Coolant pipe ends...salvageable or junk...?

[GeorgeL]

[ftp2leta]

[?Waldo?]

There have been a couple of claims in this thread that the inserts have worked their way out of the coolant pipes without the hoses pulling on them. In order for someone to know that with any modicum of certainty, one would have had to initially see the insert intact in it's original position in the pipe (or bought the van new), installed the rubber hose fully in its stock location, driven the van for a while, removed the hose noting specifically that it was still in it's proper location (without anyone else having touched the hose in the meantime) and seen that the insert had protruded out of the plastic and into the rubber hose.

If any of those steps were missing in someone's experience, then it cannot be concluded that the inserts moved on their own, only that they might have. If someone encountered a moved insert and yet a hose fully installed on the coolant pipe, a much more likely explanation, IMO, is that someone else worked on the van at some point in the last 20+ years and either didn't notice that the insert had moved out or didn't care and simply installed the hoses all the way onto the coolant pipe.

[Sodo]

this thread, from 2010..... 11 years later.

Waldo I now have an '87 van with 43,000 miles, which I doubt anyone has ever touched the coolant pipes. Tempted to take a look at the coolant pipe ends.

================

But on my '90, the ends have migrated out.

This pic is just returning from a 3,000 mile trip, and noticing coolant drips on the ground.
Which could have been a disaster on the freeway.

Clamping the hoses. Also had the van parked on a steep bank.

Here's using a 2x2 wood as a punch (in 2016) to pound them back in.
I couldn't get them to go all the way back in.

4 years later, the connections were dripping again.

I changed to T-bolt style clamps, one clamp for the hose and one clamp for the metal bead. I needed to buy two sizes for this.
You can see the clamp size 44-51, and the one on the plastic is maxed-tight.

Also note that my 'inserts' are still somewhat 'inserted'.
You can't just add clamps if they are fully 'out there' like in the above pics.
You have to pound them back in, so you are clamping on steel.
Not just collapsing plastic.
Note that the plastic bead remains on one insert, an on the other, the plastic is gone from the bead.
Also this is as far as I could get them to insert.
You can't hit the insters with a steel hammer, you will crush them and it won't seal.
You have to use a wooden punch, or some method to protect their shape.

There are four joints and it's good to have four @41-46mm for the plastic and four @44-51mm for the bead.
And note that the bead with no plastic is smaller than the bead with plastic.
If you bought a set of eight 41-46mm you could perhaps chip off all the plastic off the beads.
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'90 Westy EJ25, 2Peloquins, 3knobs, pressure-oiled GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb

[squeegee_boy]

[Sodo]

Stainless steel is a poor choice of material by its galvanic voltage, and especially due to the large physical size and surface area. The area of the SS pipes could approach 30% of the wetted metals area.

I think Stainless Steel has stood the test of time in our DIY engineered conversions for two reasons one of which falls under the category of “luck”.

1) because the coolant is not 10-30 years old as Robyn has mentioned. And perhaps the coolant is replaced at a reasonable interval by some owners cognizant of the poor choice of materials paired. And perhaps wise to other problems caused by old coolant with its corrosion prevention additives depleted.
2) because the SS is not electrically connected to the aluminums (engine, radiator, heater cores). Its not grounded to the van. This is one case where a poor, corroded ground connection works in your favor. 👍🏽
Adding reliable electrical insulation at all possible chassis contact points is wise.
And maintaining an eagle-eye to AVOID any electrically connections in the future repairs, upgrades, mods.

With a big scare in 2016, and a tickle in 2020, I now have a set of GoWesty SS pipes waiting for their day to be installed,
Ideally before the next leak.
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'90 Westy EJ25, 2Peloquins, 3knobs, pressure-oiled GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb

[squeegee_boy]

[unclekenz]

The OP is asking only about the pipe ends, fair enough too.
So the four pipe ends mate up to four rubber hoses.

The SS fanboys never mention in their blatherings that changing to SS pipes, you end up with EIGHT SS pipe ends mating up with EIGHT rubber hoses.

By my count, that makes double the number of potential leaky joints.

Well that's a brilliant solution right there eh fellas.

[?Waldo?]

The stainless steel pipe ends don't pull out and dump all your coolant. Even with 8 connections instead of 4, the stainless pipes are far more reliable than the plastic hoses.

[unclekenz]

[?Waldo?]

I'm ignoring nothing, except your trolling at this point.

[unclekenz]

[djkeev]

Well, we know some things with certainty.

The old steel pipes rust out.

The new plastic pipes eject the ends.

And to date the newest stainless pipes seem to be doing just fine, though time will eventually judge them fully.

Dave
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Stop Dead Photo Links how to post photos

Ghia
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=392473

Vanagon
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6315537#6315537

Beetle
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=482968&highlight=74+super+vert

[Jeffrey Lee]

[djkeev]

[Igeo]

These connections give us the (4) additional clamps. I don't see it as failure prone. Much more secure than what I had before!
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1987 Westfalia 2.1 WBX Manual

[Sodo]

This is a strange discussion.
Old plastic pipes that are failing require replacement.

New plastic pipes would likely last 30 years.
But they’re not available.
The two middle hose connections on SS pipes have been around for long enough to know that we don’t need to hoist a reliability flag.
_________________


'90 Westy EJ25, 2Peloquins, 3knobs, pressure-oiled GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb

[dobryan]

[skills@eurocarsplus]

sad thing is the troll doesn't realize many thermostats and water pumps have SS components in them
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[unclekenz]