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View Full Version : Hard Coolant Line on Head. ...how to remove?



markmdz89hatch
06-27-2008, 11:47 AM
Anyone out there have any success removing that damn 6" hard coolant line that sticks out of the head?

I'm removing my heater core, etc (gutting everything under the dash) and that line from the head goes directly into the firewall (assuming to the heater core), and does not need to be there anymore.

I'd like to cap it off/plug it, but I would prefer not to just put a rubber cap on the end of that line. I would much rather figure out how the line is fixed into the head and remove it if possible, then just plug the hole in the head itself (much cleaner setup). My problem is I would prefer not to go grabbing it with a pipe-wrench or visegrip to remove it, only to eff it up and later realize I can't get it off.

Anyone?

Civic Accord Honda
06-27-2008, 11:50 AM
pics? lol the hoses that go my heater core are rubber =/

lostforawhile
06-27-2008, 11:50 AM
Anyone out there have any success removing that damn 6" hard coolant line that sticks out of the head?

I'm removing my heater core, etc (gutting everything under the dash) and that line from the head goes directly into the firewall (assuming to the heater core), and does not need to be there anymore.

I'd like to cap it off/plug it, but I would prefer not to just put a rubber cap on the end of that line. I would much rather figure out how the line is fixed into the head and remove it if possible, then just plug the hole in the head itself (much cleaner setup). My problem is I would prefer not to go grabbing it with a pipe-wrench or visegrip to remove it, only to eff it up and later realize I can't get it off.

Anyone?i was wondering this myself,i am going to all braided lines, so i need to change it over,i need to measure it and see if i cut it off flush,if it could be tapped 1/4 npt. the other option is to get a 1/4 npt coupler from aeroquip,a steel one, cut off the barb on the one sticking out of the head,and braze that aeroquip fitting over it. all the lines coming out of the coolant line on the back of the block are brazed this way.

lostforawhile
06-27-2008, 11:51 AM
pics? lol the hoses that go my heater core are rubber =/cah there are two metal lines that stick out of the firewall,these are what the hoses go on,he's talking about the metal line that comes out of the head,by the dizzy.

Civic Accord Honda
06-27-2008, 11:56 AM
cah there are two metal lines that stick out of the firewall,these are what the hoses go on,he's talking about the metal line that comes out of the head,by the dizzy. oh i know now lol i don't think that comes out dident look like it would when i was looking at my spare head

markmdz89hatch
06-27-2008, 11:59 AM
Tim's right. That's exactly the line I'm talking about.

Tim, I why not just keep the line as is on you car, and just sleeve the pipe with your ss braided line and use a band-clamp to tighten it down? I had a shop local to me pressurize the snot out of the whole coolant sys on my old DX, and all the original (20 yr. old) hoses held up fine.

Anyway, I'm really hoping someone out there has a shit head to try this out on, or has already made themselves the guinea pig to pulling this. I would prefer not to trash one of my heads, but if push comes to shove, I'll do it and chalk it up to progressing the science of the A20.

lostforawhile
06-27-2008, 12:10 PM
Tim's right. That's exactly the line I'm talking about.

Tim, I why not just keep the line as is on you car, and just sleeve the pipe with your ss braided line and use a band-clamp to tighten it down? I had a shop local to me pressurize the snot out of the whole coolant sys on my old DX, and all the original (20 yr. old) hoses held up fine.

