Heater hose leaks 02 frontier v6

Forum for the Xterra, Frontier and Hardbody, the smaller workhorses of the Nissan lineup!
Charleytuna
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Jul 24, 2020 10:43 am
Car: '97 Nissan hardbody

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Just replaced the hoses behind manifold. 4 total. I gotta say it was one of the toughest things I've ever done. Getting those clips off, swollen hoses. No access. Manifold in the way. Had to bypass heater cuz the top plastic hose fitting crumbled. Apparently replacing plastic heater core feed tubes is not too bad a job. $60 rock auto.
Almost took off the valve cover to make more room. Would have been easier to cut hoses but that's pretty hard too especially with no room in the blind. Never did identify the leak. Just replaced them all.
Truck ( neighbor's) sat in my front yard for 3 weeks. It was summertime in Texas so I just messed with it everyday a little bit till I got disgusted.
Thought I would share the experience.


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PapaSmurf2k3
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Car: 2017 Corvette, 2018 Focus ST, 1993 240sx truck KA Turbo.
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So its all good now?
Welcome to NICO!

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AZhitman
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Welcome aboard!

You did better than I did - I permanently bypassed my 01 Frontier heater core for that very reason. NICE WORK!

whomadewho
Posts: 523
Joined: Mon Aug 02, 2010 9:32 pm
Car: 1997 Nissan pickup

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Glad everything worked. Thanks for the post. So you are kind of saying or hinting that you Don’t want to be a mechanic when you grow up.

Charleytuna
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Jul 24, 2020 10:43 am
Car: '97 Nissan hardbody

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Actually I'm retired and been troubleshooting all my working life. Wrenching last 10 yrs. My neighbor has 15 vehicles (8 hardbodys) in his yard. Lots of work next door. Pulled a bed then had to drop the tank on a 97 today. Wondering what the extra sensors at bottom of tank and pump assembly do. Maybe water sensors or low fuel light sensor. The harness going to bottom of tank was wrapped in the plastic protector which had totally disintegrated. Never seen that stuff in a tank before. Not much rust but lots of crumbled plastic.
Thanks for the welcome. First and best truck I've ever had. 85 Nissan by Datsun ST

whomadewho
Posts: 523
Joined: Mon Aug 02, 2010 9:32 pm
Car: 1997 Nissan pickup

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I have 3 Nissan hardbody pickups. Been asking myself when enough is enough? Keep telling myself the next time something goes wrong it’s time to junk the truck out. Been saying this for years. After each repair I take a drive through the new car lot. I believe it’s a low fuel light indicator. There should be a white plastic box in the fuel tank. If it’s missing this isn’t a good thing. Might end up replacing the fuel tank. The box keeps the fuel from sloshing around against the fuel pump assembly. Another words without the box the dash gauge is going to flop around like a fish out of water when you accelerate slow down or around corners.

Smithautomotive
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Oct 06, 2020 7:18 am
Car: 2003 Nissan Frontier Crew cab V6

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I have a 2003 frontier, I’m 17 in high school. I drove to school this morning perfectly fine. I parked and idled for a few minutes with the heater on about half way, and all of a sudden, it started steaming and spraying out coolant and water. The leak looked like it was coming from under the intake manifold. I turned it off, I wasn’t paying attention to the temp gauge. But popped the hood and looked, nothing I could see was leaking. But there was a huge puddle under the truck and I could still hear it spraying out. I had to get to class but I was researching all day and I am still wondering if I have to take the manifold off to get to the heater hose. If I have the right tools with me I could do it after school in the parking lot.

I would love it if someone could help me out and tell me what the best options I have. I live about 20 minutes away but my school is in downtown so it would be constant stop go. If I refill the radiator with distilled water does anyone think I could make it home to fix it, or just go to advanced auto parts and get the hose and replace it in the parking lot, dads at work, brothers out of town, I can do it on my own, it would just be a first for me.

Advice would be really helpful.

-Keegin
Last edited by Rogue One on Tue Oct 06, 2020 1:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Duplicate Post Deleted

whomadewho
Posts: 523
Joined: Mon Aug 02, 2010 9:32 pm
Car: 1997 Nissan pickup

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Just my opinion. If it isn’t a mayor leak like a cow peeing on a flat rock gather up some (?) empty containers and fill them with tap water. Loosen the radiator cap a little so the cooling system takes longer to build up pressure. Before ordering anything try borrowing a cooling pressure testing tool from a parts store to determine where the exact location of the leak. Myself if I were 17 again I would.......

whomadewho
Posts: 523
Joined: Mon Aug 02, 2010 9:32 pm
Car: 1997 Nissan pickup

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Couple other things - When adding antifreeze make sure you use the same color. This site offers a FREE online service manual which will provide you with the information you need to work on your vehicle. So when you go to school instead of studying women all day you might want to study the service manual.

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PapaSmurf2k3
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Joined: Thu Nov 21, 2002 3:20 pm
Car: 2017 Corvette, 2018 Focus ST, 1993 240sx truck KA Turbo.
Location: Merrimack, NH

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whomadewho wrote:
Tue Oct 06, 2020 12:11 pm
Just my opinion. If it isn’t a mayor leak like a cow peeing on a flat rock gather up some (?) empty containers and fill them with tap water. Loosen the radiator cap a little so the cooling system takes longer to build up pressure. Before ordering anything try borrowing a cooling pressure testing tool from a parts store to determine where the exact location of the leak. Myself if I were 17 again I would.......
Agreed.
Its a truck, fill the bed with water haha.
Doesn't have to be distilled, but you'll want to drain and fill it back up with real coolant/water mix when you get it repaired.


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