Getting ready to replace heater hoses on my 93 3.0 with no rear heat. Are these hoses a dealer item or is someone making an after market hose. Has anyone tried just regular 5/8 heater hoses or do they not clamp on at firewall...Any help would help Thanks

 

Not sure if you mean your van was not equipped with rear A/C and heat or if just the rear heat is not working and you plan to replace those hoses. In either case, standard hose and adapters should work as long as you have room to make a secure connection at the firewall.

 

The heater hoses in the rear aux heat can be changed to reguar 5/8 inch heater hose. Getting into the rear heater takes a little work. The heater hoses into the heater are another story. Because of the little room to work with clamps do not fit very easly. The main problem is the Y connector that splits the hose to the rear heat. Unless you make some there are none out there. A year ago I talked to the enginners at Gates rubber co. & they where in the early design stage for the hoses & Y connectors. On my 93 4.0 I went with factory hoses off the heater in front & 5/8 hoses to the rear.Also get the hose disconnector tool & flat band wire clamp tool. I also used a dremel to cut off some of the connector outer casings.

 

I'm assuming your van is not fitted with a rear heater and you want to know about the hoses between the heater core and the engine. I have a 92 3.0L which does not have a rear heater. I recently replaced the original hoses but used hose clamps instead of Ford quickfit connectors. One of the hoses between the water pump and the heater is of larger diameter at the water pump end so a moulded hose is required. Autozone sell them. For the other hose I used a standard 3/4 inch heater hose. Many posters use 5/8 inch but I found that was too small. 5/8 inch would not fit, even with great force. The 3/4 inch is very slightly oversize but it tightened up ok, no leaks. At the heater end I used ordinary hose clamps with a hexagon head, so they could be tightened with a wrench. No room to use a screwdriver. After unbolting the ICM on the fender wall and a nearby earth cable there is just enough room to get to the clamps. The clamps will take a few minutes to tighten up as you'll only be able to make about 1/10th of a turn at a time. Tie a piece of string around the wrench so you can easily retrieve it when it slips and drops into some inaccessible place. Jan Richter

 

 

What is the chance of totally removing the "Quick Disconnect" heater hoses and replacing them with standard heater hose and clamps? (if someone has already described how to do this, I looked for it and didn't find it). It sure seems like this Quick Disconnect system is not so "Quick"; probably good on the assembly line, but...sure seems like it would be better simply replaced with standard hoses and clamps. Anyone ever do this? Any tips? I just can't see me buying a Quick Disconnect tool to do this job. Thanks to anyone who can give me some advise on this. Tim

 

It's actually "quick-assembly, and forget about trying to disassemble if it's got a few years of use on it". I think the theory is if you ever had to do this, it's because you have to replace the hose anyway, so you end up having to destroy it. The fitting is held onto the nipple of the mating hard line or heater core with a nylon barbed clip. The clip body goes around the nipple end, but held in place by a swaged ridge. When you insert the hose fitting onto the nipple, the barbed fingers slip into a couple of slots on the fitting and pop out through slits in the sides of the fitting. In order to release the barbs, you must first push the fitting against the nipple to provide clearence for the barbs and then push them back through the slits in the fitting. The ones on the heater core are very hard to get to, and will require special tools to disconnect. You can reach the ones on the metal pipes over the engine and try fighting with them using a screw driver. The problem is that with a few years of use, there is enough crud built up in those areas that it's almost impossible to push the fitting against the nipple, so the barbs are stuck pretty tight against the fittings.

It's pretty easy to break them off; just stick a flat blade screwdriver between the nylon barb and the tiny piece of plastic of the fitting that it locks against and twist. The plastic part of the fitting will break. There are two barbs, so you need to do it on the other side.

Once you have the old hoses off, you can replace them with standard 5/8" hoses and clamps. The nipples on the water pump side may be slightly bigger than 5/8", so you will have to force the hoses onto them. There is about 1" of nipple ends that you can slip the hoses onto, and should be enough for you to put a regular hose clamp over. Again, the heater core end may be a trick, as Jan Richter described above. But I have one of those ratcheting box-end wrenches that works quite well with the hose clamps that have hex heads on the screws.

 

The original quick connectors can be disconnected, although some patience and effort is required. The first time you try is the most challenging and you would agree with xlt4wd90's sage remarks. They just do not want to come off as the repair manual says they should.

After doing this four times now, I can pass along a few tips for those willing to endure the torture.

1. None of those so called connector release tools work worth a darn. I've tried several different ones, including the special Rotunda Ford tool and they all work - miserably.
2. Apply a liberal application of WD-40 or similar to the connector joint(s). Push the connector backwards against the internal stop flange. You will feel the connector move about 3/16"-1/4". Do this push and pull several times while again applying WD-40 liberally. You are trying to free up the inner connection pieces by doing this.
3. Make your first removal attempt by pushing the connector back against the stop as in step #2. Spin the connector so you can see the 'window" with the plastic 'ears' barely poking out. Holding the connector back against the stop, slide the removal tool over the plastic 'ears'. They will be only slightly depressed by this action.
4. Slowly and firmly pull the entire assembly forward with the removal tool until stiff resistance is felt. If you are good (or lucky), you will hear a slight snap sound, indicating the inner connector has released. Stop.
5. Hold the hose with one hand to prevent it from sliding backwards and re-engaging the connector. Using the other hand, a vigorous twist/wiggle is required to get the connector away from the inner flange. It will not just pop off as you expect it to.
6. If you still have trouble getting it off, go back and repeat the earlier steps.
7. Going back on is truly (pun intended) a 'snap'. As long as you realize, you need to put all the o-rings, washers and retainer into the connector housing first before you try to push the connector back onto the stub. Done correctly, it will amaze you how easily it goes back together compared to how stubborn it is to get off. If you try and put all the components on the stub and push the connector on over them, your connection is guaranteed to leak. The good thing is, you get more practice at taking it apart.
8. Buying an extra set of connections is recommended. This is a leaning experience and you will likely damage the first set. They are cheap compared to the time spent going back for more.
9. Patience will be rewarded.