92 gp se antifreeze leak, minor

[napoleankjj2006]

got a 92 gp se and the big steel line thats right above the motor mount on the passagner side of the car. well where the bracket is welded to the steel line , theres a small leak.

i didnt know if i could cut the bad part of line out and replace it with heater hose and double clamp it.

[tblake]

Hmmmmmm. I've never heard of the steel line cracking before but I guess it is possible.

Could you get a picture of the bad spot for us so we can see what the best plan of attack would be?

[junk_jivin38]

i did on my 93 3.1...took out a couple feet...had to replace the two 5/8" hoses between the intakes as well...so far,so good

[napoleankjj2006]

my camera is broke but the rubber hose thats in front of the engine coolant jug on the pass. side of motor. well that hose turns into a steel line and goes in front of the motor mount, and then to up into the motor again.
when ever that steel line first bends, there is a steel bracket that the steel line is welded too. well either right before it or right after it is leaking a little bit. its been rubbed on by the motor.
its not cracking. when i bought the car it had a bad motor mount and when i took it in the shop, they noticed it was smoking ( water hitting the belt pulley ) and when they fixed it it stopped smoking but it leaks a little bit of antifreeze.

i was just worried it will burst one day if its leaking. could anyone tell me just from what i said if u think the line will burst or will it just leak a lil bit until i get it fixed?

thats the best i can describe it.

[junk_jivin38]

it will start to spray under pressure as the leak gets bigger...you can replace the steel line, but i didnt have the ca$h for that...mine had rust pinholes and leaked in several places

[CrazyHorst]

Personally I'd attempt to replace that line. Over 17 years of motoring, depending on how frequently you changed the antifreeze, there may be some corrosion starting in the systems.

One possible fix is to take the line off, clean the affected area, and then use a oxyacet torch and a classic brazing rod to repair the leak. Will be strong and likely outlive the car.

What you propose by shortening the pipe is entirely within the realm of possibilities....with one caveat. Simply clamping to a straight tube without some sort of a retention bead is either asking for a blowout with thermostat-closed and lots of RPMs or a hose tearout from having to wrench the worm clamp so tightly that the internal "cord" in the hose gets sheared.

You can sort of hand-bend a retention bead at the end with pliers, just try not to make it shaped like a trumpet bell as that could also lead to cutting the cord from the inside. What I do is wrap a MiG wire or 1 strand of a THHN copper wire around the tube end approx 1/8" back from the end and twist it like a tourniquet. Then I braze that in place...instant retention bead. The twisted part can then be cut and filed smooth to eliminate the burr.

However by the time you've gone thru all that brazing you might could have repaired the original problem OR simply purchased and installed a new tube. Lots of choices depending on your equipment and skill level. The shots below were on copper pipe due to useage as a fuel-fill-line using soft-solder (hopefully a low-temp application!!!) but the same principles apply.



Side note they can also be rolled in tubing with the help of a lathe and a custom forming or rolling tool.

[napoleankjj2006]

when i was driving home my the big end of my drian plug broke off when i turned the car off.

anyone know a way of how to get the rest of the plug out by chance?