JohnnyBfromPeoria
Seasoned Member
On my 04, there is a cooling system tee that joins the 1/4" line coming off the throttle body with the 3/8" line running from the top of the radiator to the surge/recovery tank.
I started smelling coolant the other day and was able to trace it to a leak at this plastic tee, which is fortunately located just behind and just underneath the drivers side of the airbox/air filter housing. I removed the airbox at the throttle body and set it aside.
As I started to manipulate the coolant hoses to get at the squeeze clamps on the tee, it disintegrated completely. I had to dig the plastic bits out of the hose ends. Naturally, there are no appropriately sized tees available at 5 p.m. on a Saturday in Apache Junction, AZ. I settled for a 3/8" (x3) tee and jammed the 1/4" hose onto one fitting for now. I'll find a more-correct fitting this week and report back.
This leads me to then suggest that you inspect this part, too. If it fails on you, it disables the car quickly. My car has 84K miles, so not a ton, and the cooling system is otherwise in decent shape with the specified (though not my favorite) coolant and distilled water mix. This part utterly failed; es no bueno. Check it!
John B.
I started smelling coolant the other day and was able to trace it to a leak at this plastic tee, which is fortunately located just behind and just underneath the drivers side of the airbox/air filter housing. I removed the airbox at the throttle body and set it aside.
As I started to manipulate the coolant hoses to get at the squeeze clamps on the tee, it disintegrated completely. I had to dig the plastic bits out of the hose ends. Naturally, there are no appropriately sized tees available at 5 p.m. on a Saturday in Apache Junction, AZ. I settled for a 3/8" (x3) tee and jammed the 1/4" hose onto one fitting for now. I'll find a more-correct fitting this week and report back.
This leads me to then suggest that you inspect this part, too. If it fails on you, it disables the car quickly. My car has 84K miles, so not a ton, and the cooling system is otherwise in decent shape with the specified (though not my favorite) coolant and distilled water mix. This part utterly failed; es no bueno. Check it!
John B.