Thank you for making this video! I got the broken elbow ends out of the holes using your slot screwdriver trick, and I didn't scratch anything. My mechanic friend told me to put some Permatex Ultra Black RTV gasket maker on the new metal elbows, it helps them slide in easier and is an extra seal.
Years ago(maybe 2011) thats exactly how mine broke.Floored it,wound it out and poof! A coolant leak.They were replaced a couple times until me mechanic installed the metal ones.Everyone raves about how great this engine is.Mine was horrible,not real high miles.Junk
Big help I had thought I had a blown head gasket, but I think now it was just spraying in that general direction. Mine are still plastic and 275 k miles. I'm pretty sure this is all it's gonna be. Hey thanks again big time
Same here, I thought head gasket but then I found out those leaking elbows was a common problem. Just repaired mine today. Put in the aluminum elbows. Should be good for a while. $10 plus my labor. I had to fiddle around with the elbows to get them in the right position so I could get the three bolts back into the tensioner assembly. That was the hardest part. It was like a brain teaser puzzle. I found the elbow that goes into the water pump wasn't in far enough and the other elbow was in the tensioner assembly too far so I had to wiggle it out a bit. Drove me crazy for a while.
@@Earthneedsado-over177 yeah that was the hardest part getting the right angle for those elbows to get in. I finally ended up banging on the thing with a rubber mallet to get them to go
If your buy the Dorman 47065HP heater connector bypass pull the o rings off and check the fit in the holes. i had to file the casting seames on both fittings before it would fit.
I've had 2 sets of the Doorman replacement elbows took a micrometer and measured the Rings and they're undersized so I just went back to original plastic elbows
Great teach ,the mechanics $195 to put on , you made me not scared at all, my usual concerns is breaking and plastic connectors,glad none on here. Thanks 🎉
I got a Monte Carlo SS dirt cheap with a brand new engine the mechanic reused the plastic elbows on they got about 10,000 miles and it failed they sold it under the premise it was intake or head gaskets this is the #1 thing to do to this engine regardless of it leaking or not
So incorrect, head gasket issues are non existent in the 3800. Don’t confuse a simple intake gasket with a head gasket job lol. That’s like saying a broke shoelace is the same as a broken foot ;)
I hate to be that guy, but literally the only thing holding the bypass is the 2 heater core lines. why not take them off and clean the whole assembly properly. i have watched a few of these and they all leave it connected. Sorry but it is a good video i meant to mention that.
*A small piece of the plastic elbow fell into the block as i trying to remove it. The rest of the elbow plastic was very brittle upon touching it. Should I be worried about that small piece that fell in? Or will it just desintgrate over time?*
In my case the end of the elbow that went into the block was cracked and the piece with the O-ring on it was just gone! No wonder it was leaking. I poked around in there but couldn't find anything, it must have been that way for quite a while so wherever those pieces are they don't seem to be causing any problem. The other parts of the elbows came out with no problem so I was lucky that way at least.
No. The coolant doesn't actually go "into the block, it has little channels that run thru it." However, if u want to get those pieces out flush the system, they will probably come out the other hose.
The tensioner sides have a long cylinder design so they seal at multiple areas. You really should be oiling those o rings before they go in. I use A/C pag oil just to help during the install. They fail around 5 years for a normal 3800 even if using OEM parts. Also dont use the dorman rings, they are just trash and will fail within 1 year or less. Its best to install the elbows into the tensioner first, then come from the side getting both elbows into the pump and manifold at the same time as you mentioned, just moved fast in the video. Youre lucky there isnt a supercharger in the way of your tensioner. I changed my rear plastic oil cover thing at the same time to aluminum so that was fun. Its best to do that upgrade while doing this replacement as you need to remove the tensioner to get it out. Once youre all done, coolant bleed time.
@@oneeyedrone4293 yea definitely spotted cooling leaking from the elbow but not bad. and I notice my temperature hands is going up and down at red lights. Both fans are working not sure if it’s bad water pump or thermostat or just the bypass elbow. As long as I’m moving the car does good. I get nervous at red lights.
