Heater outlet/inlet repair

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chipahoy
Posts: 98
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2011 2:24 pm
Car: 1999 Infiniti Q45T, 250,000k
Location: Miami, Florida

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If you haven't changed a heater core in a Nissan product, you haven't lived. Remove everything inside up front including the steering wheel, console, instrument panel, etc. About a 4-5 hour job if your good.

I don't know why Infiniti, as a premium brand automobile, would use plastic inlet and outlet tubes on their aluminum heater core. Cheesy, cheap, and brittle, especially when subjected the heat generated by a V-8 under the hood. If you have broken either of the tubes while connecting/tightening the hoses, don't feel bad. Recently, i crushed the upper tube while tightening the hose clamp. Again, i cant believe the piece of crap using plastic tubes on the core, when outside on the firewall, the opening valve tubes are aluminium. It defies logic.

Faced with the scenario i outlined in the first paragraph, i came up with a workaround. I purchased a Prestone Flush and Fill kit that comes with three different "T" fittings designed to install in the inlet heater hose so that you can back flush the cooling system. I used the smallest, the 1/4", and filed it carefully so that it fit snugly inside the broken off tube. Then, i coated both the inside of the tube and the outside of the "T" fitting with Gorilla glue, pushed it into place, then sprayed it with water to help the glue cure. The next day, i reattached the heater hoses and wa-la, a workable repair. This will save you a lot of money and time....Carl Snyder, Pembroke Pines, FL


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chipahoy
Posts: 98
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2011 2:24 pm
Car: 1999 Infiniti Q45T, 250,000k
Location: Miami, Florida

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PS: To insure a tight fit where the 3/8" heater hose connects to the other end of the "T" fitting, I cut the end off of the 3/8" "T" fitting and Gorilla glued it to the 1/4" "T" fitting so that the 3/8" heater hose will fit snugly.

qship96
Posts: 6624
Joined: Sun Nov 24, 2002 11:31 am
Car: 1996 Q45

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hopefully it holds up long term!

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chipahoy
Posts: 98
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2011 2:24 pm
Car: 1999 Infiniti Q45T, 250,000k
Location: Miami, Florida

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i gave it the acid test and its tight - ran it hard for three days now, and subjected myself to running the heater full blast in the 80 degree south florida winter.....that gorilla glue is waterproof and stronger than steel. i will post if i have a problem, but it looks like i beat the band on this one...

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Q451990
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Joined: Tue Jul 23, 2002 8:21 am
Car: 1990 Q45 - 118K, 2022 Toyota 4 Runner, 2004 Frontier M/T - 108K, 2012 Xterra (Mom's), 2023 Rogue (Inlaws)
Location: Columbia, SC
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Good writeup! Please keep us posted on how it works long term!

My dad once fixed a hole in the inlet/outlet of the A/C Evaporator on my '90 Mercury Cougar with a piece of aluminum flashing, some epoxy, and a hose clamp. The engineering greats (or assembly workers) left a plastic vacuum tube laying on top of these aluminum inlets next to the firewall, and it actually rubbed a hole in the aluminum over the course of about two years. There must have been some hellacious vibrations there... also not unexpected on a Ford product.

Anyhow, rather than replacing the evap. core, he was able to clean everything nicely, epoxy the aluminum flashing to the tube, and hold it in place tightly with the hose clamp. Worked like a charm and held refrigerant for years!

Heath


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