Here's some information I hope helps someone out there. Bought my current 2008 Silverado new and now has 198K miles. This video was quite helpful but there was a couple of things I learned from today's repair. First buy a quality heater core hose removal tool. I purchased the Lisle model number 39190-its a quality metal tool (compared to others that are readily available). The cheap plastic one I bought broke early in the replacement process was no bueno. Secondly, I removed the right side hose first as this allowed better access to the hose on the left (the leaking one). GM installed the left heater core line (as i'm looking at the firewall) at a slight angle, making hard to get the tool behind the hose to release it. Also on the left side I removed a small amount of the firewall insulation to facilitate even more room for the tool slip behind the coupling. Third, and probably most important, I was having problems getting the tool to engage the slots of the hose coupling as all those miles had seemed to freeze the hose to the heater core line. After getting the tool as firmly into place and aligned into the slots of the hose, I used a long piece of clothes line rope crossed over one another and pulled tightly until the tool was engaged in the hose slot. But the fun :( didnt end there! That sucker still didnt want to come off but with firm tug it finally gave up. Lastly, I've seen on some of these videos where only the defective hose was replaced or the hose is cut and a new coupling end is attached. This makes no sense to me but understand money is always a factor. If you can afford to do so replace both hoses since they were likely installed at the same time. While the new coupling is a great idea I feel you're only fixing half the problem-- in my opinion. Anyways once the hoses were disengaged the process went fast and 45 minutes later and some anti-freeze-I had two new heater core lines installed. Sorry to rant but never comment on anything and thought this MIGHT help some.
Awesome video I Like you no B/S approach I'm taking on this project tomorrow on a 2002 GMC sierra 1500 4.3 vortec V6 she has 403000 miles and wasn't taken care of keep cranking out the videos you rock peace and much respect Jason 👍
Thanks for a great instructional video. Just a note that oil based products will eat rubber over time (O rings and hoses). A better choice would be silicone spray.
Great How-To video.....thanks for sharing. Very informative. I'm in the midst of replacing the original radiator on my 2013 Tahoe and while I'm in it this deep, I want to replace all original factory heater hoses and these pesky plastic T-connectors as well.
Thank you sir! I was stuck after I reconnected in the wrong order, left the aluminum tube for last and no dice, then I couldn't get the rear firewall connector to release with any of the quick connect tools I had (the old part just disintegrated when I pulled on it). Your video was the trick, squeeze, push, pull. Thanks again!
Thanks for the video. Was working on #8 spark plug and somehow broke the heater connector clean off while moving the hoses out of the way. Must have been disintegrated. Glad I wasn’t out and about when it failed. It was a bit to get the t connector off but way easier than that #8 spark plug boot.
Thanks for the parts links, Amazon should have them here before the week's end. Preventive maintenance issue to do now before there is a problem. Nicely done!
Ha I was being sarcastic. It took me awhile to remember. When I was replacing the ones on my truck I couldn’t get the tool to release them(original factory,20yrs old). I seem to recall it ended up being seized up on the inside where the tool makes contact. I ended up very carefully cutting them off the heater core with a dremel.
@@danielclark8578 maybe many idiotic people such as unprofessional people, and I know that there are MANY of your type out there. Go run your cash register and stay away from giving “advice”. Also, please for the sake of humanity, do not have kids, they’ll be idiots like you and your parents.
If I wanted to disable the rear heat completely (bc it has never worked and I never needed it where I live) will the engine side fit properly where I remove the T flitting from the heater core?
Great job! The video really helped me out. I'm headed outside to do the same thing now. BTW, I was pretty amazed you did this one handed. It looks like a tight space.
A few tips here: 1. Replace the hoses with generic ones from the auto parts store, add an inch or 2 extra. I found that there isn't really enough hose length to allow the torque of the engine to not put unnecessary strain on the hoses at the heater core because they're slightly too short! 2. Cut those damn quick connectors off the hose end at the heater core (where the hose connects to the T fitting). It's one failure point you can eliminate. On mine, I was driving and the plastic quick connector broke off with half still in the hose and half still on the T fitting! Smoke everywhere and coolant sprayed all over the engine bay. You can see this has been done in this video (where there are hose clamps). I would HIGHLY recommend doing this same trick! 3. The quick connectors will likely not come off. Use a flat head screwdriver to "break" the thin plastic black pieces that hold the connector "jaws" and then pull it off, then you can replace it easier.
