Heater bypass elbows! HELP!

[msmith69oldz]

Hi all! I have a 99 Grand Prix GT. 120,000 miles. Upper and lower intake gaskets and upper plenum done last year. These plastic elbows that run from the alternator bracket keep leaking! I have replaced them 3 times in a year. I have cleaned and cleaned the ports that the elbows go into each time I replace them but after a few weeks they leak again. Can i put some kind of sealant on these elbows to prevent them from leaking? Hi temp RTV or something? Will sealant cause more problems than replacing them all the time? Thanks for any responses!

[Tech II]

Are you talking about the elbows that attach to the heater core hoses?

If so, I would go to a dealership and get the OEM o-rings that go on them.....

[msmith69oldz]

Its the 90 degree elbows that go from the alternator bracket to the manifold and the water pump. I think after doing some searching that its probably because I used the HELP brand elbows and not the GM elbows from the dealer. I went ahead and put Black RTV sealant on the elbows for now but if it doesn't work I guess I will be replacing them with the GM brand elbows. Thanks for the response though Tech II!

[Tech II]

Think I read somewhere where there was a problem with those....don't remember if it was the elbows or the o-rings that were the problem......black RTV is not the answer, because of the expansion and movement of the elbows.....