I'm definitely still losing liquid but:

1. I'm using only distilled water
2. I haven't bled the system
3. I don't have white smoke

As I said, this week I'm going to go 50/50 green with water wetter and bleed the system properly.

 

So yesterday when I was hand "cleaning" the engine with a little wd40 to see if I have a leak in the cooling system anywhere the hard plastic hose that goes from the expansion tank to the engine just snapped in half. It's very brittle so before I go for my pressure test, coolant flush and refill I need to replace them. Do I go for the stock part or do I buy tubing and do it. What's the consensus here?

The inline thermostat seems to be working well and I'm pleased with the overall look. I could have done slightly better on the angle of the hose at the thermostat but I think it's going to be fine.

 

They get brittle with age. Search on Ebay and see if you can find a good deal on a new one.

I have toyed with the idea of making them all metal using brake line or similar but have not researched the effect of the antifreeze on the metal. To me that would be the only drawback.

 

i was thinking all metal but i should probably just get the replacement part. it's not expensive.

 

Hosetechniques.com

Best in the biz. Not too bad on price either.

Nice install, I'll probably do this to mine next, as it's due for a rad flush and swap to green.

 

In fact, I just ordered parts to do this after reading Josh's writeup. Why that has not been made a sticky is beyond me.

$97.58 shipped on amazon.com for everything.

Looking forward to seeing temp differences. I think it's gonna be a hot summer here in the ATL.

 

help a brother out. i don't see josh's write up or where on that site that shows what i need. i really need a $16 part (not $98 from amazon) but i'm interested. how does it keep it any cooler? he's vi, i'm pr, you're hotlanta.

so far i've done from josh: in-line t-stat, wiper arms and i would do stt's but they are crazy expensive here. my truck looks just like his "before".

 

wow. like that ho's site tho.

 

Search "inline thermostat mod" and it pops right up. Just look for his sig on the right.

He lists, with links to buy, everything that you need with instructions.

Amazon has all the parts, but gave me free shipping, except on glow shift part. Not sure which one you need but they're all on there for pretty cheap. Shipping part might be helpful to you in PR.

Yeah, hosetechniques is nice. They will not fail you.

Re: cooler temps - the ability to change out t-stat temps will be helpful, and I just flat out like this design over the rover one. if I lived somewhere colder I would worry about thermal shock, but its March, its 85 degrees out, and its only going to get hotter. For now, waiting on the UPS man.

 

Just run a 180 stat in line and it is all good. I have a 180 in my block, and was watching temps yesterday of 180-183 at 55, 183-185 at 70, went up to 192 in stopped traffic and right back down. Over 80F here yesterday. Consider that stat starts to open at marked temp, and is fully open at 15-20 above that. My 195 stat (went thru several) would produce peaks into the 220's.....

SWMBO has a Kia minvan 211K, 3.8 liter, electric fan, runs 180F like it was nailed up, 23-25 mpg.

Just like at the office, I'd rather not be in hot water all the time...