Cut in metal portion of heater hose. Can I repair?

[dashwort]

My rear heater hose is leaking due to rubbing on a flange on the frame. The frame has cut a thin slice on the edge of the metal portion of the hose, about 6 inches before it converts to rubber at the rear of the truck.

Is there any way to repair the aluminum hose without replacing all 10 feet of it? The cut is very narrow and not very deep, but enough to leak fluid.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Dane

[dashwort]

After talking with a neighbor, it looks like that pipe is aluminum, so soldering is out of the question.

The hole is very small, since the pipe is pretty thick. I'm going to gob some rubbery caulking into the joint and then put a piece of rubber tubing over the cut as a 2nd hose and secure it with 3 clamps.

Hopefully this will be a semi-permanent solution.

I'd love to hear some comments on this band-aid, but I'm guessing that it would be a pretty major repair to have a shop replace all 10 feet of this custom tubing as the solution.

Thanks,

Dane

[Eggert]

Hi,
the official short answer is to cut out the damaged line section and replace it using the A/C Line Repair Kit J41425. See procedures below.
I hope that the fix works. It all depends on the size and location of the cut. Hopefully, the section of pipe is straight.
Why was it rubbing on a flange and how did that get fixed?
Not to sound boring, what does the dealer want for parts / labor cost to fix it?

Here is what the book says:

Heater and A/C Pipe Repair - Auxiliary
Do not service the rear heater lines as a complete unit. Service the rear heater lines as a sectional repair.
You can obtain the different sections of line through GMSPO.

Tools Required
J 41425 A/C Line Repair Kit

Use the J 41425 when any of the following actions damage the A/C or heater lines:
• Rub-through
• Collision damage
• Leakage in the system

Follow the Straight Line Repair procedure in order to repair the type of damage described above.
If the A/C or heater lines have visible damage or a leak in a bend area, replace the lines. Section the lines in order to obtain the original line shapes. Maintaining the original line shape will prevent vibrations and rub-through.

Follow the A/C Line Sectioning Repair procedure in order to repair any damage in a bend area.

Straight Line Repair
1. If you are repairing the A/C lines, evacuate, charge and leak test the system. Refer to Refrigerant Recovery and Recharging.
2. If you are repairing the heater lines, drain the cooling system. Refer to Draining and Filling Cooling System in Engine Cooling.
3. Raise and support the vehicle. Refer to Lifting and Jacking the Vehicle in General Information.
4. Locate the area that requires repair.
5. Use a tubing cutter in order to cut the damaged line for repair.
6. Use the cleaning pad from the J 41425 in order to clean any burrs or grease. Be sure to clean at least 19 mm (0.75 in) from the A/C line.
7. Use the LOK prep sealant in order to prep the A/C line.
8. Apply one drop of the J 41425 -3 sealing compound to the outside of each end of the line.
9. Install the correct LOK fitting into the jaws:
9.1. Insert the line ends into the LOK fitting.
9.2. Rotate the LOK fitting one complete turn in order to evenly distribute the sealing compound around the lines.
10. Verify that the connector ends are positioned in the counter bores of the jaw.
11. Install the J 41425-1 tool over the connectors and the tubes.
12. Hold the tool body with a 3/8 breaker bar. Turn the forcing screw until both of the connector collars bottom on the center shoulder of the LOK fitting.
13. Loosen the forcing screw. Remove the tool from the repaired line.
14. Verify that the LOK fitting is correctly installed.
15. Lower the vehicle.
16. If you drained the cooling system, refill the coolant. Refer to Draining and Filling Cooling System in Engine Cooling.
17. If you are repairing the A/C lines, recharge and leak test the system. Refer to Refrigerant Recovery and Recharging.
Take care, Eggert

[dashwort]

Thanks for the response.

There is a strange section of the frame that sticks out and was rubbing. It appears as though the two aluminum heater hoses were supposed to be on top of each other, but the bottom hose some how popped to the side and was forced against the frame. I fixed the issue by using zip-ties to keep the pipe from slipping again.

I used some rubber sealant against the hole and then wrapped the pipe in rubber hose with 3 clamps, and it seems to be holding well after a few days.

I didn't get an estimate, but I was assuming that they would have to replace the whole piece, not just the section. So, it may not have been as much as I had previously thought.

Thanks again,

Dane

[alphaville]

Originally Posted by dashwort

My rear heater hose is leaking due to rubbing on a flange on the frame. The frame has cut a thin slice on the edge of the metal portion of the hose, about 6 inches before it converts to rubber at the rear of the truck.

Is there any way to repair the aluminum hose without replacing all 10 feet of it? The cut is very narrow and not very deep, but enough to leak fluid.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Dane

There is a new product that you can use to solder together aluminum. It has a low melting temp, almost like solder(solder will not stick to aluminum). You may find this at welding shops or order it on line. (check out some sites on welding aluminum). You can buy a small welding torch for about 50 bucks. In the process you learn to weld aluminum, and aquired new tool. I suggest you really practice on an aluminum piece before you do the actual job cause it takes some practice. JB weld works too since cooling sytem don't have too much pressure on it, but it is not permanent, which fails after sometime. Like you I always try to fix the part first which is what a good home mechanic is all about. After all we are trying to save money thats why we fix our own car. Hope this helps.