DIY: Braided Heater Hose Lines (with REAL AN fittings!)

Kevan

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PREFACE:
Many of my DIY articles are transposed from the dozens that I did for my 2005 Dodge Ram SRT-10. In regards to the engine and transmission, they are pretty much identical to what's found in the Gen.3 cars.
If you see something amiss or incorrect, please contact me and I will make sure this post gets updated.

Remember: All of these DIY articles come with a "PERFORM AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!" disclaimer.
I've idiot-proofed them as best I can but.....

Enjoy!
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BRAIDED HEATER HOSE LINES FOR 2004-2006 DODGE RAM SRT-10


This DIY article will cover removal and installation of the (3) heater hose lines (with new AN fittings) for the 2004-2006 Dodge Ram SRT-10.
This will also work with the Viper cars, but the line lengths will be different. Everything else will apply.


TIME: About 2 hours + drain time.
DIFFICULTY: 2


PARTS REQUIRED:
- (2) 10' sections of -12AN braided hose.
- (1) 3' section of -12AN braided hose.
(I used the black nylon braided lines for a few reasons: weight reduction (it's heavy enough in front), and heat reduction (SS lines will get hotter and retain that heat for longer), and it's MUCH easier to work with. If you really want stainless steel, they can be found here.)
- (2) -12AN straight fittings.
(I went with the red/black connectors, but red/blue, all black, polished aluminum, and black/polished are also available.)
- (2) -12AN - 3/8" NPT adapters.
(These were the hardest things to find. I purchased mine from Pressure Connections. Regular steel adapters were about $5.50/ea. Stainless steel adapters are about $45./ea. Your call (I went with plain steel...heh heh).The part number you want to order: 2404-12-06)
- (4) 1" worm-gear clamps.


PARTS TOTAL: $251.95 (plus shipping/tax)


TOOLS REQUIRED:
- #12 AN wrench
(Just get this combo kit from JEGS. Best deal out there.)
- AN vise clamp jig
- 1-1/8" socket
- 3/4" deep socket
- 3/8" drive socket with 3/8"-1/2" adapter
- 8mm nut driver (or socket+socket wrench)
- Quick-Clamp or C-clamp (for hose clamping/draining)
- INCH-lb. torque wrench
- Pliers
- 7/16" drill bit
- Drill
- Masking tape
- Measuring tape
- Teflon thread tape (or thread sealant)
- Dremel tool with cutting wheel/disc
- 25 qt. minimum catch tray (clean)
- "Catch Cup"
- Rag(s)
- SAFETY GLASSES!


HOSE BUILDING
First thing we need to do is build the new coolant lines.
There are (3) coolant lines-
engine block to oil cooler; oil cooler to heater core; heater core to engine block.


Here's the lengths of the 5 lines that we need to build:
- (1) 56" Core to Cooler line (worm-gear clamp fittings)
- (1) 53" Water Pump to Core line (AN + worm-gear clamp fitting)
- (1) 18" Cooler to Water Pump line (AN + worm-gear clamp fitting)


If you're using the nylon braided hose like I did, you can simply measure out the required length, cover the cut area with masking tape, measure again (heh heh), then make your cut. The masking tape will help keep the fraying of the braid to a minimum.


If you're using the stainless steel hose, then you'll need a good hose cutter. Some use a fine-tooth blade on a hacksaw, or the cut-off wheel on a Dremel. Your call on that.


I use some masking tape to protect the clamps from scratching stuff as I'm putting the hoses into place. Keeps them from sliding around too.


Attach the -12 AN fittings to the 53" and 18" hoses. (The DIY article for AN line building can be found HERE)


TIP: I used 4-6 wraps of electrical tape on the non-AN fitting ends of the braided lines:
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This helps to prevent fraying, protects the braid from the worm-gear clamps, and looks considerably more professional.


Okay, now we have all of our hoses built and ready for installation!


COOLANT LINE REMOVAL
Before we get to the lines, we need to...umm....get to the lines! The OEM airbox or any aftermarket CAI will usually be in the way. Remove it.


After trying a couple of different ways, the quickest and easiest way is to utilize the coolant line coming from the water pump....the lower one, of course. LOL


-MAKE SURE YOUR ENGINE IS COMPLETELY COOL BEFORE PROCEEDING!!!!
Hot water burns ****. No two ways about it.
-MAKE SURE YOUR ENGINE IS COMPLETELY COOL BEFORE PROCEEDING!!!!
This is your last warning.
-MAKE SURE YOUR ENGINE IS COMPLETELY COOL BEFORE PROCEEDING!!!!