Thanks for the video! I have a 2002 gmc sierra with the 5.3. Mine doesn't have the metal lines running to it in that T connector. The rubber hoses just go straight into the firewall. The plastic piece that sticks out of the firewall is was snapped for me. Anyone else have the same setup and know what that part is? And if possible how to replace it?? Thanks for any info.
My connecter nipple broke from the tip with the tip lodged in the hose, do you think it’s possible to just replace the nipple instead of the whole connecter?
Sounds like yours is clogged and needs to be flushed. Test would be to disconnect like shown, but both sides and try to pressure water through, if it's flowing and it flows it's not clogged, stuff may come out, if so it may have been clogged. If that doesn't fix it may be clogged too bad. Then it will be a change which will require taking out most of the dash.
How safe is that grease mixing with antifreeze ??? Seems like it would cause something to gum up somewhere. I've never seen or heard of anyone doing that. I'm not knocking your way just curious if that has a reaction to antifreeze.
Old but replying, Could be a reaction to the soap base in the grease ? I would use a food grade or maybe vasoline but a lot more sparingly on those orings if really needed. I just spit on them
Hi there. Thanks for sharing your video. I’m about to tackle this project by myself. (Single mom with no help; however, I’m pretty handy. Changed my alternator all by myself!) Do you mind please telling me the difference between the white and black connector? Only one is leaking on my Tahoe. Do you recommend replacing both? Thanks!
They have the connection that branches off to the rear heater core coming of at slightly different angles to accomadate those metal lines coming up at a liitle different angles.
are those metal lines attached to the ac? i'm just trying to figure out if i'm gonna have to evacuate my ac before i do this job, or does that have nothing to do with it
I believe they go to the heater core in the passenger compartment. That’s why he evacuated the coolant. This is hot engine coolant, no reason for GM to connect hot engine coolant to the AC refrigerant.
@@kevinkrooss3011 fair enough, never seen coolant going through metal looking ac lines either though, thought it might be somethign to do with the heater ac lines or something.
@@thomasv5596 I think the AC heat is just a matter of blending air from the AC cool and from the heater core which is hot engine antifreeze There is no AC heater. AFAIK.
I say just leave that clamp on there, seems much more reliable then that cheap plastic quick release connection. That's exactly how I fixed my 2008 Tahoe.
I broke the connector and just clamped the hose onto the y connector until I get the part tomorrow. Local store didn’t have it in stock. Wondering if I even need it?
guys on my 2012 tahoe all u have to do for the heater hose disconnect is wedge ur hand and endure like 30 seconds of pain push on the connector then yank the hell out of it, what i did with my friend to fix it
The only thing I would do differently is not put any petroleum based lubricant pn anything ribber, or in my cooling system. But a little tub of plumbers silicone paste. Slide right on with no future damage.
Die hard Chevy guy here. Absolutely amazing why GM would use plastic for the coolant hose connections. They just randomly fail snapping off loosing all of your coolant. HOW FUCKING CHEAP CAN THEY BE? Might as well buy a fucking toyota seem to be built a little better. I own a 2013 Suburban and 2017 Yukon XL and 2015 GMC Savanna
I suspect they did it this way to speed up assembly when putting the engine into the body. No fiddling with screws on the assembly line in a tight space. The plastic and metal clamps are probably around the same price. But saving a few minutes on the line has great $ value.
Do yourself a favor and do away with these quick release fittings altogether. There is no benefit to having them on your vehicle, they will only wear out later. Install standard T's and or clamp hoses directly without quick release fittings.
