Water Pipe Fitment

[bmouthboyo]

I am having a nightmare getting my new plastic pipes into the hole in the chassis.



I had the smaller 32mm pipes before and that was tight. Will I need to enlarge the hole?
I really do not think it is going to fit all 4 without damaging / restricting the heater hoses.
Is it meant to contain the 2 heater hoses also???

Thanks

[Cruz]

I didn't fit mine but enlarging the hole looks the only way to me

[richieadkins]

Hi mine were a b***h to get in. I am told that if you lay the pipes next to each other and feed the in together from the front of the van then they do go. But, I did as cruz said and enlarged the hole (still feeding from the front).

Hope this helps Richie

[bmouthboyo]

OK I managed to get them in without cutting the chassis or squashing the heater pipes too much.

However...

The hoses on my van are too small in diameter for the new pipes so I have ordered 4 of the following:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Silicone-Hose-Blu ... 45f8f67e50

and will use my old pipes (whats not rusted) to create the inserts.

Does it matter the inserts will not have that lip on the end to stop the hoses slipping off?

What length should I cut for each insert?

Also whilst on the topic does anyone have a link to the rubber surround that is meant to protect the pipes from the bulkhead when they go into the engine bay?

Thanks

[Cruz]

The plastic pipes should have swaged metal inserts on the ends (which are often missing on 2nd hand pipes) to aid clamping with the VW pipe clamps

If not you won't get a true seal using jubilee clips imo. I ran the van like that when I changed my original metal pipes to 2nd hand plastic pipes (that were slightly shorter diesel versions DOH!!) aand I had to use an extra bit of rubber hose and metal tube inserts for clamping and it was fine for a while then weeped at that point as jubilee clips never truly clamp evenly all the way around. I was constantly checking the end of the pipes for leaks. It drove me bonkers. Eventually the metal inserts on the front of the pipes at the radiator end corroded away too. I then went to stainless

A swage is essential imo to get a good watertight fit, especially with jubilee clips. In a summer traffic jam on the M6 it once blew apart at the extended (bodged) point and dumped a great dollop of my coolant onto the outside lane.

[camper]

The 38mm plastic pipes which replaced the rusted 32mm should have the lips on each end of the pipes.You could get a set of diesel engine coolent hoses & when they are sqeezed over the ends of the liped plastic pipes onced tightened up with the VW factory clips or jubilee are water tight and dont come off .The diesel engine hoses come up on ebay as i brought some my self of a seller that stocks good second hand hoses.when you said does it need the inserts with lips does this mean your plastic pipe dont have them?.

[bmouthboyo]

The plastic ones do have them but it is the reducer to insert and coolant hose to insert that I was concerned about.


I think that engine bay end the coolant hoses are probably diesel ones due to it being a conversion and so should fit over the pipes. It is the radiator end that doesn't seem to fit, probably because the van was originally a DG so the pipes would be for the smaller 32mm pipes it had until they rotted.

I will go with the inserts made from old water pipes for now and if they leak I will just try and source some diesel ones for the radiator. I guess you cannot buy suitable metal inserts for the joint with swaged ends?

[Cruz]

I know it's expense but you could get the late style radiator pipes too

http://www.brickwerks.co.uk/shop?page=s ... ory_id=118

or

http://www.vwheritage.com/vw_act_shop.p ... try_GB.htm

and

http://www.brickwerks.co.uk/shop?page=s ... ory_id=118

or

http://www.vwheritage.com/vw_act_shop.p ... try_GB.htm

[bmouthboyo]

OK so I am trying to source some Diesel radiator hoses that will fit the new 38mm water pipes.

However will the new pipes not then be too big for the radiator inlet and outlets?

The radiator is a replacement from a diesel I think but is currently fitted with my petrol hoses?!? so not sure how they fit? Unless one end is wider than the other.

Confused now

[Cruz]

The pipes linked above are for both petrol and oil burners

If you look at the repro silicone pipes on brickwerks one end is larger than the other

[bmouthboyo]

So no matter what radiator I have the diesel hoses (2nd hand) will fit on it?

[Cruz]

I think other than some very early diesels the rads are the same....don't quote me though

I assume the larger end of the brickwerks pipe fits to the long plastic pipes and the other end to the rad. Same with the VW heritage pipes I linked to above

[lhd]

The radiator ends are the same, it's the coolant pipe ends that are different.

I'm supprised you never fitted a new set of metal pipes, much easier to fit and will last another 25 years, unlike a set of secondhand plastic ones, as the metal inserts corrode quite quickly.
Rob.

[bmouthboyo]

If I had the £170 plus for SS I would have used them. To be honest the van isnt in the best nick and I havn,t even used her yet as it has needed a lot of work. nearly there though (famous last words)

I was lucky to get a pair of 1 month old VAG pipes for £40 on ebay so cant complain really.

[Cruz]

Nice one. A lot of times 2nd hand pipes can be a bit ropey, especially from ebay but as they are virtually new you should be set for years to come. Just keep your coolant changes to every 2 years and bobs your buzzard.

Are you all sorted now then?

If not and cash is an issue there are rad pipes here http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VW-T25-RADIATOR-H ... 1c198eedc9