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Hey everyone, I’ve got a 1994 4wd 3VZE pickup and it makes a gurgling sound on startup and sometimes while driving. Occasionally the temp gauge will creep up while driving now as well. This temp issue coincided with what I think is a fresh coolant leak coming from the firewall at what I believe is the heater outlet hose. Red residue is present on each side of the hose but the leak seems to be only at the firewall end. The gurgling was concerning but I lived with it. The leak and temp gauge creep is not acceptable.
I’m hoping that this hose is just beyond its service life and allowing coolant out/air in causing the gurgle? Does this sound reasonable? I’m having a bit of trouble figuring out the part number for this exact hose if anybody can help with that as well it would be appreciated.
Could also be that 90° bend metal tube the hose is attached to is corroded, bent, cracked, etc. under the rubber of the hose. Worth taking a look at, and cleaning up real good, when you pull the hose off.
Replacing that heater hose is a good idea. How old is it anyway? 30+ years is a very old rubber hose. It does say how good Toyota hoses are, though.
You might take a good look at the other hoses that feed into, or back out from, the heater core. The ones leading to/from the engine to the heater. If that one heater hose has gone south, what do the others look like, you know?
Same with all those peculiar hose clamps Toyota uses. Might be a good chance to get those replaced while you're doing.
BTW: I found a little trick that works really well for helping getting hoses back on hose barbs. Wipe the inside of the hose, where it mates the barb, with a little baby oil. Not only does it help make the rubber hose easier by a long shot to slide on, it helps preserve the hose longer. Vaseline works real good too.
I learned that little trick from a guy that came out too change a water filter I had screwed down too tight. He put Vaseline on the o-ring, and told me to do that to every rubber part I had to work on. Not just o-rings. It's worked extremely well for me so far. I do the rubber door seals on my trucks every fall, and they're all in great shape still. Keeps them from freezing to the door frame, too. Makes opening the door on those really cold days so much easier!
Thank you all! I’ve got the hose in the mail and will take that tip about using a lubricant. Those hoses can be difficult to access and wrestle on. I do need to find the time to replace them all. I had to do another one a few months ago and I reckon the others will all give me a hassle soon as well.
The hoses get glued on over time. I go with the old twist and jerk method. If they really dont want to come off, you can always slice them with a knife and peel them back.
Slicing a hose is okay if you're sure you'll never re-use it. But I've found it much easier to remove old hoses by gently heating them first with a hot-air gun (a hair dryer would work). This softens the old rubber enough that you can gently twist/bend off the hose. If you use a hot-air gun, put your finger on the place you're heating. A hot air gun can get really hot, so if it's too hot for your finger, slow down.
Be VERY careful removing those two hoses that go through the firewall. The fittings on the firewall are kind of thin and not very sturdy.
When I replaced mine, I knew I wasn't going to use the old hoses again. I cut the old ones, being very cautious with the razor knife to not cut the fittings. JUST the hose. I cut down a ways, then peeled them back with a pair of vicegrips to hold the rubber nice and tight. I didn't cut the rubber all the way through. I let the rubber tear. If you cut deep enough, so there's just a thin little bit of rubber left, it'll pull apart pretty easily.
Just a thought. I've never tried the heat gun trick. Next time I'll give it a try! Worth a try.
I learn something new every day, if I'm not really careful.
Pat☺
I have been concerned about damaging that attachment on the firewall side. Slice and peel sounds like a good idea. I usually go with the twist and pull it off method but it always feels a bit haphazard. Heat is always a last resort for me. It works most of the time but I feel that I get easily carried away with the heat gun. All the advice is much appreciated. This is my daily so I tend to be on the paranoid side even for small chores. This truck has had me on the roadside a few times but has always got me home and never left me stranded.
New hose went in. I cut the top side and carefully slid off the firewall side. Cleaned up the metal on the top side connection, new hose clamps, replaced some lost coolant, burped the system. Has been over a week and haven’t heard the gurgle since. Temp gauge stays right where it should also. Thanks again for all the tips!
02-02-2021, 07:57 PM
