C3InPA

I gave my 76 C3 a full tune up yesterday and have been driving it around quite a bit this weekend. I took the girlfriend to get ice cream, and a kind fellow told me that I was dragging something. I got underneath the car to find 3-4ft of 1/2" or so diameter heating hose flopping on the ground, originating from (where i think) is the front passenger side of the engine. It also had the indentation of a hose clamp on it. I'm not sure if I knocked it off during the tune-up, or what. Didn't really look like it had any fluid it in it any time recently. I couldn't for the life of me figure out where it was routed to, but laying under the car on the gravel parking lot, i didn't look for too long. I zip tied it to the frame and drove home carefully, about 5 miles.

I only have 2 thoughts on what it could be, and I haven't had time to fully trace it back to the engine:

1. My coolant return tank had been deleted at some point. Not sure why - maybe it has some sort of aftermarket AC? Could this be a line just dumping any overflow on the ground?
2. Through various searches I have read up on the power steering return house. Power steering did seem to be acting up, but would it really be 3-4 feet long?

Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

REELAV8R

If you have A/C could it be your condenser drain hose?

C3InPA

Any idea where that would be routed? The shear length of it is what threw me off. I'm not losing any coolant, and 3-4 feet seems way too long to go to the heater core lol.

A8skyhawk

REELAV8R

No I’m not sure without crawling under mine to see where it goes. Never have had occasion to even look for it.
If it’s a thin walled hose it’s likely some kind of drain and not especially critical at least as far as engine cooling or operation is concerned.

C3InPA

CA-Legal-Vette

Do any heater hoses come off your water pump or intake. My guess is that your heater coil has been bypassed in which case the hose isn’t used anymore.

REELAV8R

From what you describe it sounds like it runs between the hearer core and the core shut off valve that is vacuum actuated.
it that valve is closed then no water would escape, which is what it sounds like in your case.
the other end should connect to the core under the car near the front edge of the passenger door.

C3InPA

Hey, So I got under the card today, and this is actually the hose going from the core to the engine (I'm assuming its the core - it is connected right at the passenger door, behind the front wheel). It's connected at the Core, I just don't know where it goes to. I can't for the life of me figure out where it's supposed to connect to. My car has AC. I noticed that there's a similar hose that has been cut and zip tied to a vacuum actuator near the rear passenger side of the engine.,

I'm thinking maybe the core was bad at some point and the line going to the core was cut off and this is the return? I need to explore further. I checked my coolant level and I'm good, so I'm assuming if that line was active, I would have lost a lot of coolant during the 20 mile trip home last week with the hose disconnected.

Does anyone have a diagram, or can you tell me where the hose goes to in the engine bay?

Thanks in advance

C3InPA

Easy Mike

The AIM helps.

REELAV8R

Someone probably disconnected the heater core because it was leaking. Replacing the core is a bit of a job from what I understand. So unless you want a heater leaving it disconnected may be a good idea.
You could hook it up and see, but if you have a leak you will then have a mess as well.
You are correct in you routing . Water pump then to the core then to a vacuum actuated shutoff and to a connection on the intake manifold.