Using a petroleum base spray on rubber hosees is the worst thing you could do....in time the oil is going to swell up the hose that will lead to catastrophic failures.....stop giving out wrong information
Here's some information I hope helps someone out there. Bought my current 2008 Silverado new and now has 198K miles. This video was quite helpful but there was a couple of things I learned from today's repair. First buy a quality heater core hose removal tool. I purchased the Lisle model number 39190-its a quality metal tool (compared to others that are readily available). The cheap plastic one I bought broke early in the replacement process was no bueno. Secondly, I removed the right side hose first as this allowed better access to the hose on the left (the leaking one). GM installed the left heater core line (as i'm looking at the firewall) at a slight angle, making hard to get the tool behind the hose to release it. Also on the left side I removed a small amount of the firewall insulation to facilitate even more room for the tool slip behind the coupling. Third, and probably most important, I was having problems getting the tool to engage the slots of the hose coupling as all those miles had seemed to freeze the hose to the heater core line. After getting the tool as firmly into place and aligned into the slots of the hose, I used a long piece of clothes line rope crossed over one another and pulled tightly until the tool was engaged in the hose slot. But the fun :( didnt end there! That sucker still didnt want to come off but with firm tug it finally gave up. Lastly, I've seen on some of these videos where only the defective hose was replaced or the hose is cut and a new coupling end is attached. This makes no sense to me but understand money is always a factor. If you can afford to do so replace both hoses since they were likely installed at the same time. While the new coupling is a great idea I feel you're only fixing half the problem-- in my opinion. Anyways once the hoses were disengaged the process went fast and 45 minutes later and some anti-freeze-I had two new heater core lines installed. Sorry to rant but never comment on anything and thought this MIGHT help some.
No rant at all....thanks for your informative tips and guidance.
Couldn't have been a better instruction video than this. Man, thank you so much!
Awesome video I Like you no B/S approach I'm taking on this project tomorrow on a 2002 GMC sierra 1500 4.3 vortec V6 she has 403000 miles and wasn't taken care of keep cranking out the videos you rock peace and much respect Jason 👍
Finally, after searching for a Video that shows what your Video is showing, I can finally see how to remove what I need to be removed. Good Video.
thank you!! glad to help
Thanks! Finally showed how the quick connect release, I had no clue from any other video for a heater core flush.
Best video on this repair so far! Thanks!
Thanks for a great instructional video. Just a note that oil based products will eat rubber over time (O rings and hoses). A better choice would be silicone spray.
Thanks. I was questioning the grease myself.
Or, plumber's o-ring lube gel better.
Great How-To video.....thanks for sharing. Very informative. I'm in the midst of replacing the original radiator on my 2013 Tahoe and while I'm in it this deep, I want to replace all original factory heater hoses and these pesky plastic T-connectors as well.
Thank you sir! I was stuck after I reconnected in the wrong order, left the aluminum tube for last and no dice, then I couldn't get the rear firewall connector to release with any of the quick connect tools I had (the old part just disintegrated when I pulled on it). Your video was the trick, squeeze, push, pull. Thanks again!
I was about to cry thank you so much your a genius
Thanks for the video. Was working on #8 spark plug and somehow broke the heater connector clean off while moving the hoses out of the way. Must have been disintegrated. Glad I wasn’t out and about when it failed. It was a bit to get the t connector off but way easier than that #8 spark plug boot.
Excellent video. Very clear, complete.
Thanks for the parts links, Amazon should have them here before the week's end. Preventive maintenance issue to do now before there is a problem. Nicely done!
..... what voodoo ritual did you do to get those blasted quick connects to give up so easily?
There isn’t a voodoo ritual that we do for the removal of these connectors, what are you talking about?
Ha I was being sarcastic. It took me awhile to remember. When I was replacing the ones on my truck I couldn’t get the tool to release them(original factory,20yrs old). I seem to recall it ended up being seized up on the inside where the tool makes contact. I ended up very carefully cutting them off the heater core with a dremel.
@@e.s.l5861 that sounds stupid and unprofessional. We don’t believe you did that.
@@chrisaskme811 how many of you are there? Also, many people have to cut this connection off. No need to be a douche.
