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Bought one from the seller about 2 years ago, still waiting for my replaced factory one to go an a bad moment Spare is in the car, so I am ready!
The problem with brass and copper is, yes it will turn green, but that is not the problem. The problem is, it would also damage the radiator, radiator will suddenly develop leaks due to galvanic corrosion.The plastic will last a few months as Cuda posted a video on Youtube, it was around 8-12 months before it broke and he went with a brass PEX. Its about $3.50 for the TEE but the problem with brass or copper is the TEE turns green and cruddy and the corrosion creeps to the clamps. It's galvanic corrosion due to the dissimilar metals with the coolant acting as an electrolyte. We argued in this thread back and forth until I saw it for myself on a repair I did, it took about a year for it to turn cruddy looking. There are other metal TEEs that work far better in this application and they do not turn green, Dorman makes a steel tee for about 10 bucks each and there is an aluminum 5/8 TEE I sell on eBay, the aluminum TEE alloy is very close to the radiator and tubing alloy so galvanic corrosion hasn't been seen after 24 months.
Dorman Part 626-307HP is now using aluminum instead of plastic. Available at most auto parts store same day - so if you need it right away, they probably have it......Ok, here is the "y" fitting with the hoses removed for clarity......
View attachment 4618
If you remove the hose "plastic crimp" this is what you have. as you can see, it's just a standard fitting with the plastic crimp removed. The crimp is a hot set clamp that is quick to assemble and much less expensive than the labor required for two hose clamps.....
The Dorman w/ aluminum is only with the part number containing suffix "HP". Dorman still sells the plastic Ys w/ same part number minus the "HP". It's about $55-60 at Rock Auto, and it comes with both Y-tube fittings with hoses, etc. It's probably twice that price at local brick & mortar auto parts stores.Dorman Part 626-307HP is now using aluminum instead of plastic. Available at most auto parts store same day - so if you need it right away, they probably have it......
Problem is, if that "metal" T is not aluminum, be prepared to eventually replace radiator and heather core.Last week I pulled up at a T junction. One large puff of smoke came out from under the hood. Drove another 5 miles or so to home, opened the hood, couldn't see any reason for the smoke. A few days later, drove to and parked outside a friends house, lots of smoke coming out from the hood. Now I could see the leak at the Y pipe, dripping onto the manifold heat shield.
Cut out the old Y pipe, bought a metal 3/4" T and 5/8" hose and clamps, and one hour repair later, the problem is all fixed for about $15. I had Zerex G05 antifreeze on hand, just topped up with a 50/50 water mix, done. Thanks for this thread, and the many youtube videos.
Problem is, if that "metal" T is not aluminum, be prepared to eventually replace radiator and heather core.
Cheap is not always the very best option.
Seems like you don't understand what the problem is.No worries mate. Safe for all metals, even aluminum.
G05: " Its lower-silicate, reduced pH, phosphate free European technology protects all cooling system metals, including aluminum, from corrosion".
Put the new assembly in the van. The hose lengths were great. The instructions were perfect. The hose that needed to be trimmed was over twice as long as it needs to be, but since it was the shortest hose, it wasn't a huge waste of material, and probably just right to meet everyone's needs.
Quick recap: I pulled the old hoses and "Y" out. Put the new long hoses and "Y" in place. Cut the last hose to fit. Put last hose in place. Then I tightened all the hose clamps down. See images.
Thanks, gzukoff, for thinking through everything and putting together a kit that is easy to install and solves a big problem that many seem to be having with these vans.
The Dorman w/ aluminum is only with the part number containing suffix "HP" (Part 626-307HP). Dorman still sells the plastic Ys w/ same part number minus the "HP". It's about $55-60 at Rock Auto, and it comes with both Y-tube fittings with hoses, etc. It's probably twice that price at local brick & mortar auto parts stores.
I put the Dorman in mine 8 or 9 months ago. But I will say that if you don't need it immediately, buy the one sold in this thread by ebayer newyorkbuyer. See links in post #257 of this thread. The Dorman works well enough, but it isn't 5-star quality. One of the hose clamps was broken in the box of the one I received. The hose clamps overall seemed flimsy, so upgraded with some heavier duty ones bought at Ace or Home Depot. And even the plastic hoses weren't cut very well and had to take a box cutter to fully cut the hose openings clean. Seems like typical Dorman quality. But again, i would buy the aluminum tube kit sold in this thread if I had it to do over again.
Plastic sucks, that's why this thread has been going on for years. I don't want to regurgitate the whole long thread on galvanic corrosion if using the brass PEX fitting (it's 3/4" btw), it ends up creeping up to the clamps and turns them cruddy and they will fail due to corrosion, go back ten or so pages and read up on the whole long discussion. I am not trying to sell anything, just passing along the experiences.Don’t fool around with the plastic and fix it once and for all. Go to a Big Box hardware store and buy a bronze T fitting, [I don’t remember the size so measure the plastic piece] and three screw driven clamps. You may need a short length of hose so a trip to a auto parts house may also be required. Replace the plastic piece with the bronze T and you can forget about leaks for as long as you own the car. 2008 16K miles.