How to loosen DEX-GLUE (dexcool)?????

[IsaacHayes]

Ok, ran into a wall here, how the &@#&* do you loosen a fitting that has the dexcool dried up and formed epoxy? I scraped some off, and heated it to see if it would soften, nope, rock hard. I heated it up some more and the stuff burst into flames!!

Brake cleaner doesn't disolve it, water doesn't, WTF!?!?!? This crap is like epoxy. I sprayed the bastard down with PB blaster and going to check in the morning. I have no other ideas for solvents other than acid, but I'd rather not pit my aluminum intake manifold I'm working on.


I gotta get this coolant fitting (one that one of the metal pipes attaches to) off!!! I've nearly broke my channel lock pliars trying to unscrew it!!! It's larger than 24mm, that's the largest impact socket I have or I'd put a breaker bar on it. I just don't want to crack the manifold after I got done porting, polishing, grinding for rocker arm clearance, and then going over the gasket surfaces to get the scratches out from stupid clean up wheel the junkyard used on them.

Any ideas?!?! HELP!!!!!

[napatiger]

All I can say is...damn it is a bitch to get that part off!!!

[IsaacHayes]

If I had a welder I'd weld a peice of pipe to the steel fitting and give it hell!

[Rhedalert]

this is the fitting near the T-stat housing, right? Usually when that piece gets corroded or siezed on, it ends up breaking. Last time that happened to me, I had to chisel the pieces out and cut it up using a hack saw blade inside the bore. Fun times. However, autozone and other places sell a stronger aftermarket version to replace it.

[IsaacHayes]

Uh... Well it's steel, doesn't even apear to be pot metal either. I've already chewed it up pretty well with my channel locks, and trust me it took a lot to make the marks on it. I guess I'm going to have to get a large socket and impact or breaker bar it off.

The one on my car has teflon tape on the threads (I did that). As well as other screw on coolant fittings. Doesn't seep/leak coolant and goes on/off like silk.

[Rhedalert]

I'm not sure if we're talking about the same thing. Got a pic by chance?

[IsaacHayes]

No, we are talking about the same thing. It's right by/in the t-stat housing, and a black metal pipe goes to it. It's on the older 3100's as a screw in fitting and the plastic clip inside always breaks. This 3400 LIM has it because it's a 97 from a chevy van. 99+ 3400 LIM went to a different style. It's like what you had on your 95 3100.

[Rhedalert]

yeah, I originally had been using a 3400 manifold set from a '98 U-van that had the threaded style too. Maybe they improved the metal now? But as to getting it off, what if you heat up the lower manifold right near the fitting, and see if that helps to get it loose?

[IsaacHayes]

It might, but I tried heating a piece of the dried dexglue that I scraped off to see if it got softer, and it stayed hard and then ignited!

I'm off to my dad's lab to use some big tools on it. hopefully the manifold will survive!

[IsaacHayes]

Stuck a big ol wrench on it, and hit the wrench with a hammer repeatidly, it finaly broke free. Nothing will disolve this crap, only brute force.

Screw you dexcool!!!

[tractorman]

that's whatcha get fer usin' channelocks when ya shoulda used uh wrench! them fittin's are a bitch anyhow. the last time I messed with one, I replaced it with a 1/2" NPT X 5/8" compression fitting. Worked like it was made for it.

[NeonKnight]

I have to replace the same damn piece on my 93 engine im building up... damn 3.1!!!!

the plastic clips inside mine are not really broken... but they are MIA on the ground somewhere.. i was told i could get another housing and just take the clips out... i dunno i think i might try and get a replacement..

what is this part called exactly so i can get a replacement from autozone?

[Superdave]

you shoulda left it alone... it would have never leaked like that

[IsaacHayes]

you can get the clips too, check the HELP! section of a auto store. They don't have the inner plastic thing with the o-ring though. The same section has the whole peice.

Not sure what it's called other than GM coolant fitting.. lol.

[IsaacHayes]

superdave, it wouldn't have leaked around the manifold, but where the black pipe goes in, it would have without the guts. Besides now I can put teflon tape on there and never have it leak or get stuck.