Anyway, I'm really hoping someone out there has a shit head to try this out on, or has already made themselves the guinea pig to pulling this. I would prefer not to trash one of my heads, but if push comes to shove, I'll do it and chalk it up to progressing the science of the A20.
if you bore out a steel aeroquip coupler to the size that will fit over that piece of tube, and push it on there it will braze just fine. i was just hoping it might be able to be tapped. i know when i get a head rebuilt i will do it that way,then just drill out the hole to the proper size to tap at 1/4 npt. this way if you wanted to get rid of it, you could screw in a pipe thread plug. on the water pipe piece on the back of the block, i have to make special adaptors that go over the pieces sticking out,then they will get tig welded on. i 'm trying to get rid of all the hose clamps i can is the reason i'm doing this. the braided line is much better then the weak rubber lines anyway. the only place i will have rubber lines,is i need to make an adaptor block near the heater core, so i can go from stainless to short rubber hoses going to the heater valve. i'm about to repalce a heater core anyway,so i will put on pipe thread fittings on the one heater core tube,and braze them right in place.

lostforawhile
06-27-2008, 12:31 PM
ok i tried to measure the outside diameter really hard to measure in there, but i believe if the pipe wall is thick enough it could be cut off and tapped for a 1/2 inch pipe thread

markmdz89hatch
06-27-2008, 12:56 PM
I have a few heads on a shelf in my garage. I'll measure the OD and ID and post it up. I can promise you though, that it's an extremely thin wall on the damn thing, but it's made of hard steel, so who knows really.

2oodoor
06-27-2008, 01:21 PM
mdzhatch you must be building a monster, delete heater? hrmmm
anyway, if I were doing it I would cut it flush and thread the steel insert, it would serve as a sleeve and you would save the aluminum that way. Plug it with a zinc coated plug, also I would not use pipe thread. Instead I would look around at some industrial supply and see what shallow/fine thread hardware they have in that size.
Steell braided lines, I plan on doing those with the new motor. On that I would do like Mark says, just slide it over the "nipple"

edit: that pipe being blocked, would that disrupt the internal design of the coolant path?

markmdz89hatch
06-27-2008, 01:28 PM
what are the odds it's just threaded into the head? ...or are we guessing it's pressed in? ...or worse yet, brazed/tig'd in?

dammit, i was sure someone would have already tried this, but I guess not. Now I'm reduced to using one of my spare heads to test this out.

2oodoor
06-27-2008, 01:32 PM
lets search it< I have seen a thread here where somebody disected a shithead.. lol seriously though.
I am not sure what 1/4 npt is, it doesnt sound big enough, but Tim is the aviation hardware man so that sounds good.
Cooalnt path=coolant has been thru the radaitor and is not being pushed back thru the head only after being circulated back in the block.

markmdz89hatch
06-27-2008, 01:39 PM
Ah shit, now I gotta go visit my service manual to see just what that loop is. Now that I'm just thinking about it, I might have to use that line, and just bypass the heater core IF the core is on a single loop, and not isolated to just the core. (Sorry, it was like midnight last night when I called it a night after pulling all the hoses, etc, so I don't remember it all that well.)

By the way Guy, no monster being built here, I just know I'm not going to be needing the HVAC, or radio, etc, so I figure if I'm not going to use it, why not eliminate it.

greentee76
06-27-2008, 01:50 PM
The pipe is just threaded into the head. I removed it bfore I took the head to the machine shop. I think I ended up using the jam nut method like when you are pulling a stud.
Hope this helps.

markmdz89hatch
06-27-2008, 01:59 PM
The pipe is just threaded into the head. I removed it bfore I took the head to the machine shop. I think I ended up using the jam nut method like when you are pulling a stud.
Hope this helps.

It absolutely does! Just need more clarification on the 'jam nut method' you speak of.

2oodoor
06-27-2008, 02:09 PM
jam nut, two nuts on a threaded pole, one you hold the other you turn the pole with


I would probably heat it up some if it does not want to turn without twisting. Get it almost cherry red and melt some canning wax in between the steel to the threads. This will help it turn loose easier. Be very careful around the aluminum though.
This tube is pretty dang hard though so unless its rusted or really froze i would not do it.

I did about thirty searches, nothing on this topic

greentee76
06-27-2008, 02:16 PM
Now that I think about it alittle more I may very well have used a pipe wrench on it. Of course that was with the head off the engine so space wasn't an obstacle. Go slow and tighten then loosen, tighten then loosen, working a thread or two at a time as to not pull the threads out with it.

