- Joined
- Nov 8, 2023
- Posts
- 113
- Reaction score
- 460
- Location
- Kalispell, Montana
- First Name
- Larry
- Truck Year
- 1981
- Truck Model
- C10
- Engine Size
- 250 6 cylinder
Ahhh, sometimes the small victories are the most satisfying! I spent way tooo much time and effort on this, but it is now done!
The original that had a tiny drip when cold, and a steady drip when warm. Note the coolant puddle:
These are 1/4" pipe thread, NOT 1/8" or 3/8" like some stores and internet catalogs wanted to sell me. I did industrial piping for 30 years so I can tell the difference between the pipe sizes pretty easily and I knew it was 1/4". Needs a 9/16" wrench to fit the hex. Very disappointed in the local selection, basically 0. Autozone, CarQuest, and even NAPA only had plastic drains made for specific vehicles. Happy that OReilly had the correct 1/4" brass valve/**** on the shelf for $6:
Ready to go in:
Almost gave up on getting it unscrewed, I was starting to warp the brass end tank. After dripping on some PB Blaster and 3 cycles of heating and cooling the engine, I was finally able to crack it loose while the radiator was HOT. New drain valve went in great and gently tightened enough not to leak. We shall monitor the results, but it looks good.
UPDATE: Driven 10 miles and no drips in 6 days. On to the next project.
The original that had a tiny drip when cold, and a steady drip when warm. Note the coolant puddle:
You must be registered for see images attach
These are 1/4" pipe thread, NOT 1/8" or 3/8" like some stores and internet catalogs wanted to sell me. I did industrial piping for 30 years so I can tell the difference between the pipe sizes pretty easily and I knew it was 1/4". Needs a 9/16" wrench to fit the hex. Very disappointed in the local selection, basically 0. Autozone, CarQuest, and even NAPA only had plastic drains made for specific vehicles. Happy that OReilly had the correct 1/4" brass valve/**** on the shelf for $6:
You must be registered for see images attach
Ready to go in:
You must be registered for see images attach
Almost gave up on getting it unscrewed, I was starting to warp the brass end tank. After dripping on some PB Blaster and 3 cycles of heating and cooling the engine, I was finally able to crack it loose while the radiator was HOT. New drain valve went in great and gently tightened enough not to leak. We shall monitor the results, but it looks good.
UPDATE: Driven 10 miles and no drips in 6 days. On to the next project.
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