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Does anyone know what the ID is for the lower radiator hose on my 2006 LBZ? The OD measures about 2.25" so I am guessing that the ID is around 2.0", possibly a little smaller.
I am going to cut the lower hose and splice in a piece of pipe with a drain so it isn't such a PIA to drain the coolant system. There is no factory drain on the 2006 LBZ trucks.
If I can find out the size of the lower hose I can make up the drain in advance and avoid down time.
Thanks in advance
John
John, if no one reply's with the ID of the lower hose another option would be to buy a new replacement hose, modify it with the drain, then R&R the existing hose. That should minimize down time but it would add the cost of a new hose.
:)
Be aware that a new OE lower radiator hose replacement cost is quite high... It was about $150 some years ago when I assembled our Duramax conversion.
There is a heater hose (or surge tank connection, I don't remember for sure) connection about mid-point on the lower rad hose. I'd look at splicing a "T" into that smaller/cheaper hose.
Alternately, you could just remove the clamp and then loosen the lower radiator hose from the radiator to drain the coolant. A bit messy, but a lot less costly - for such an infrequent service.
In the last 24 months I have needed to drain the coolant three times. First time was just drain and flush maintenance, the second time was water pump replacement, the third time was the EGR coolant hose replacement. Every time it was a nasty mess draining the coolant and no chance to save any coolant for reuse. I am not worried about cutting the lower hose and installing a sleeve with a drain to avoid getting another shower with coolant. A new ACDelco lower radiator hose p/n 26570X is $70.00 from Amazon and free shipping. Thanks for your thoughts Jim and I am going to order a new hose today. I am sure that If I install the drain in the original hose it will start to leak next week.
In my opinion there are only two vehicle manufactures GM and all of the others. But GM is starting to take short cuts to save money that will hurt them long term with customer satisfaction. Things like removing the coolant drain and using standard 5/8" heater hose in stead of a high quality silicone hose on the EGR cooler (it is VERY HARD to access) can get even a diehard GM customer like me upset.
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I hear you. I need to replace the water pump in my truck too.... Just getting organized for the job.
This is sorta like the cabin filter GM used in the 2001 & 2002 models, then dropped the feature in later trucks. Cleaning the incoming air seems pretty important to me. Anyone with allergies or if you're concerned about incoming crud, a cabin filter should be a vehicle selling point.
I have not really been that much of a fan of Mishimoto, but you might look at their silicone replacement hose. It has an aluminum adapter for the quick release and I wonder if there is maybe a spot that guy could drill and tap it for a drain? It looks like that may not be the case, but...