Help ID rotten lines and fluid

[Nelsonmd]

So I need help identifying some solid lines that have rotted away and are leaking. Some of the fluid dripped down into my mouth and it was sweet. If I remember what I have read here correctly, this is coolant? I know there are probably a million posts about this, but could someone point me to the fix as I need to fix this right away.

The tire in the pic is the front passenger. If you have a part number, that would be great too. I might just go to the dealership tomorrow if it isn't too expensive.

Thanks

 

[yukonrider]

Those are the coolant lines to the rear heater. cut away until they are good, and then replace with rubber line.

 

[rjaudi]

Option 1: Put a rubber hose around the two coolant lines in the engine bay bypassing those lines. You will lose the rear heater if you do this.

Option 2: Get new coolant lines from the dealer at around 90-100. (I cant remember exactly)

 

[steezemcqueen]

3. Buy some brake line and bend it to fit

 

[Rapter]

Don't go to the stealership as it cost me $530 to replace the lines. I think parts alone were under $200

 

[AF808fighter]

How wierd..I'm grinding the surface rust off my frame and came across these same lines that are pretty well pealing and corroded. really glad I looked at this post, now I know what they are and what to do if they start leaking.

 

[AF808fighter]

BTW, our under carriage looks to be in similar condition: I'm using several different sized wire wheels on my drill to get the rust down, then naval jelly for prep, then 2 coats of "Rust Bullet" metallic and 1 coat of Rust Bullet black hard shell. I'm having the rear half sand blasted next week as the wire wheel won't make it to some areas. Hope he doesn't mess up my break lines....

 

[Nelsonmd]

Yeah, so today I got some 1/4 in fuel line, cut off the hard lines in the engine bay, and attached the fuel lines in their place. The rear heater was working, so it looks like this fixed it. I will take some pics tomorrow.

I had to cut the 3/8 in line coming directly off the rear heater as I couldn't get the 1/4 in hard line off, so I ended up having to use a couple brass fitting from Home depot to make a reducer from the 3/8 to the 1/4. With some teflon tape it is snug as a bug and doesn't appear to be leaking. I ended up putting about 3/4 gallon of fluid into the radiator and reservoir.

AF808, where are you located, New England? I have been doing most of the rust removal with an angle grinder and a twisted wire brush. It pretty much strips all the rust off, haven't bothered with the naval jelly on the bulk of it. Just wire brush, rinse, then rustoleum rust reformer I got from autozone. I will soon put a rubberized undercoating on top of that. I am just doing one part at a time, and the hard to access stuff I am just chipping off with a screwdriver and hammer. Hopefully I can get everything stripped and coated by winter.

 

[AF808fighter]

I used rustoleum twice before and it all pealed off. I also used rubarized coating which was a bad idea because it trapped salt water against metal. I was afraid a grinding wheel would take off too much metal....have you had any problems going to deep with it?

 

[Nelsonmd]

I will see if it peels off for me. I will only put the rubber coating over the rust converting paint. If it peels, I might look for some industrial rust converter. I really really want to get the rust taken car of before winter.

I didn't actually use a grinding wheel, just a twisted wire brush. I have to really go at it to make sparks with the wire brush, so it doesn't appear to be taking much if any metal with it. I think it is pretty perfect for what I am doing. I have definitely been nervous to the idea of using a grinding wheel.

 

[JohnsD90]

Option 1: Put a rubber hose around the two coolant lines in the engine bay bypassing those lines. You will lose the rear heater if you do this.

DO THIS ASAP, before you run out of coolant, you may overheat if you wait too long.

 

[zcruiser]

DO THIS ASAP, before you run out of coolant, you may overheat if you wait too long.

X2, it's kind of a design flaw, same thing happens on LC's with rear heaters and most everyone just bypasses it in the engine bay.

 

[Nelsonmd]

DO THIS ASAP, before you run out of coolant, you may overheat if you wait too long.

As soon as I found this I fixed it. Unfortunately all the coolant had already leaked out, so I don't know how long I was driving it without coolant. I glance at the temp gauge and it has always been right in the middle, so maybe I just got lucky there.

