and where should I start flushing from?

Thanks,
Ian

[Blknight.aus]

I reccomend all of them particularly if the hoses are aproaching or older than 5 years old, lay down a tarp under the vehicle and back flush every component individually.

since all the hoses are off replace them.

Dont forget the hidden one.

[Hamish71]

Bugger me....word for word, this happened to me yesterday. Noticed the plug weeping during the week, and that the "seat" was rotating in the hose. Yesterday, bought a hose, and thought it should take me 20 minutes during my lunchbreak to replace.

Start time, 1200hrs. Top clips, no dramas, bottom clip....you have got to be ****ing kidding me. And in rotating it (30mins), one of the "tabs" broke off....so no ability to release tension.....45 mins with a hacksaw blade later....its off. New part on in about 2 minutes. 2 hrs to do the job....

And a wormdrive hose clamp on the bottom!

P.S. Oh, and I had my radiator out for a flush a month ago, and guess what was in the end tanks....?

[GusLandy]

THe lowest clamp on the top radiator hose is ridiculously positioned. The trick is to cut the old hose close to the clamp. This creates some room to tediously work the clamp so it can be attacked from underneath.

Still a bit worried, have not seen any broken bits from the Bleed Screw appear while flushing the system. Their must be bits of it in there somewhere.

Gus

[justinc]

Dave ... fun, aren't they! :)

I guess as clamps go, they work OK, and give even pressure around the hose, but some fore-thought on positioning would help! I re-positioned mine so next time .... :)

Do they have a special tool for these clamps ?

Neat tip on the feild fix .... try a golf tee in place of the blue-tac (if the threaded insert has failed). Looks like it was made for the job ... I tried a hose clamp around it with a 20c peice ontop of the golf tee ... string looks like a better way of jerrying it up. Thanks for the tip!

Kev..

YES. I use it to remove them and fit REAL serviceable ones...:mad:

JC

[igould]

Still a bit worried, have not seen any broken bits from the Bleed Screw appear while flushing the system. Their must be bits of it in there somewhere.
Gus

Mine started losing coolant from (I think) the expansion tank overflow. Loses about 1/2 its coolant every few days.
Tried removing every hose I could get at (which was not many, I admit), flushing every direction, all to no avail.

Have now given up trying and booked it in with a mechanic for Monday. Not looking forward to the bill!

Ian

[Bundalene]

I get to remove quite a few of these clamps - never replace them though. I invested in a Torledo flexible clamp removing tool which cost $80. For me that was excellent value. These have a ratchet mechanism and lock once the clamp is in the open position - saves heaps of blood blisters from multigrips and vise clamps

Clamp Pliers | Toledo (http://www.tridon.com.au/Products/Product.aspx?SG=5&S=18&G=573&P=4246)

I enquired about this on this Forum 2 years back and Ron and Pete suggested a similar item.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/technical-chatter/63216-radiator-clamp-removal.html

Erich

[moggly73]

I blew a top radiator hose 80 k's from Uluru on the way to King's Canyon about 10 days ago. Managed to get a new one from Alice on a bus 2 days later, and mechanics fitted the next day. After about 45 mins of swearing and getting more tools he managed to remove the clamps and hose. He said it was a really hard job and clamps were awkward to access and change. Glad I didn't attempt it, particularly with my limited tool kit 2000kms from home!!!!

Paul

[Zute]

Why, Why, Why, didnt I get a brass bleed screw when I broke the first one.:wallbash:
Just broke the top off. So who sells these brass screws ? An ACT seller would be nice.

[bluelightdisco]

dont waste your money buying brass bleed screws, when mine broke i just replaced it with a M6x12 countersunk bolt and it slealed fine and have had no problems since
and as for the festn of the old plug, if you can get an m4 lefthanded drill and crarfully drill out the old blank, you will be ok and as a prcaution i ran an M6 tap through the hole and all was good!

[BIG O]

Multigrips near radiator cores and me,,,,,,a bad combination, nearly put a whole in the radiator taking the lower hose clamp off using multi grips when they sprung open. Too lazy to put a piece of ply over the core..that's me!!

[Davetd5]

I replaced every hose on our td5 yesterday after the LR specialist scared me by saying they start to go after 120,000km. That top hose clamp was the last one I did and at midnight it sure stretches your patience!I started at midday and finished about midnight (with 3hrs break at dinner/ kids bath time). What a tangle of hoses! - most cant be taken off/ replaced one at a time, more like take one end off this one, to get to one end of that one, which is covering the end of another one!
Most hoses looked ok except the top hose was almost rubbed through on the a/c compressor hose. I'm glad its done as it gives the confidence that we can go away not being paranoid that a hose will go in the middle of nowhere. My f-i-l took it to the Flinders today so I'm glad I don't have to worry that it'll give him trouble.
PS: I put a brass screw in the new top hose.

