Flushing tees

[brianl703]

My 1984 Chevy Cavalier was leaking coolant. This was the cause:

I had no idea it was there. The heater hoses on this car are only visible from the bottom. I was getting the heater hoses replaced when it was found.

It had probably been on the car for 35 years. My dad would have been the one who installed it.

They seem like another failure point for the cooling system. Not sure I'd leave one installed.

 

[Imp4]

If the hoses are as old as the tee is purported to be then it was time to replace the hoses anyway.

 

[PF52]

I thought flushing tees went out with dial phones and cassette tapes. Are they still available?

 

[brianl703]

I thought flushing tees went out with dial phones and cassette tapes. Are they still available?

A Google search says that not only are they available, but in stock at my local Advance Auto Parts!

 

[brianl703]

If the hoses are as old as the tee is purported to be then it was time to replace the hoses anyway.

The old heater hoses looked pretty bad. They looked swollen compared to the new house, and definitely softer.

 

[Kira]

You have a running Cavalier? Congrats!
A friend had one and his wasn't a bad car.
There were two rows of contacts on the bottom of the car. Call one numbers and the other letters.
With the right meter you probed 1+A, 2+B, etc. I never did that. I read it somewhere.

 

[brianl703]

You have a running Cavalier? Congrats!
A friend had one and his wasn't a bad car.
There were two rows of contacts on the bottom of the car. Call one numbers and the other letters.
With the right meter you probed 1+A, 2+B, etc. I never did that. I read it somewhere.

Are you talking about the ALCL or ALDL connector?

I just got a "GM Code Key" which is used to connect the two contacts together to put the ECM into diagnostic mode.

Tried it out last night--it blinks the codes on the check engine light with the engine off, and with the engine running the check engine light will tell you by how fast it blinks if the system is in open or closed loop, and if it's lean or rich.

For not having a heated oxygen sensor, it got into closed loop very quickly, almost as quickly as my 1998 Nissan Frontier.

 

[Kira]

Not at all sure. I saw the car only a time or two and never worked on it.
Sooooo long ago it was. I think I read about it in a repair manual.

I'll Google GM Code Key. My pal's '89 Silverado had an OBDI port. It gave you ABS codes and a few others.

 

[brianl703]

Not at all sure. I saw the car only a time or two and never worked on it.
Sooooo long ago it was. I think I read about it in a repair manual.

I'll Google GM Code Key. My pal's '89 Silverado had an OBDI port. It gave you ABS codes and a few others.

Best to look on Ebay, the one I got is Lisle 22700, it was about $8. I don't think that one is made anymore.

You can just use a paperclip or a piece of wire but the tool is less likely to damage the contacts or fall out.

 

[Donald]

My 1984 Chevy Cavalier was leaking coolant. This was the cause:

View attachment 117755

I had no idea it was there. The heater hoses on this car are only visible from the bottom. I was getting the heater hoses replaced when it was found.

It had probably been on the car for 35 years. My dad would have been the one who installed it.

They seem like another failure point for the cooling system. Not sure I'd leave one installed.

This was the old Prestone flushing kit and included a flushing tee and some kind of a diverter for the radiator top as that is where the water came out.

You probably just need a new garden hose washer.

 

[Asterix]

I had one on a car for a few years before it started to leak. I bought a new hose to replace the one I cut for the flush tee and have never gone back.

 

[Corelokt]

I install them on both hoses. Then I clamp the hoses on the engine sides and use them to flush the heater core.

 

[Donald]

If I wanted to use one I would probably get a foot or two of heater hose, pull the heater hose off a nipple, then connect the new heater hose to the nipple and the tee between existing hose and new heater hose. Do the flush and then put everything back to the way it was.

 

[brianl703]

If I wanted to use one I would probably get a foot or two of heater hose, pull the heater hose off a nipple, then connect the new heater hose to the nipple and the tee between existing hose and new heater hose. Do the flush and then put everything back to the way it was.

At least in this car if you did it that way you could leave the flushing tee in place and make sure to use enough hose so it would be accessible top side. As it was, this tee was only visible from underneath the car. I had no idea it was there.

A visible, easily inspected flushing tee is the only one I'd be OK with leaving in place.

 

[Donald]

At least in this car if you did it that way you could leave the flushing tee in place and make sure to use enough hose so it would be accessible top side. As it was, this tee was only visible from underneath the car. I had no idea it was there.

A visible, easily inspected flushing tee is the only one I'd be OK with leaving in place.

I have looked at some cars and they had runs of steel tubing then heater hose. No straight sections long enough to install a flushing tee.

But more recently with modern coolants and reasonable maintenance the cooling system just do not need flushing.

 

[JHZR2]

Always seemed like a good idea to me, though I never installed one. I remember helping my grandfather replace coolant on his early 80s cars and it always resulted in some rusty water.

Modern coolants don’t have this issue. I’ve never seen rusty coolant from my diesels or other iron engines with modern coolants like G-05, Dex, G-48, and JD Cool Gard II.