2oodoor
06-27-2008, 02:23 PM
you were reading my mind, I was just going to come back and say that. anyway a good fresh pair of knipex pliers would help, maybe a fresh pair of vice grips. A pipe wrench works but would be cumbersome.

lostforawhile
06-27-2008, 03:20 PM
actually a half inch npt which is pipe thread 1/4 is too small for that line. i think it would work with -8 braided line and fittings,you would need to pull one of those pieces out and then weld something to it. then thread it back in. if anyone gets one out successfully let me know and someone send me an extra one. i was just about to start a thread on this same thing, am working on modifying the coolant pipe now to accept threaded fittings. i already have modified a thermostat housing. even when i get this done, i would like to run braided radiator lines one day,but i would need an aluminum radiator to do this. i would have to cut off the hose nipples and weld on aeroquip fittings.

A18A
06-27-2008, 03:22 PM
some certain canadian from canadia destroyed the pipe coming out of the head when removing engine, i think we ended up blocking it with a chopped piece of a steering colum, and some other stuff to seal it shut. mighty fine job it did

lostforawhile
06-27-2008, 03:31 PM
heres the thermostat housing, normally i would use a straight 1/4 npt to -6 fitting,but i was out,this is for demonstration anyway. i get pretty hardcore on lines and fittings, sometime this weekend i will be putting in new oil pressure lines that are all braided. http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd158/lostforawhile/S4020130.jpg?t=1214609413
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd158/lostforawhile/S4020131.jpg?t=1214609439

greentee76
06-27-2008, 04:01 PM
Lost-
Don't quote me on the size but I'm nearly positive that pipe is 3/8 npt where it screws in to the head. I'm not familiar with a/n fittings so much and can't see your picture here at work but don't they just use a flare type fitting?
If that is the case a simple 3/8 male npt to whatever size flare your using should fit the bill. We use them here at work for hyd. lines,etc.
Just my .02$

lostforawhile
06-27-2008, 04:09 PM
Lost-
Don't quote me on the size but I'm nearly positive that pipe is 3/8 npt where it screws in to the head. I'm not familiar with a/n fittings so much and can't see your picture here at work but don't they just use a flare type fitting?
If that is the case a simple 3/8 male npt to whatever size flare your using should fit the bill. We use them here at work for hyd. lines,etc.
Just my .02$
it might be 3/8 but it's a bsp thread not npt, honda uses all bsp, it would be nice if it was i can get adaptors then .

2oodoor
06-27-2008, 04:27 PM
10 or 12mm? is it not going to be a metric?

lostforawhile
06-27-2008, 05:12 PM
10 or 12mm? is it not going to be a metric?it's bsp brittish pipe thread, same as the oil pressure sender

greentee76
06-27-2008, 05:31 PM
it's bsp brittish pipe thread, same as the oil pressure sender

Dooh!:uh: I didn't stop to consider that nothing seems to fit on these things.

lostforawhile
06-27-2008, 06:01 PM
Dooh!:uh: I didn't stop to consider that nothing seems to fit on these things.you can get the adaptors from lots of places like msc industrial supply. i will look tomorow i would bet it's 3./8 bsp. it's almost the same as npt threads but you can damage the threads in the hole, because bsp is like one thread per inch difference.

lostforawhile
06-27-2008, 08:39 PM
ok if it's 3/8 bsp on the head this should be it http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/GSDRVSM?PACACHE=000000059795231 i've spent two hours with a 35 pound catalog in my lap,i can't feel my legs but dammit i found it.

lostforawhile
06-27-2008, 08:43 PM
dammit it's backwards it's supposed to be external bsp threads i just need to call them

EricW
06-27-2008, 09:16 PM
I've got a head that i bought from JohnnyO that has the metal line removed. The hole was taped with a different thread though(standard npt fitting).