Heater hoses

Tiny
SEAN SILBERHOLZ
  • MEMBER
  • 2006 CHEVROLET SSR
  • 6.0L
  • V8
  • RWD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 200,000 MILES
Hi, I have a question about heater hoses. GM made the worst design ever. They put pressure fitting hoses on it with like a metal clamp on the house. I will post a picture that looks close to it. It is the worst design ever. My dads heater hose exploded right behind the metal piece. Can I use the heater hose from AutoZone and bypass this bad design. The second hose is from Autozone and says it fits it I would just need clamps. Or do I need to stick to the original design? I would have to replace both hoses. I am sure the other one will blow anytime soon. It the same design with 200,000 miles on it. Thanks.
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Wednesday, April 26th, 2017 AT 8:31 PM

1 Reply

Tiny
CARADIODOC
  • MECHANIC
  • 34,330 POSTS
Among the numerous customer-unfriendly business practices is GM's practice of designing parts to go together quickly on the assembly line. Quick-connect fittings do that. You cannot fault them for that, but they do not care to consider how that affects their customers' wallets later.

You still have a maximum of fifteen pounds of pressure in those hoses, and regular bulk heater hose will be fine. Look at the fitting the quick-connect plugs into. You need at least one barb so the hose will not slide off from the pressure, and no sharp edges that could cut through the hose from the constant vibration. The hose clamp should not sit over the barbs or sharp areas. It should sit beyond the barbs so it will stop the hose from sliding once it reaches the first barb.
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Wednesday, April 26th, 2017 AT 9:08 PM

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