@@danielclark8578 maybe many idiotic people such as unprofessional people, and I know that there are MANY of your type out there. Go run your cash register and stay away from giving “advice”. Also, please for the sake of humanity, do not have kids, they’ll be idiots like you and your parents.
Awesome run through. Thanks for taking the time
Thanks ,helped me tremendously
Makes it look simple thank you
Thanks for the upload. Tonight this video helped me do this. Thanks again
Brilliant video - thx dude - got mine changed out with no probs
Thank you for the video, was very helpful !! Appreciate your time !!
Thanks for the visual instruction.👍
Man i was struggling i saw your video took me 5 min for both hoses!
If I wanted to disable the rear heat completely (bc it has never worked and I never needed it where I live) will the engine side fit properly where I remove the T flitting from the heater core?
Right on no bullshit honest and informative keep up the good work
Great job! The video really helped me out. I'm headed outside to do the same thing now. BTW, I was pretty amazed you did this one handed. It looks like a tight space.
A few tips here:
1. Replace the hoses with generic ones from the auto parts store, add an inch or 2 extra. I found that there isn't really enough hose length to allow the torque of the engine to not put unnecessary strain on the hoses at the heater core because they're slightly too short!
2. Cut those damn quick connectors off the hose end at the heater core (where the hose connects to the T fitting). It's one failure point you can eliminate. On mine, I was driving and the plastic quick connector broke off with half still in the hose and half still on the T fitting! Smoke everywhere and coolant sprayed all over the engine bay. You can see this has been done in this video (where there are hose clamps). I would HIGHLY recommend doing this same trick!
3. The quick connectors will likely not come off. Use a flat head screwdriver to "break" the thin plastic black pieces that hold the connector "jaws" and then pull it off, then you can replace it easier.
This is the current problem I'm having trying to get the old connector off.. I'm going to try ur suggestion n see if that helps..
Buddy not one damn lie told in your post I hope other people take heed to your post I done the exact same thing
Really good video thank you so much 👍
So I put a quick connect on the heater hose with 2 holes (straight piece)should I have done the 3 hole hose connector?
What is that port right above where you are working on them hoses? Is something supposed to be connected to that??
very helpful 👍 that's my problem thanks
Are those dorman?can you provide part numbers.thanks
Does the black connector have o rings inside
Thanks to this took me 2 seconds
Great Video!!!
Thanks for the video! I have a 2002 gmc sierra with the 5.3. Mine doesn't have the metal lines running to it in that T connector. The rubber hoses just go straight into the firewall. The plastic piece that sticks out of the firewall is was snapped for me. Anyone else have the same setup and know what that part is? And if possible how to replace it?? Thanks for any info.
My connecter nipple broke from the tip with the tip lodged in the hose, do you think it’s possible to just replace the nipple instead of the whole connecter?
nice work, you are good.
What do you do if the new fitting leaks at the firewall
I'm not blowing hot air so could this be the problem? Is there a test I can do to make sure that the quick connects are still good?
Sounds like yours is clogged and needs to be flushed. Test would be to disconnect like shown, but both sides and try to pressure water through, if it's flowing and it flows it's not clogged, stuff may come out, if so it may have been clogged. If that doesn't fix it may be clogged too bad. Then it will be a change which will require taking out most of the dash.
What is that blue tool u first used to remove the clamp off the hose ?
Channel locks
What's the name of that big hose connected to the coolant??
How safe is that grease mixing with antifreeze ??? Seems like it would cause something to gum up somewhere. I've never seen or heard of anyone doing that. I'm not knocking your way just curious if that has a reaction to antifreeze.
Old but replying, Could be a reaction to the soap base in the grease ? I would use a food grade or maybe vasoline but a lot more sparingly on those orings if really needed. I just spit on them
Hi there. Thanks for sharing your video. I’m about to tackle this project by myself. (Single mom with no help; however, I’m pretty handy. Changed my alternator all by myself!) Do you mind please telling me the difference between the white and black connector? Only one is leaking on my Tahoe. Do you recommend replacing both? Thanks!