@@itsyounqLO needle moving around is an air bubble in Cooling loop So yes very much linked to elbow leaking coolant. Replace elbows and she will be all good again.
i have a question. the part that the water pump bolts to, is that separate from the block or is it part of the block's cast? i have a coolant leak and where the left most bolt of the water pump bolts in, it looks like it's coming from BEHIND where the pump bolts on. either the cast portion where the bottom of the tensioner feeds coolant is separate from the block or i have a cracked block
@@737mechanic how so? alternator, tensioner, water pump, and crank pulley all have to come off, exposing the timing chain. seems pretty labor intensive as it is
you dont need to, tensioner and elbows are above the rad, you will only lose a bit of coolant with this repair. You will need to rebleed the system and get air bubbles out but the 3800 is a very easy engine to work on / air bleed.
i don't know how you just pushed that up in there bye hand and the bolts just went right in i have spent 2 days trying to get mine back in and no luck ???
I just did mine today and it was tricky getting the bolts back in. I finally figured out that the elbow that goes into the water pump wasn't in far enough and the elbow that goes into the block was in too far into the tensioner assembly. I was panicking for a few minutes but once I got the elbows in the right position it went together.
If your buy the Dorman 47065HP heater connector bypass pull the o rings off and check the fit in the holes. i had to file the casting seames on both fittings before it would fit.
@@737mechanic I did, I had to shut it off, and take the cap off slowly, it wouldn't circulate , I think I opened the bleeder too soon? I did it before it warmed up, either way, I knew it wasn't because I didn't have hot air with the heat on.After a while I let it sit and poured more coolant in then started it again and topped off shut off again then checked to see if it was at level.
wouldnt it be better to disconnect coolant hoses so any plastice debris wont get into cooling system and you could rinse the whole passage out and maybe swap water pump too since its only $40
22:14 nope. However, had I watched the remaining part of the video I would of seen u put it back on. My bad bro. This is one of the best how to videos I have seen. Usually that camera is shaking or falling .... helped me a lot. I appreciate u
I have a Monte Carlo ss myself if anyone can help the aluminum ones wouldn't fit right (too loose) I ended up taking them back to the shop and got the plastic ones they snapped in is there something idk if it's just the elbow I got or is there a different one I needed
Actually, I was there and could see down the hole; no, there were not as many pieces going inside as outside. Besides, it isn't going to matter if you get a few little pieces in the coolant system anyway.
@@737mechanic really that's an interesting comment considering that water goes through the whole engine you don't want shit in your engine but you are the professional mechanic obviously you do... just make sure you let the customer know
@@JohnSmith-em4gk LOL, It does NOT go into your engine. It is contained in the cooling system and a couple pieces of plastic will NOT damage anything. In fact, I have changed MANY water pumps that had composite impellers that came apart which caused much more foreign matter to be injected into the cooling system than a little piece from this job. What I recommend for you is to pull up how an internal combustion engine is cooled and look at a diagram so you can understand how the system works. And yes I am an ASE-certified Master Mechanic meaning I do have all 8 ASE certifications but more importantly, I have over 40 years of working on cars. What is your experience?
use metal ones, they wont fail. My metal ones failed in a way since I was rushing the install and one of the O rings got crimped, still lasted a good 3-4 years without a leak and then saw a small drop forming. Took it all apart and added new elbows, good as new. Good time to inspect tensioner as well during that time or replace it if its acting up.
I'd like to hunt down who made the decision to make these plastic instead of metal. I have been messing with this for the last 3 hours. No matter how far I push the pipes in I can NOT get everything to line up. Bolts are binding. They go in like butter with the piece of shit out of the way but once I try to line everything up to send them in they just bind up. Such a shit design.
I had a struggle getting the elbows in the right position so the bolts would go in. I discovered the elbow going to the water pump wasn't in far enough and the other elbow was in too far. Once I got them adjusted the bolts went in. Took a while though. Shit design is right.
If your buy the Dorman 47065HP heater connector bypass pull the o rings off and check the fit in the holes. i had to file the casting seames on both fittings before it would fit.