[Zute]

How did you go with the fuel cooler hoses that run to the radiator ?

[Davetd5]

Hey Zute,
They were all testing!
I took the fan and shroud off otherwise I can't see how I would have had access. To get the fan off I took one of the belt pulley 10mm bolts off and undid the fan hub with a big shifter.
For the hose from the fuel cooler to the radiator the clamp was facing away from me, obviously put on the radiator before it was installed in the vehicle. I got a small ring spanner and hooked it on the small tag of the clamp at the rad end and then spun the clip until I could get the multi-grips onto it. I did the same with the hose from the rad to the thermostat.
The biggest pain with using multi-grips is that when they slip off in one of many failed attempts, the spring clamp rotates on the hose and slips away from where you can grab it. The ring spanner trick was the only way to get the clamp back to a place I could access it. Make sure you pull on the tag in the direction that releases its tension.
I used screw type clamps where ever possible including all those at the fuel cooler.
Did that answer your question? I'm still seeing hoses and clamps when I close my eyes!!

[Zute]

They were the only two hoses I didnt replace. Other hoses I took off were in good condition, so rather than upset the cooler too much and the fact I couldnt get to the radiator end, I just left them. But now I know to remove the fan and shoud, I may do them when I next change the fan belt.
Thanks.

[markoh]

Having trawled this forum for years for information of all sorts, I'm happy to be able to make a contribution at last. Like many people before me, I snapped the head off my radiator/top hose bleed screw and was looking down the barrel of replacing the hose set. While I have a hose set I acquired some years ago in preparation for a trip, I figured I'd try the screw first. Nothing to lose.... a few hours to gain if I could avoid the hose job.

Half an hour into my online research I found a reference to using screwdriver with a heated tip to act as an "ezy-out". Brilliant idea! I tried it and it works a treat. Find attached series of photos to illustrate. I used a butane type soldering tool to heat the tip and was careful not to push too hard into the exposed shank of the plastic screw.

I'll replace the bleed screw with a brass one this week or, if funds permit, get an engine saver.

Markoh

[Backtabush]

That's cleaver I'll lock that in my memory bank sometime simple is best.

[NWTASD2]

So the stainless steel nut on the inside of my hose has come loose in the system while I was changing my thermostat and preparing to change fluid.


I have retreaved the the nut by flushing the system.

NOW WHAT.

My Options are to : Can I cut my top hose and find a JOINER at super-cheap tommorow Sunday.(So I can reatach the SCREW and NUT.

Or can I Put BUNG in it as descibed above?

Or can Replace hose?

Car has 200K they were VERY hard to get off. EG some calcification around heater pipe and block inlet pipe.

Any adive will be helpfull

[PhilipA]

I would also be changing the"HIDDEN HOSE"

Regards Philip A

[NWTASD2]

Which hoses is the hidden hose?

Cheers

[Blknight.aus]

the one under the exhaust manifold about level with the #4 pot. its a reducer from about 3/4 inch to 1/2 inch.

[justinc]

Which hoses is the hidden hose?

Cheers

https://www.google.com.au/search?q=pbh101980&espv=210&es_sm=93&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=xgIuU-y_Io3jlAWK_oGICA&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAg&biw=1280&bih=709

part number pbh101980, it's weird how that part number is etched into my memory :o


jc

[NWTASD2]

Cheers Gentlemen Thanks For The Directions...

[NWTASD2]

Quick Update.

I lost the small screw IN THE SYSTEM...Flushed it out.

Removed top hose...

Got LONG LONG nose pliers and managed to get it back in place.

Fidly but a once the hose was off only took a few mins.

Need to remember not to undo all the way EVER AGAIN.

While hose is off have considered removing screw again and giving it a lick of automotive silicone and re-installing....

Will order replacement lower hoses today...

CHEERS...

[NWTASD2]

While on the phone got carried away and ordered a new top hose as-well.

[mattg]

I have an engine saver in my top hose but the thread has delaminated from the hose and the whole screw and thread come out in my hand. No spare hose. Needed to drive 2 hours for work that day. I remembered that I had some 3m self amalgamating tape. Or SOS tape. Worked a treat 74745
And that is after the 4 hour round trip. I have a new hose to go in now but this patch it still hanging in.

[mattg]

I have an engine saver in my top hose but the thread has delaminated from the hose and the whole screw and thread come out in my hand. No spare hose. Needed to drive 2 hours for work that day. I remembered that I had some 3m self amalgamating tape. Or SOS tape. Worked a treat