Generator coolant hoses

babell2 · March 27, 2011, 11:24:43 AM

Spent some time with "The Last Resort" today pulled all but one seat loose. Then I started looking at oil leaks. I opened up the two hatches in the back of the floor and found... Now does any one have the specifications to make new hoses or do I just have to remove these and duplicate them? I guess after 31 years they have broken down some.

Oonrahnjay · March 27, 2011, 11:39:50 AM

Quote from: babell2 on March 27, 2011, 11:24:43 AMSpent some time with "The Last Resort" today pulled all but one seat loose. Then I started looking at oil leaks. I opened up the two hatches in the back of the floor and found... Now does any one have the specifications to make new hoses or do I just have to remove these and duplicate them? I guess after 31 years they have broken down some.

Will you replace the hose itself -- just the rubber/braided-fabric hose itself? You know to cut it off rather than pull it off, right? After so many years, it's probably so tight that is you try to pull it off, you're likely to break the metal pipe. BTW, I was re-installing the driver's heater the other day in my bus. I found the perfect silicone hose - top quality - last a long time. $4 a foot!!!! Thank goodness that 12 feet was enough.

Good luck with it.

babell2 · March 27, 2011, 11:45:43 AM

Looking at the lines they seem to be AN-4 lines. Since I am just down the road from Aircraft Spruce & speciality I figured I would just get some hose and make up new lines.

Brice

Oonrahnjay · March 27, 2011, 11:53:49 AM

Quote from: babell2 on March 27, 2011, 11:45:43 AMLooking at the lines they seem to be AN-4 lines. Since I am just down the road from Aircraft Spruce & speciality I figured I would just get some hose and make up new lines. Brice

Man, that's a good resource to have! Not cheap but probably a good way to go. (Sorry, it's hard to see the hose in your picture and I'm not familiar with your engine.)

Oh, you're talking about the oil cooler hoses kinda "lower down" in the picture, I got sidetracked by the big radiator (?) coolant hose right in the front of the photo. Yeah, those lines back there need work!

gus · March 27, 2011, 08:34:08 PM

AN4 is only 1/4" ID, surely they're larger than that.

AN hoses have removable fittings but you need special tools to reassemble them. Air Spruce may have some you can borrow or will probably do it for you.

These hoses last forever, you will probably never have to replace them again.

There are at least two grades by pressure, yours probably don't carry much pressure so you don't need the most $$$ ones.

artvonne · March 27, 2011, 09:48:36 PM

Slightly off topic, has anyone here plumbed the Genny into the Bus cooling/heating system?

Kevin Warnock · March 27, 2011, 10:10:18 PM

Oonrahnjay,

Can you please post a link to the silicon hose for $4/foot, if the vendor has a website?

Thanks,

Kevin Warnock
http://KevinWarnock.com - my blog

Oonrahnjay · March 28, 2011, 05:52:04 AM

Quote from: Kevin Warnock on March 27, 2011, 10:10:18 PM(snip) please post a link to the silicon hose for $4/foot,

NAPA, and now that I think about it, it might have been $4.99 a foot, but I buy it through my business with a business discount. BTW, this was "heater hose", not "radiator hose".

bevans6 · March 28, 2011, 07:35:25 AM

just don't forget that AN fittings are 37 deg flare and the common industrial fittings are 45 deg. And JIC comes in both...

I always have issues with silicone hose weeping when cold. I have almost stopped using it for that reason. I find the hose with the red lining is not too bad for that, but I have special race stuff that is shiny blue inside that I cannot make seal for love nor money. I have resorted to wrapping the ends of the hard tubing with electrical tape so make it seal.

Brian

Oonrahnjay · March 28, 2011, 08:04:52 AM

Quote from: artvonne on March 27, 2011, 09:48:36 PMSlightly off topic, has anyone here plumbed the Genny into the Bus cooling/heating system?

Yes, quite a few have; it has mixed reviews. Some people like separate systems for redundency, others like tying them together for benefits like generator can pre-heat a cold engine, you have big radiator for gennie when parked, generator wasted heat can heat hot water if you have a coil-type heat exchanger in your water heater, etc. I haven't checked archives but info is there, I'd guess. It seems it's one of those "do it your way" things.

babell2 · March 28, 2011, 03:15:16 PM

Quote from: gus on March 27, 2011, 08:34:08 PM
AN4 is only 1/4" ID, surely they're larger than that.

AN hoses have removable fittings but you need special tools to reassemble them. Air Spruce may have some you can borrow or will probably do it for you.

These hoses last forever, you will probably never have to replace them again.

There are at least two grades by pressure, yours probably don't carry much pressure so you don't need the most $$$ ones.

Gus the lines look pretty small. I have removed and replaced AN fittings on hoses with a little luck and a pilot down the middle. I use a union or bulkhead fitting in the femail ends to lock the collar from turning during assembly. Thinking about Fire sleeve as well but that is probably over kill.

babell2 · March 29, 2011, 03:16:12 PM

OK I spent some time working on the oil lines. I was able to remove the short line from the rear bearing to the front bearing and remove the ends from the line. The internal hole in the line is 1/8". The line is a steel Brade enforced line. Fitting wrench size is 9/16". The oil feed line from the block is another story. Top fitting no problem 5/8 " wrench and off. The bottom blocked behind the starter by the starter solenoid and the slobber valve. This will take a 5/8 crows foot wrench to get down the line and remove. Now the Question Does any one have the specs for these lines?

The old oil feed lines were caked with seeping oil and dirt. It looked more like grease than an oil leak. The short line I removed was hard and brittle when I pulled it off. The long line to the block seems just as bad.

Brice

gus · March 30, 2011, 07:43:52 PM

Call Air Spruce and have them send you a catalog or go to their website, I'm sure there is a spec sheet/catalog page there. As I said before, I don't think you need the more expensive hose unless trans pressures are higher than I think they are.

9/16" sounds like aAN3 size to me but I would have to check it out.

I've worked without fitting mandrels too but it is a real pain and I finally bit the bullet. The economy models aren't all that expensive.

Old AN hose gets really hard, with the wire braid inside it is already pretty stiff when new.

Unless the hose goes near an exhaust or something really hot you probably don't need fire sleeve, that stuff is expensive too.

babell2 · March 30, 2011, 08:18:40 PM

I will take the fittings to Tim at spruce and see if he can match anything up but I think I will have to go up to Jonesborough and go to American hose and hardware to see what they can duplicate for me. If not I will have to go to Parker Hannifin also local to Atlanta and see what the other Tim can do for me.

chart1 · March 30, 2011, 08:35:26 PM

Any hydrolic shop should be able to replace the hose. When I rebuilt my motor I took 6 hoses in and they charged me 42.00 using my fittings and 1 of the hoses was a big auto tranny hose. I thought that was a good deal.