Heater valve hose replacement or repair

[Stainless]

The plastic hose that comes out of the rear pontoon and connects to the heater valve is broken on my car. It has a hack-job repair with a larger hose and some RTV sealant. It works, but it looks, well, like a hack-job. Since it is visible when I open the engine cover, I'd like to see about doing a more visually appealing repair or replace the whole line. In case my description of the referenced hose is not clear, here's a pic I "borrowed" from another thread. *This is not a picture of my car*
Heater valve hose.jpg

Has anyone else repaired this, and if so, what did you use to make it look clean?

Is this a replaceable part? I don't know where this hose feeds through, but I imagine it eventually hooks up to the A/C & Heater controls. If that's the case, it may be easier to just attempt a repair using your best recommended method.

[sdg3205]

The plastic hose that comes out of the rear pontoon and connects to the heater valve is broken on my car. It has a hack-job repair with a larger hose and some RTV sealant. It works, but it looks, well, like a hack-job. Since it is visible when I open the engine cover, I'd like to see about doing a more visually appealing repair or replace the whole line. In case my description of the referenced hose is not clear, here's a pic I "borrowed" from another thread. *This is not a picture of my car*
Heater valve hose.jpg

Has anyone else repaired this, and if so, what did you use to make it look clean?

Is this a replaceable part? I don't know where this hose feeds through, but I imagine it eventually hooks up to the A/C & Heater controls. If that's the case, it may be easier to just attempt a repair using your best recommended method.

Hey Jared,

I've had that hose crack. I simply found another rubber hose that would stand up to the vacuum that the stiff OEM plastic hose could fit in to. You can run as much of it as you need.

Verify function afterwards. Remember, there's no going back once you cut that vacuum line! And it's a long one!

[Stainless]

Hey Jared,

I've had that hose crack. I simply found another rubber hose that would stand up to the vacuum that the stiff OEM plastic hose could fit in to. You can run as much of it as you need.

Verify function afterwards. Remember, there's no going back once you cut that vacuum line! And it's a long one!

Did you find hose that worked at a local hardware store?

[sdg3205]

Did you find hose that worked at a local hardware store?

I had some extra vacuum hose. Same stuff that runs from the charcoal canister.

[David T]

I had some extra vacuum hose. Same stuff that runs from the charcoal canister.

You can find a good, long piece of that rigid stuff in a junkyard. Or you can get some in an auto store. If you use silicone be sure not to get any inside where it could plug up the tube. Also if you use a silicone sealer it must be "Sensor Safe" or you will contaminate the O2 sensor. That line runs all the way to the Mode switch in the console. That line has vacuum on when the motor is running and the Mode switch is in any position EXCEPT OFF and MAX. The rigid stuff can crack and it is difficult to find. I had one that was rubbing under the console and had a hole in it that was hard to find. Sometimes someone uses a wrong screw (too long) and pokes a hole into a hose. That is why I like to use a smoke machine to find vacuum leaks. It makes the hard to see and the invisible visible.
David Teitelbaum

[Bitsyncmaster]

I bought a really thick silicone vacuum line to replace that hard line. You need to get a really small ID to stay on the small nipples. Think I got 3mm.

[DMCMW Dave]

Y'all realize this is a $1.26 part, right?

http://store.delorean.com/p-7781-vacuum-piping.aspx

[Stainless]

Y'all realize this is a $1.26 part, right?

http://store.delorean.com/p-7781-vacuum-piping.aspx

Dave, what is the best way to replace this? I am not sure where this routes through the body, how you access this in the rear pontoon, etc. I appreciate any insight.

[DeMopar]

Y'all realize this is a $1.26 part, right?

http://store.delorean.com/p-7781-vacuum-piping.aspx

Dave, if you could set the hose to a price point that we could all live with, you might see some movement on the part and we wouldn't have to look for substitutes. I'm afraid $1.26 is a bit steep. With a little shopping around I'm sure I could find it for .99 cents...

[DMCMW Dave]

Dave, what is the best way to replace this? I am not sure where this routes through the body, how you access this in the rear pontoon, etc. I appreciate any insight.

Take off the carpeted vertical panel. Then tape the new one to the old one, and pull it through into the back of the inside of the car. Then you can fish it through the console to where it joins the front rubber line, just forward of the shifter. (You'll need to have the shift plate off and probably the small tray at the back of the console).