Just fixed all my cooling issues last week. Everything running great, today i go out to find a puddle of coolant under the passenger side wheel. Looking around and found the culprit...the nipple that the hard plastic line to the throttle body connects to is broken clean at the base of the expansion tank.

I went online to look at a anew tank and for an 03 they are about 200?? 99-02 are only 70, WTF...Are you kidding me. Then to make things even better, when I was messing with it I snapped the hard plastic line to the throttle body..awesome...blue coolant everywhere.

Couple of questions:
Anyone know if i can reattach that nipple somehow?
Can i replace the throttle body line with just a regular hose?
Anyone have an extra expansion tank lying around near me if question one is a no go?

As always thanks for the help.

 

couple of thoughts:

coolant tank can get to 15 PSI or a little more, so any repair would have to deal with pressue, and most "glue" does not like nylon plastic. That said, b-a-r-b-e-d fiitings can be obtained from Home Depot, etc. (plumbing), and you could drill and tap, the glue and screw in the b.a.r.b.e.d fitting and adapter, even use rubber hose. That line is the "used" coolant returning from warming the throttle body. This is a safety issue, under certain temp ranges and altitudes the moisture in gas could freeze and block butterfly valve open. While waiting on a used one from one of the parts dismantlers, you could just disconnect and block that function and plug up tank.

Best idea is another tank.

Next question - what kind of coolant are you using that is blue?

 

I actually got it from Acura, buddy of mine that does most of the work with me works at a dealership so I get it at cost instead of $19/gal. It says its 5 yr/120miles in between changes will let you know if I make it past 30K before I panic and put fresh stuff in there.

Was hopping to avoid dropping 200 on a tank but would rather be safe than sorry. For the throttle body return line, can I just use a rated rubber hose or do i need to get a new plastic one from the dealer?

Thanks

 

Rubber hose is OK, be mindful of route for kinks and hot things. The dismantlers can get you a price on a coolant jug. Dexcool also promised long life, but top off with incompatible products and general electrolysis and corrosion turns it to mud. While this won't do that, would advise you stick to a realistic coolant change schedule, it is a product where months, not miles, make the difference. Since it is so cheap, that is even better. DIY repair of coolant jug possibility for success depends on how much plastic is left at that point to drill and tap. Stress factures can make the site a problem. Several dismantlers in my signature lines.

 

You can use the more ridged rubber hose, like fuel line, with not problem, I did that change last year. But in your case, you still need a replacement coolant bottle since repairing the old bottle is not recommended because the plastic has become to brittle and will just break somewhere else again.