They have the connection that branches off to the rear heater core coming of at slightly different angles to accomadate those metal lines coming up at a liitle different angles.
Upon a visual I noticed a leak on heater hose closest to engine, leaking a little and hitting exhaust manifold.
Good information thank you
Thank you...very helpful.
are those metal lines attached to the ac? i'm just trying to figure out if i'm gonna have to evacuate my ac before i do this job, or does that have nothing to do with it
I believe they go to the heater core in the passenger compartment. That’s why he evacuated the coolant. This is hot engine coolant, no reason for GM to connect hot engine coolant to the AC refrigerant.
@@kevinkrooss3011 fair enough, never seen coolant going through metal looking ac lines either though, thought it might be somethign to do with the heater ac lines or something.
@@thomasv5596 I think the AC heat is just a matter of blending air from the AC cool and from the heater core which is hot engine antifreeze There is no AC heater. AFAIK.
Are the connectors different sizes? I see one is black and the other is white. Thanks!
Thank you
I say just leave that clamp on there, seems much more reliable then that cheap plastic quick release connection. That's exactly how I fixed my 2008 Tahoe.
I broke the connector and just clamped the hose onto the y connector until I get the part tomorrow. Local store didn’t have it in stock. Wondering if I even need it?
@@jennesamcbride2673 I’ve had mine clamped for about two years now
@@jennesamcbride2673 you just have to make sure it is clamped properly and securely.
If water gets on the those wires from the firewall, can it mess them up?
It shouldn't if the wires are in tact.
thanks man
Tell me please. what did you smear this connector? Thanks
Looks like high temperature grease
What was the part number to the connectors black and white one?
What do you do if it still leaks
guys on my 2012 tahoe all u have to do for the heater hose disconnect is wedge ur hand and endure like 30 seconds of pain push on the connector then yank the hell out of it, what i did with my friend to fix it
Easy when you say it quick
Thank you very mich
just get rid of those plastic connectors and use a T connector with metal clamps... Those plastic things are junk.
That’s the route I am going!
Can you show me what the two t connectors look like or what part number they are from auto zone ???
agreed
Finally some smart people why would you put them plastic connectors back on knowing they fail which really means ur walking
Can you tell us what T connector you used?
Mine doesnt have tabs or those silver aux lines. I have a 07 chevy avalanche
I have leak on the fire wall after all replacements
Somebody needs to come up with a metal replacement part for these
The only thing I would do differently is not put any petroleum based lubricant pn anything ribber, or in my cooling system. But a little tub of plumbers silicone paste. Slide right on with no future damage.
I found in comments thanks
What if those plastic pieces break closest to dash 😅
Was it nessesary to drain the coolant?
So the engine coolant doesn’t leak onto the engine and wires underneath. 👍🏻
I don't understand why he didn't remove the engine cover and air box
You probably could've just used hose clamps instead of draining most of your coolant
MAkes the quick connect look way too simple.
👍
Die hard Chevy guy here. Absolutely amazing why GM would use plastic for the coolant hose connections. They just randomly fail snapping off loosing all of your coolant. HOW FUCKING CHEAP CAN THEY BE? Might as well buy a fucking toyota seem to be built a little better. I own a 2013 Suburban and 2017 Yukon XL and 2015 GMC Savanna
I suspect they did it this way to speed up assembly when putting the engine into the body. No fiddling with screws on the assembly line in a tight space. The plastic and metal clamps are probably around the same price. But saving a few minutes on the line has great $ value.
Do yourself a favor and do away with these quick release fittings altogether. There is no benefit to having them on your vehicle, they will only wear out later. Install standard T's and or clamp hoses directly without quick release fittings.
Ok
Definitely not squeezing & pulling out that easy
Using a petroleum base spray on rubber hosees is the worst thing you could do....in time the oil is going to swell up the hose that will lead to catastrophic failures.....stop giving out wrong information
Why the fuck do they do this to us i cna think of 50 better ways to connect these lines wtf gm
Thanks man