Heater Core Quick Disconnect Cracked

[smata67]

This is a pic of a plastic quick type disconnect attached at the engine and feeding the heater cores on my Windstar 1999 SEL. It has cracked. Is this a dealer part? How do I remove it from the engine? I see a metal clip at the bottom, but what do I do with it?

[mark_gober]

Smata,

I've personally never removed this exact connector, but it's very similar to others that I have operated before. If you look at the photos that I've attached, what broke off is the outer portion that you would normally squeeze with your hands. (Thanks Wiswind for your photo that I hijacked) You should still be able to trip the connector, but it'll just be trickier. You see those two white tabs. You'll need to depress those so that they retract inside the black outer housing. (there is an upper and a lower tab)

I may be incorrect on this, but I believe that it'll be much easier if you push the black housing forward (toward the metal tube) and then retract those white tabs.

I really hate it when they use plastic parts in environments like this. That plastic will become brittle and break simply because its in a hot (not to mention fume filled) environment. I like quick disconnects, but the plastic devices are junk. I prefer the metal type with the circular spring, like what the fuel injection systems use. Much better and not subject to becoming brittle.

Let me know how it turns out. BTW, I didn't see a metal clip in your photo or any of the other pics that I could find.

Mark

[wiswind]

They sell a "kit" that you replace the plastic retainer portion which is inside that black housing.
You can buy it at the dealership or at many auto part stores.
I think mine was a 3/4" size.

You have to be CERTAIN that you get the "O" ring gaskets all correctly back in there also.
I have read a couple of posts from folks who did not get those "O" rings and spacer in correctly and had the connection leak......or pop off when the cooling system came up to pressure.

What I did when mine fell apart, I shoved the hose onto that pipe and used a hose clamp to hold it in place.
This is NOT the correct way, but I felt more confident with that than I did with the "quick connect", and it stayed in place without my doing anything with it for another 3 years (when I sold the van).

As mentioned, all the years of heat cycles tends to cause the retainer to become brittle and fall apart when you try to release it.
They have a special tool that you can get through the loaner program at Autozone to release the clips........I just bought it because I could tell that I would need to cut it (It was a long shaft with the release part at the end) to be able to get it into the correct position to release the clips.
The tool is nothing special, just a metal "fork" that you slide over the connector, over the clips and as you press it down.....the forks angle in slightly so as you press it over the clips, it presses the clips in.
However, all the care that I took in using the correct tool, and being gentle....the clips simply snapped apart when pressed on.

[smata67]

Well, this is the dog transport mobile, so it needs to get reactivated soon. I will fax my photo to the dealer tomorrow and see if they can come up with the housing and internal components. It is the housing that is cracked lengthwhise, you can make it out in the photo. If I'm able to get the new parts, I will probably just dremel off the old parts and reinstall the new. I will report my results.

[smata67]

So the part I need is this one:

http://www.carparts.com/details/Ford...nrb80040326247

And the dealer says he can get it for $15. Looks like it may be a pain to take the old one off.

I guess I need to decide if it is better to cut the hose just behind the squeeze connector and slide onto the aluminum pipe coming off the engine or get the part and hose clamp it to that instead. Any thoughts?

[12Ounce]

Originally Posted by wiswind

................I have read a couple of posts from folks who did not get those "O" rings and spacer in correctly and had the connection leak......or pop off when the cooling system came up to pressure.......

Me for one. I had the heater hose pop off, when I was accelerating trying to stay ahead of a 18 wheeler. The engine overheated before I could get off of the expressway. Surprised the overheated engine didn't fail on me. Still driving it over 300k miles.

BTW, later when I rebuilt the engine at 215k miles ... I replaced these hoses feeding the heater cores entirely. Bought from the dealer. A little pricey, but I didn't want to later deal with them if they failed.

[dafeeder]

Originally Posted by wiswind

They sell a "kit" that you replace the plastic retainer portion which is inside that black housing.
You can buy it at the dealership or at many auto part stores.
I think mine was a 3/4" size.

You have to be CERTAIN that you get the "O" ring gaskets all correctly back in there also.
I have read a couple of posts from folks who did not get those "O" rings and spacer in correctly and had the connection leak......or pop off when the cooling system came up to pressure.

What I did when mine fell apart, I shoved the hose onto that pipe and used a hose clamp to hold it in place.
This is NOT the correct way, but I felt more confident with that than I did with the "quick connect", and it stayed in place without my doing anything with it for another 3 years (when I sold the van).

