Duct tape doesnt work :(

[teaguespeed]

Ok so i get home and i see a little steam coming from the engine. I pop the hood to see a steady stream pissing out a hole in the hose that comes out the backside of the coolant tank, near the bottom. I am trying to find a temporary fix, and duct tape wouldnt stick to it. What should i do?

[vrg3]

JB Weld maybe?

[ciper]

Hose or barbed hose fitting?

[Matt Monson]

Are you talking about the expansion tank?

Matt - Yup, it's a weak point. The plastic heat-cycles and becomes incredibly brittle. It's just the nipples that break, though; the body is really tough. I cut an old one apart and it was harder than I expected.

Ok, I'll let you guys in on the $2.99 fix.

I had one of my nipples break off (that sounds bad) and what my friend and I did to fix it was this. We broke off the remaining brittle plastic where the nipple used to be and sanded it flush with the outside of the tank.

We then took a coat hanger and went in through the cap and fished it out the hole where the nipple used to be. Then we took a hollow piece of all thread that was about the same diameter as the hole and put a rubber washer, flat washer and back-up nut on the side that would stay in the tank. Then we fished it through to the hole using the hanger to guide it. Once we got it near the hole I used some needle nose to work it through the hole ( I used them on the inside of the all thread by opening them up to hold the all thread and guide it through). Then we put another rubber washer, flat washer and nut on the outside and tightened it down.

Now because the outside diameter of the nipple was larger then the inside diameter of the nipple, the all thread had a smaller outside diameter then the old nipple. This caused it to be a little too small for the stock coolant line. What we did was take a smaller hose, cut it to the length of the all thread that was on the outside of the tank and slid it on. Then we slid the coolant line over the all thread with the smaller hose as a gasket and tightened it down.

The whole job took 2 of us about 1.5 hrs. A lot of that was trial and error though. I could probably do it again in about 45 min..

I've driven all winter and about 6k miles like this without a single drip of coolant lost. It's also the line that my Saab intercooler puts pressure on, so it's nice and strong.

If so, here's a not so quick fix that was posted recently. Otherwise it is going to cost you $120+ to fix with a new one...

[teaguespeed]

the hole is just in the hose.

[vrg3]

Ohh....

Get some 1/2" heater hose with similar bends, and some barbed union fittings and elbows. The OEM hose is part number 807611172, so you might want to order that.

Actually, another possibility might be to remove the hose entirely and cap off the nipple on the bottle and the barb on the turbo. Your turbo will survive without water cooling for a few days; just be sure to idle it after driving on boost.

[ciper]

I say cut the end of the hose off that leaks and add your own new piece to it with a male to male heater hose connection.

[THAWA]

laurel has been trying to get rid of one she bought if you need a new one.

[Dr Nick]

I had something similar happen last week.

On a 60-mile run the heater wouldn't run hot. The following day my top-hose exploded on the way to work. Long story short the car is still in my local workshop as it took them three days(!) to source the hose.

I said to the guy I thought there was something else wrong because of the heater thing but he wouldn't listen. Now that he's got the hose they pressure-tested the system and it blew the hose off again - clearly a pressure buildup somewhere in the system.

Any ideas of where it might be? Over the last two years the radiator and water pump have both been replaced so I'm guessing it can't be either of them...

Your advice would be greatly appreciated as I've been without my beloved Subaru for a week now and I can't tell you how distressing it is to use public transport...

[JasonGrahn]

Your advice would be greatly appreciated as I've been without my beloved Subaru for a week now and I can't tell you how distressing it is to use public transport...

Especially in Coventry! Another source of blockage could be in the coolant pipe that runs under the intake manifold but above the engine block. this could be removed and cleaned.

Have they checked the thermostat?

[Dr Nick]

Especially in Coventry!

You're not kidding...

Cheers for that - I'll pass the message on. I think the 'stat is OK as the car hasn't actually overheated and the temp needle is rock steady on the normal part of the gauge. I'll get him to check the pipe though.