 

[SkidPalace]

You may want to consider Fluid Film for your rust prevention.
Fluid Film® | Corrosion Preventative, Lubricant and Rust Inhibitor
I have been using it for a year or so and it seems to be stopping my corrosion in its tracks.
I just scraped away as much surface rust as I could find and then sprayed the FF all over everything. It soaks right into the metal and turns it a dark brown. It stays wet looking for months.
Fighting rust as never been easier.
From the website:
"The destructive force of corrosion is the single greatest threat to your vehicle. Consistent exposure to a wide range of elements such as sun, rain, wind and snow can lead to rapid deterioration of metal, not only resulting in poor appearance and loss of value, but hazardous safety issues as well. Road salt and debris also kick up and cling to vehicle underbodies, eating away at metal and electrical connections.

Fluid Film’s unique molecular structure stops rust on contact. Penetrating existing rust it further embeds into the pores of metal, creating an active barrier of protection that migrates to inaccessible areas. It is safe to use on all metals, will stop pitting in chrome, will not harm paint, plastic or rubber, and is non-conductive, protecting battery terminals for extended periods of time. It also provides long term lubrication for all hinges, seat tracks and locks."

I got 4 cans at McMaster Carr which seemed to have the best pricing by far. You can treat your entire undercarriage with two rattle cans of the stuff. The only bummer there is you don't know what the shipping will cost. However, McMaster's shipping charges are very reasonable.

 

[Nelsonmd]

You may want to consider Fluid Film for your rust prevention.
Fluid Film® | Corrosion Preventative, Lubricant and Rust Inhibitor
I have been using it for a year or so and it seems to be stopping my corrosion in its tracks.
I just scraped away as much surface rust as I could find and then sprayed the FF all over everything. It soaks right into the metal and turns it a dark brown. It stays wet looking for months.
Fighting rust as never been easier.
From the website:
"The destructive force of corrosion is the single greatest threat to your vehicle. Consistent exposure to a wide range of elements such as sun, rain, wind and snow can lead to rapid deterioration of metal, not only resulting in poor appearance and loss of value, but hazardous safety issues as well. Road salt and debris also kick up and cling to vehicle underbodies, eating away at metal and electrical connections.

Fluid Film’s unique molecular structure stops rust on contact. Penetrating existing rust it further embeds into the pores of metal, creating an active barrier of protection that migrates to inaccessible areas. It is safe to use on all metals, will stop pitting in chrome, will not harm paint, plastic or rubber, and is non-conductive, protecting battery terminals for extended periods of time. It also provides long term lubrication for all hinges, seat tracks and locks."

I got 4 cans at McMaster Carr which seemed to have the best pricing by far. You can treat your entire undercarriage with two rattle cans of the stuff. The only bummer there is you don't know what the shipping will cost. However, McMaster's shipping charges are very reasonable.

Hmmm, that looks pretty interesting. I know McMaster well, but they don't seem to sell it anymore, unless you have the McMaster part number so I can search for it directly.

That stuff looks like I could more easily just spray everything, rather than trying to make sure I only paint the stuff I want to.

Good find, I will probably order some of that.

 

[SkidPalace]

Hmmm, that looks pretty interesting. I know McMaster well, but they don't seem to sell it anymore, unless you have the McMaster part number so I can search for it directly.

That stuff looks like I could more easily just spray everything, rather than trying to make sure I only paint the stuff I want to.

Good find, I will probably order some of that.

Weird. I can't find the product page directly either.
You can plug the part number in directly and it looks like you can still order it.
Part number: 12055K74 In Stock. $5.95

Locally, it runs about $10-11 a can.

 

[Nelsonmd]

Thanks for the part number. Just placed an order for 4 cans.

After reading this thread I found posted here,
TheSamba.com :: View topic - Rust Prevention Product Testing

I kind of don't want to go with any of the rust converters/encapsulaters since according to that thread they all fail after just a couple years, so maybe this fluid film will be just the ticket. At least this stuff I don't have to strip off to apply more.

I had to repair another pinhole in my diff housing last night, and I was looking at the rustoleum stuff in various spots on my axle, and while it totally peeled off on the diff housing (I stripped it here to prep the area for a JB putty patch, I can peel big pieces off with my fingers now), on the side parts, it seems to have dried to a brittle, almost glass like finish. I scraped a bit with a knife and it chipped away rather than peeling. I wonder if I had a better converter/rust ratio or something there, and that is how it is actually supposed to work. We'll see how it ages, but honestly, the part where it hardened nicely seems pretty solid, though the rest of it is definitely crap. I'll try to take some pics tonight. I might try applying it lightly to parts where I haven't stripped all the rust off and see if that works better.