As mentioned, all the years of heat cycles tends to cause the retainer to become brittle and fall apart when you try to release it.
They have a special tool that you can get through the loaner program at Autozone to release the clips........I just bought it because I could tell that I would need to cut it (It was a long shaft with the release part at the end) to be able to get it into the correct position to release the clips.
The tool is nothing special, just a metal "fork" that you slide over the connector, over the clips and as you press it down.....the forks angle in slightly so as you press it over the clips, it presses the clips in.
However, all the care that I took in using the correct tool, and being gentle....the clips simply snapped apart when pressed on.

"What I did when mine fell apart, I shoved the hose onto that pipe and used a hose clamp to hold it in place."

So did you cut the rubber hose, then push it onto the pipe? My 1996 has cracked right next to metal hose housing.

[smata67]

OK, I have removed the plastic connector in preparation for getting the part tomorrow. When I pulled the hose outward, the plastic connector easily snapped at the metal crimp. This explains all the leakage which was substantially more than you would expect from the longitudinal crack in the photo. It was also cracking radially right at the crimp location. This thing was about to go bigtime. Since the remaining portion of the plastic connector was lodged well into the crimp portion of the hose, I went ahead and cut the hose just at the crimp. Because there is a standoff for the hose to keep it off the engine, it does not reach back to slip over the metal tube. The quick connect portion of the connector would not come off, I had to cut a notch with a dremel, insert and twist a screwdriver, breaking it up into pieces. To avoid cutting the metal tube at the critical sealing location, you should make this cut towards the front of the connector closest to the engine.

[dafeeder]

Originally Posted by smata67

OK, I have removed the plastic connector in preparation for getting the part tomorrow. When I pulled the hose outward, the plastic connector easily snapped at the metal crimp. This explains all the leakage which was substantially more than you would expect from the longitudinal crack in the photo. It was also cracking radially right at the crimp location. This thing was about to go bigtime. Since the remaining portion of the plastic connector was lodged well into the crimp portion of the hose, I went ahead and cut the hose just at the crimp. Because there is a standoff for the hose to keep it off the engine, it does not reach back to slip over the metal tube. The quick connect portion of the connector would not come off, I had to cut a notch with a dremel, insert and twist a screwdriver, breaking it up into pieces. To avoid cutting the metal tube at the critical sealing location, you should make this cut towards the front of the connector closest to the engine.

Why not just cut behind the crimp and and use a hose clamp on it? I tried a clamp on the crimp and it isn't tight enough so if I have to cut the hose behind the crimp, that is what I would do. I dug the plastic out of the crimp so my old one will work, but not sure I am going to go back that way as I will be getting rid of the van sometime in the next year, although it still gets 20 MG and runs well.

Update: I went to Oreillys and got the plastic quick connect. The salesman there thought I would have to cut the crimped part off and use a hose clamp on the end where the crimp was. I said if that is the case why not just leave the plastic quick connect off?



Last Update: The plastic quick connect wouldn't seal with the crimped part so I cut the crimped part off and just clamped the rubber hose on to the metal pipe that comes out of the intake. There is a bracket below the hose that supports the rubber hose and I took it out of the bracket so it wouldn't bind the hose. I didn't use the plastic quick connect, so will be taken it back to the Orielly's. I would love to meet the smart engineers that come up with some of these ideas.

[smata67]

I'm going to attempt to use the connector and slide the hose onto it and seal with a gear clamp. It does appear, though, that the hose may not reach over the bump on the connector and leave enough space for the clamp while still keeping it on the mounting bracket and it is also preformed. I'm going to have some hose handy and a ninety, if that does not work, I'll cut the hose behind the preformed turn, insert the elbow and have plenty of hose to slip over the shoulder that is 2" or so back on the tube. There is a rounded shoulder closer to the tube outlet where the orings seal for the original design, but I don't trust it will hold.

[wiswind]

I bent the bracket that holds the hose in place inward enough to get me the small distance that I needed to reach.
Just make sure to dress the hose so that it is not sitting against any hot engine parts or any sharp points.

[smata67]

Well, I finally got this back together. The dealer did not have the connector body, but it is available from Dorman and other aftermarket suppliers. I just went ahead and cut the hose behind the crimp, as close as possible, as every little bit of length will help. I slid it over the large hump on the metal tube and gear clamped it. I also added another gear clamp, as I was a bit uncertain about it having cleared the hump. This second one is not shown in the photo I'm posting. I loosened the mounting bracket bolt and turned the bracket towards the front to get the additional distance. All in all, I think this approach is better than trying to replace the stupid plastic connector which won't last long anyway.

[davek101]

I used a soldering iron to easily melt the plastic quick disconnect fitting at key points to remove it - worked well. I had no risk of scaring the steel tube underneath.