inner thermal bypass pipe

Starts at the water pump area, goes.underneath the plenum, then "connects" to the thermostat housing or behind it.

Question is _how_ does it connect? Is it simply a friction fit (with an o-ring?) like the way the outer bypass pipe plugs into the area around the water pump?

What year? What engine?

2001. The layout is the same on most of these 3.4s from those years regardless of vehicle even.

I don't believe there is an o-ring involved.......it is a dry fit...if I remember correctly, there is a "ridge" on the pipe, when the pipe is fully seated......think we used a horse shoe shaped tool to bang it into place at the ridge...

So therefore couldn't most of that pipe be hacksawed off (after the bend) and it be rotated to point towards the front of the car? If so, I'd just clamp heater hose and route it OUTSIDE the plenum. It's a stupid design.
Besides I really don't want to spend 2 hours at a junkyard pulling that pipe out. I *had* to get this done yesterday, but it rained. Don't have time to order a part and really don't want to anyway.

You are not going to put a junkyard one in, you will damage it on removal....

And you can't just rotate it, it will leak.....

Damn it, I guess I'll have to order 1 then.

What about sawing off so there's just a vertical segment sticking out? I could use a hose bender to direct it horizontally towards the front of the car.