Many people have sent this thing, why write it carefully again?
Directly, because I really dodged a bullet, it took me two days to do this job after I got home. It was really difficult and tedious. I felt sorry for my hard work in the past two days. I really had nothing to do if I couldn’t get out at home. More importantly, I want to emphasize the importance of this thing again. I have seen someone say that the three links do not have to be changed before. This is a prerequisite, if you have always used it in the city. It doesn’t matter if you just tow a car. if you run all over the country, then it’s not as simple as the two three links. All the water pipes and connections must be replaced. It’s up to you to decide whether to do this project or not.
In fact, the failure of plastic tees is not only found on GL8, as long as it is used in this way, other brands are also the same, such as some models of Volkswagen, the failure rate is not low, the number of people recruited is not so large, the reputation may not be so great because people who drive Volkswagen are not interested in car repair than those who drive GL8.
Old Lu Zun 6527, stainless steel tee, in fact, I have changed for three years. At the end of last month, I went out to play, and the middle of the trip was more than 2000 kilometers from home. In the morning, when I routinely checked before leaving the car, I found that the pipe around the three links was connected to the location of a quick joint. The inside was hung with liquid droplets, wiped clean, and found that there was no further leakage, and only one drop, even if the leak was temporarily fine, I could not observe where the inside of the pipe was leaking. After the inspection in the next few days, I found that there was only one drop hanging each time, and the perimeter was dry. At that time, I broke off the iron hoop with my hand and the joint was fine. Later, the trip was interrupted when the epidemic broke out, so I drove back through southern China. When I got home, I found that the antifreeze level in the overflow kettle had only been reduced by less than 5mm. I came back to buy accessories, and there were few businesses in the special period. The store is also closed for express delivery. I am very grateful to a seller on Taobao who insisted on sending me Shunfeng on the sixth day of the Lunar New year, saying that the freight was not enough for him, gave away some pipes, and gave detailed guidance.
Let’s start.
Start with the two pipes at the back, because this position is the lowest, it can basically drain the antifreeze of the whole car, and there may be some things in the bottom of the water tank and pump that can’t be noticed.
Don’t forget to clean the perimeter first to prevent foreign objects from entering the pipe. This kind of pipe cutter is very easy to use.
Don’t cut it wrong, the one near the rear wheel is the water pipe, and there is a glue, an iron and two refrigerant tubes next to it.
When the antifreeze is drained to the bottom of the car, one for 5 seconds, cut the iron hoop very smoothly and remove the old pipe. At that time, I thought that the iron hoop at the rear of the car had to move the angle grinder, which was probably the most troublesome, and later proved to be the least difficult.
Remove the quick joint, maybe the mud has blocked the moving part, which is more difficult to disassemble. I finally pry off the thin end of the bayonet. Notice that the two water pipes at the rear of the car are one thick and one thin, the quick joint is also big and small, and the one close to the rear wheel is thick.
The two pipes at the back were completed, the pipe given by the seller was longer, and I made double insurance for the clamp. When connecting the quick joint, you should pay attention to whether the position of the two rubber rings and a positioning ring inside the quick connection tube is offset.
I put rubber on the quick joint to prevent shaking, because the clamp is sharp, the long-term wobble may pierce the adjacent pipe, and the extra part of the clamp should be transferred to a position where it will not touch the adjacent pipe. As can be seen in this picture, the quick connector on the right is larger than the one on the left.
The cabin begins. Here’s the difficulty.
Began to dismantle the stainless steel tee that was changed three years ago.
Here comes the point. The leaking quick joint was mentioned earlier. I gently pulled it at this time, and the whole joint was broken. Now I know. It was already cracked here before, but it didn’t break open. It was too dangerous. If it exploded in the mountains a few days ago, the consequences would be unimaginable. During this plague period, who gave you a trailer, who repaired you, which door opened the door, where did I get the accessories, did I go or not, and the car was thrown away temporarily?
My daily inspection of the car is more careful. I am sure that this leakage did not exist before and only appeared during this trip.
This shows that it takes only four or five days from a drop of leakage to the whole break, so it is quite right to say that it is a ticking time bomb.
These days I feel that I am so happy to be able to sit at home, drink, eat and chat.
Note that before dismantling, be sure to write down where to pick up, there are a total of 6 interfaces, of which 4 are on the firewall, 3 thin and 1 thick, not to mention disassembly and assembly, it is difficult to take a picture.
Of course, you don’t have to remember now, just look at the picture behind me.
The two tees and iron pipes can be assembled on the ground and then loaded. Make a careful comparison and make no mistake. Here I have prepared all the joint positions and correct connections for you.
The two necessary things are clamp pliers and extended clamp pliers, with which there is no need to remove wiper arms, ignition coils, and so on.
Of course, even if this is the case, the space is also very reluctant, do not believe it.
The fingerprints have also been worn out, and these days, unlocking the phone can only use facial recognition.
After two days, it is finally done, and there is still a final step, adding coolant and exhaust, and changing the water pipe of the whole car, the coolant is basically empty from front to back, and the exhaust process will be relatively long, and the idle speed in place is not good, and the speed of the pump is not enough to drain the cavity. I still have to go out for a while, and when I see that the air conditioner has been blown out, it will be finished.
Finally, check all the clamps to see if they will come into contact with the surrounding pipes in the case of sloshing. A brother said earlier that a pipe in the tee was punctured by a clamp on the vacuum tube of the directional power pump.
The four pipes coming out of the firewall are covered with a braided net, which is to prevent the water pipe from being worn out by the sharp objects around it, so be careful not to leave it out, and there is also a section of braided pipe at the iron pipe of the tee B.
Finish the picture, you can rest assured for the time being.
Preliminary observation, a total of 11 water pipes, a total of 22 joints, no leakage has been found, the first use of silicone pipes, the performance will be observed for a long time in the future.
Analyze the material of the three links. This material is very hard, not ordinary plastic, in order to maintain the shape unchanged in the cabin at high temperatures. The shortcoming is that it is brittle, has no toughness, and does not stretch. In the cabin with harsh conditions, long-term high temperatures and the effect of oil and gas will become more fragile, and the life is certain. This is why the two three links and two quick connections in the cabin are damaged. The rear of the car is rarely damaged, because the rear of the car does not come into contact with oil and gas and will not be exposed to external temperatures. Too high. Here I did an experiment to compare it with ordinary plastic.
The following is ordinary daily-use plastic. It is not hard, tough, has a low melting point, soft when it is heated. When melted, it is in a drawn state. Looking at the material of the tee joint above, it is different. The melting point is higher and it is not so easy to ignite. After melting, it will be slag-like loose ash. It is not drawn. A typical consumable product that will be damaged over time needs to be replaced regularly. To solve it, only metal can be used. Any plastic cannot be stable for a long time under these conditions.
ChanningGrey 
11 
April 1, 2024 
