How to maintain your Delorean for less than $500 a year and put 10,000 miles on it

[jawn101]

I know they're just plastic but it really seems odd that they'd fail at such a high rate in your car when the cross-reference indicates that it's such a widely used part. I wonder if there could be something in how your hoses are routed that is putting strain on the plastic bits? Maybe there's a way to provide additional support to those supply hoses that would help increase the lifespan of the valve.

[stevedmc]

This is where I believe my repaired radiator is leaking. It appears to have a new weld in this spot.

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I know they're just plastic but it really seems odd that they'd fail at such a high rate in your car when the cross-reference indicates that it's such a widely used part. I wonder if there could be something in how your hoses are routed that is putting strain on the plastic bits? Maybe there's a way to provide additional support to those supply hoses that would help increase the lifespan of the valve.

The first failure I suspect to be my fault. I think I tightened the hose clamp to the plastic barb to tight and after a few weeks the part failed. I called Hervey, told him what happened and that I suspected it was my fault. He shipped me a replacement very quickly and didn't even ask me to send the old one back. It may have been my fault, but Hervey decided to replace it under warranty.

That was at least a year and a half ago. When I installed Hervey's replacement I made every effort to only tighten it enough to prevent from leaking. Well, it held up until this morning.

The only thing I can think of is I was sitting in stopped traffic for about 10 minutes. Most of my driving is at highway speeds and it isn't normal for me to stop with the engine running for extended amounts of time. Well, since air wasn't blowing over the radiator the temp gauge started to creep towards the half way mark. In my car the fans kick on at the half mark and run until the needle goes back down to the quarter mark so I was just watching the needle waiting for it to start going down.

Just after the temp gauge read half way, traffic started moving. I started driving expecting the highway air to bring the needle down to the quarter mark. Well, just as I was changing lanes I looked behind me and saw steam coming from the engine bay!

I didn't suspect this to be due to low coolant since I had topped it off before I got on the road. My radiator leak has been very minor and I've been doing fine just topping the thing off every couple hundred miles.

Upon inspection in the engine bay I found the valve had broke and that I had tons of coolant in my intake valley. I will remove my manifold later today to do the necessary cleanup. It is a good thing it only takes 3 minutes and 18 seconds to get to my valley.

Anyway, the only thing I can think of that might have triggered the problem with this control valve was the extended time I spent in traffic.

[stevedmc]

My AutoZone replacement was $10.39 with tax and comes with no warranty. I'll update the running total one it is installed.

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[stevedmc]

Total expenses to date: $221.8516

Expense #1 (Radiator Leak) - January 7, 2012 - 44,079 Miles - Total Cost: $117.83 (including tax)
Expense #2 (Radiator Leak) - January 15, 2012 - 44,386 Miles - Total Cost: $7.40 (including tax)
Expense #3 (Replaced windshield wipers) - January 15, 2012 - 44,386 Miles - Total Cost: $17.54 (including tax)
Expense #4 (Oil Change) - January 21, 2012 - 44,643 Miles - Total Cost: $24.4616 (including tax)
Expense #4 (Reinstalled steering column bushing) - January 22, 2012 - 44,693 - Total Cost: $1.35 (including tax)
Expense #5 (bought coolant and water) - February 20, 2012 - 45,000 - Total Cost: $11.88
Expense #6 (replaced rear interior light) - February 23, 2012 - 45,500 - Total Cost: $31
Expense #7 (replaced heater control valve) - March 4, 2012 - 45,766 - Total Cost: $10.39 (including tax)

I replaced the heater control valve tonight with an el cheapo part from AutoZone. As documented earlier in this thread, I used a part cross referenced to a 1980 Ford Bronco. Unfortunately this AutoZone part does not have a warranty. If it breaks I'll have to cough up another $10 for a replacement.

[DMCMW Dave]

Outside the box question - living where you live, how badly do you actually need a heater?

Recall that valve is only used to turn the heater core off on MAX-A/C. Any other time the valve is open. If you leave the valve out (i.e plumb around it) your A/C will not be quite as cold as it could. That's probably a big deal where you live.

OTOH if you bypass the heater completely, you won't have the valve to worry about (assuming you bypass it at the engine).

As for the failures, the valves don't often fail and I've replaced more due to rust than broken plastic. I've seen the valve leak where the lever is, and the vacuum inlet break off, but I can't say that I've seen the main plastic fitting break.

[stevedmc]

I could probably survive without heat, but we occasionally have winters as cold as 16 degrees. I wonder if I am doing something wrong or if I am just having bad luck.

I would think it wouldn't be possible to install this in reverse since its just an on off valve but perhaps I am installing them with the hoses connected the wrong way, resulting in my problems.

Oh well, the autozone part looks like it has some pretty thick plastic. I'll see how it holds up.

[DMCMW Dave]

I could probably survive without heat, but we occasionally have winters as cold as 16 degrees. I wonder if I am doing something wrong or if I am just having bad luck.

I would think it wouldn't be possible to install this in reverse since its just an on off valve but perhaps I am installing them with the hoses connected the wrong way, resulting in my problems.

If the valve is the wrong way you'd find the vacuum line a bit more difficult to connect as the fitting on the valve would be facing the wrong way.

[stevedmc]

If the valve is the wrong way you'd find the vacuum line a bit more difficult to connect as the fitting on the valve would be facing the wrong way.

That makes sense. I guess I had the old one installed the correct way.

[David T]

As Dave S mentions, the heater valve does not have a high failure rate. The fact it failed quickly and multiple times would suggest something wrong in your technique installing it. I have never seen one break, they either get stuck and won't move and/or leak. It may be possible if you overheat the motor you could "cook" the valve and make it more prone to breakage. It isn't an expensive part, just difficult to access and a little messy because of the coolant.
David Teitelbaum

[stevedmc]

As Dave S mentions, the heater valve does not have a high failure rate. The fact it failed quickly and multiple times would suggest something wrong in your technique installing it. I have never seen one break, they either get stuck and won't move and/or leak. It may be possible if you overheat the motor you could "cook" the valve and make it more prone to breakage. It isn't an expensive part, just difficult to access and a little messy because of the coolant.
David Teitelbaum

I've never shifted the blame from myself to the part. I think I may have overtightened the dang thing somehow.

Anyway, its no big deal. I watch my gauges like crazy all of the time and I caught it before any real damage was done. It is also very easy for me to replace the part. You are forgetting how easy my engine access is vs a typical delorean.