Set your large catch tray under the pass. side of the truck, between the oil cooler and the front of the engine.
Clamp off the middle of the lower hose from the water pump.
Have a catch pan or cup handy to keep coolant from flooding your garage floor.
REMEMBER: if the coolant remains clean, it CAN be re-used!
Remove the OEM spring clamp from the oil cooler-end of the coolant hose, and catch as much coolant in your catch cup as possible. It will come out of both the hose and the oil cooler itself.
Empty the catch cup contents into the big drain pan.
Aim the coolant hose into the drain pan and SLOWLY release the clamp. This will allow you to control the flow of coolant into the big drain pan. Removing the radiator cap aids in flow rate too.


When the coolant stops flowing, the OEM spring clamp on the water pump-end of the hose can be removed, and the hose pulled off it's fitting. Have the catch cup handy just in case there's any further spillage.


Once the lower one is done, the upper hose can also be removed.
Lastly the one from the heater core to the oil cooler can be removed.
Use the catch cup and quick-clamp to control and contain any fluid left inside the lines.


When the fluid is out, put a cover on the catch tray to prevent any debris from getting in there. Also, since it smells and tastes so yummy, we want to keep pets and children from ingesting it. It will crystalize their insides quite badly. Like, dead-badly. Just put the cover on.


Set the coolant catch tray to the side (so we don't accidentally kick it and send coolant everywhere).


ADAPTERS: REMOVAL & INSTALLATION
Before we put the new adapters in, we need to take the old ones out ("Really Kev? How come?" LOL)
Using your deep 3/4" socket, remove the old barb/NPT adapters (upper and lower) from the engine block.
Here's a shot of the old adapters and the new adapters, side-by-side:
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Using a vacuum, clean out each adapter hole with a quick zap. This will (hopefully) pull out any funky-gunk that fell into the coolant area when the adapters were pulled out.


Here's the big secret: Because they're designed for extremely high pressure hydraulic lines, the new adapters have a slightly smaller bore than the OEM ones (10.5mm versus 12.0mm), so we have to drill out the new adapters.
No big deal.
Using a 7/16" bit (unless you have a 12mm bit), drill out the center of the new adapters. A drill press works great, but you can hand-drill it if you haven't had any coffee in the last 3 hours.
Double-check that the new holes don't have any swarf or shredded metal left inside. I used a medium (gray) Scotchbrite pad to clean out any funny stuff and de-burr it a little. You want it smooth in there.


The new adapters get teflon thread sealant tape (or thread sealant paste) applied to their threads:
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The adapters can then be threaded (by hand) into their respective upper....
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.....and lower water pump ports:
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Using your torque wrench and 1-1/8" socket, tighten the adapters to 144 in.lbs.:
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With the teflon tape in there, your reading might be off a little. We can go back and re-tighten them after we do a leak check. This initial crank-down will get them very close to where they need to be.


The adapters are now installed!
Let's do some hoses!


COOLANT HOSE INSTALLATION
Here's the routing guide for the coolant hoses:
- Upper Water Pump to Lower Heater Core
- Lower Water Pump to Upper Oil Cooler (this is your shortest hose)
- Lower Oil Cooler to Upper Heater Core (this one doesn't have AN fittings)


Once the hoses are on their appropriate connector, route the hoses into their respective slots in the (2) hose guides.
One is on the firewall....
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....and the other is located underneath the passenger side battery tray:
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The hose guide clips open easily (flex the locking tab outward), but can only take so-many opens/closes before they snap. I speak from experience. LOL


OPTION: The hose guide on the battery tray can be turned 180 degrees. This brings the hoses closer to the engine, but shows them off a little bit more:
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Your call on that.


The order in which you install the hoses is up to you. I started on bottom and worked my way up.


Once routed properly and connected on both ends, we can clamp down our AN fittings:
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REMEMBER: hand-tight, then 1/4-1/2 a turn. DONE.


Now go and tighten the worm-gear hose clamps at both the heater core....
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.....and at the oil cooler:
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My method: Hand-tight with the nut driver....until my forearm hurts.
Remember that braided line is tougher/stiffer than regular ol' rubber, so you need to make sure that they're clamped REAL tight to prevent any leaks.


Lastly, we can refill the coolant to the proper level:
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Notice the use of a towel to protect the finish. Good idea in case of spillage. Mini-bungees hold the funnel in place.


Re-install the air intake, and run the engine for a few minutes (bring it up to normal temp), and then check for leaks.


Turn off the engine and let it cool.
Repair/tighten any leaks.


Now you have spiffy new braided coolant lines!
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Enjoy!




NOTES:
I have absolutely no relation or motivation regarding using JEGS other than that they are local to me, making parts immediately available.
There are hundreds of other fine businesses out there with the exact same parts and similar prices.
Please research before placing an order with anyone.


- At the time of this posting, I believe I'm the first person to do *real*AN lines for the heater hoses on the Viper engine.
Breaking ground once again! :)



All content is ©2008 Kevan J. Geier
All Rights Reserved
 
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