Replacing coolant return line
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 17
Likes: 0
Replacing coolant return line
Has any one ever replace the coolant return line on the top rear of the engine near the fire wall. The metal line has a creak and coolant leaks out. Is it a do it yourself job or does it need to go to the shop to fix.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 7,999
Likes: 14
From: Life is just one big track event. Everything before and after is prep and warm-up and cool-down laps
Cruise-In III Veteran
Cruise-In IV Veteran
St. Jude Donor '12
Where is the "creak"?
near the connection then do a search and find the gy that used AN fittings and line
Of see if one of the recyclers has one
If its shomewhere in the middle you could cut the line before and after, put a simple flare on each end, some hose and a couple of clamps
near the connection then do a search and find the gy that used AN fittings and line
Of see if one of the recyclers has one
If its shomewhere in the middle you could cut the line before and after, put a simple flare on each end, some hose and a couple of clamps
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 10,036
Likes: 346
From: Anaheim CA
I think you could eliminate the metal tube and run a rubber hose from the intake manifold to the heater pipe.
I wish somebody made these in stainless steel...
It's the black tube in the lower left corner of this picture at the bottom of the EGR tube (1986 Corvette -- there were changes from year to year):
I wish somebody made these in stainless steel...
It's the black tube in the lower left corner of this picture at the bottom of the EGR tube (1986 Corvette -- there were changes from year to year):
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Every 2027 Corvette Engine Explained
Joe Kucinski
Designer Imagines A Corvette That Looks More Like a Corvette Than the Corvette
Verdad Gallardo
10 Ugly Corvettes That We Still Kinda Love
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 10,383
Likes: 4
Oh! I thought the line in question was the head to head line that runs along the back/rear of the LT1. FWIW I got the gaskets from a long-time eBay hero of Corvette parts who has since ch!t all over their good name and gone under afaik.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 7,839
Likes: 22
From: San Diego, Ca
If there's steam in a closed cooling system there's a problem. What steam is and how it forms is taught in the 2nd grade, but it doesn't cool anything as it cannot absorb any more heat.
The bypass is used to ensure a sufficient amount of coolant at the rear of the heads. On the Vette L98 (the Fbody doesn't use it), the intake gaskets have restrictors on the rear coolant passageways to keep the coolant back there longer. The supply is from a hose teed into the heater line and connects to a metal tube screwed into the intake. The tube will rust out or rust weld itself to the manifold. If you want to get rid of it altogether, just use Fbody intake gaskets without the Restrictors and use a pipe plug on the intake fitting or just weld it shut.
The bypass is used to ensure a sufficient amount of coolant at the rear of the heads. On the Vette L98 (the Fbody doesn't use it), the intake gaskets have restrictors on the rear coolant passageways to keep the coolant back there longer. The supply is from a hose teed into the heater line and connects to a metal tube screwed into the intake. The tube will rust out or rust weld itself to the manifold. If you want to get rid of it altogether, just use Fbody intake gaskets without the Restrictors and use a pipe plug on the intake fitting or just weld it shut.
