Coolant Leaking, found broken connector...

[96RS Alex]

I picked a fine weekend for what I thought was going to be a simple replacement of my thermostat. The motor is from a 1991 Firebird 3.1 V6 and I was frustrated to see that it's buried underneath the intake plenum . With a good book and helpful advice I was able to rip out the upper intake assembly and thermostat housing but I noticed out of the lower intake manifold and just a lil bit below the open thermostat hole there is a teflon coated threaded connector broken in two, the other side being built in to the throttle bypass assembly that has 2 hoses to cool off the throttle body housing. A trip to Advance Auto and I purchased the part made by Dorman: pn#800-402 and its labeled as a Quick Disconnect Cooling System Connector. The salesman mentioned it's quite a high failure part on our hotter running engines. So my question is how do I remove the threaded portion thats stuck in the lower intake? I've heard of a tool called Easy Out? but it seems I have to tap the s.o.b out. Has this happened to anyone before? Im currently running with a 195 degree thermostat but would like to go lower without a chip change yet. (255,700 miles on it now)

[ April 10, 2005, 12:27 AM: Message edited by: 96RS Alex ]

[3.4 slow to go]

can we get pics of teh broken part & wher eon teh engien it would be? hate to tell you, but you could've used a swivel to remove teh thermostat bolts & not have to fudge w/teh intakes at all.

[96RS Alex]

That's a good idea, I will try to get pics within a few days. I tried the swivel joint trick but to me there was not enough clearance to wrench 1 out of 2 of them 1/2 inch bolts because it was nearly rounded off plus to scrape the old gasket material off as well. I have a digital camera and a USB cable but this pc im typing on is beyond archaic lol( 1997 Pentium 2). What I can do is find a walmart developing kiosk thats accepts my camera memory stick and transfer to a floppy or CD. Im still a newbie when it comes to posting pics so bear with me, I just saw the how to do that. I'm learning something new everyday. Good thing I have the 96 Camaro to zip around to help me out too.

[Colin]

Not to get you down, but if that's the part I'm thinkin' you're talking about, then that part is a biznitch to fix. I've never had to replace it myself, but I had a mechanic where I used to live tell me that's one of the hardest parts to fix on that engine. Good luck (seriously). I'm honestly curious as to how you manage to get that out, 'cuz I'm thinkin' it won't be too long before mine goes.

[3.4 slow to go]

are yall talking aboutthe part that splits for the tb coolant hoses, or the big threaded pipe thing that goes into the lower manifold?

[96RS Alex]

Yes that's the part 3.4, that stubborn thing that goes into the lower manifold. My update today will be short but detailed. I couldnt paste any pics for now as other things came about that took my time with this monster of a project but DO NOT buy the Taiwanese part I mentioned above, go with the fitting GM sells under #24503681: $12 and its made of a quality steel than a cheap metal thats prone to breaking in 2. I used an Easy-Out tool to extract the old crusty brittle metal that was stuck in the lower manifold threads but the old metal crumbles easily and you have to pick out the shavings by removing the thermostat housing and pick the lil pieces inside to prevent them circulating in your coolant passages & water pump. Also needed is the 3.1 intake Fel-Pro gasket set and a tap set to ream a new thread for the new steel TB cooling connector. I used a deep socket 1-1/16 size to drive it in (use teflon tape on the steel threads) with success and buttoned up everything else with a 170* thermostat too. After you let the gaskets cure for a good seal, a short drive and check for leaks. Took me a while due to the faulty Advance Auto part causing a big gush of coolant on my 1st test ride. A major headache but it was my 1st time doing this and I took my time resolving it. Now the temp gauge is pegged at the mark between 100 & 220 degrees :D . Any questions bring it on!

[ April 16, 2005, 11:19 AM: Message edited by: 96RS Alex ]

[3.4 slow to go]

figures I would now think of this, AFTER you already fixed teh thing, but the 3.4 cars, at least the 94 that I used for my swap, had a newer style of that using a quick disconnect from the manifold tube to teh "y split" for the tb. This may be a alternative if the y portion is also rusted out/brrken.