I Hate plastic coolant elbows!!!!

[matt5112]

I laugh at how so many people put pressure on them when they install,....then heat distorts them ..they fail and you guys blame the elbow.

I'd bet this is an installer error.

So dorman admitted their product is defective, but its still user error?

I've never had issues with elbows until I installed the most recently acquired plastic set a month ago.

In one month the upper had warped away from the LIM, when it was installed, it was in place and you could wiggle it around.

[BillBoost37]

I took a lesson from Zoomer.. short and to the point.

Installer error.

LOL..you know I'm being an ahole for fun.

[Chadgervais]

Sounds exactly how mine failed. I was at the base of a short steep hill, figured Id gun it. Turned at the top of the hill and accelerated normally, heard the squealing, smelled the "maple syrup" and saw my gauge rising. I cranked the heat and it was cold. I made it home... barely.

I really hope my alternator isnt too upset with me, this is the second time in a month its been peed on by the radiator. My water pump went out three weeks earlier.

[Ace]

Dam that sux bro, your car's not doing too bad though for the mileage. I've always wanted to keep a car and run the mileage up as high as I could, never worked out previously maybe it will with this one.

[joe0813]

oh man i laughed at this well the part where you needed to crap.... Only because this has happen to me so many times... ill be in traffic and ill be 2 minutes away from my house and its like BAAAM stomach rumbles and the butt cheeks tighten

[brandonl2000]

lol I was trying not to engage in this. but really?? that has NEVER happened to me unless on a long road trip. my body just knows to wait to get home before stomach is allowed to rumble.

[GRAFIX]

Had the same thing happen to me. I was coming home from pepboys (picking up some more wax) and all of a sudden my temperature was rising and I started seeing smoke from under the hood. Came home and opened the hood to find coolant all over everything and that elbow was chipped. I barely made it to the shop to put a new elbow in.

[Steven Monteith]

My upper elbow completely blew off while I was in a Jack In the Box drive through. Lots of steam, so I had to push it through the drive through and get my food while standing outside of my car. Very embarrassing!!! Then had to call a tow truck. POS elbows!

[brandonl2000]

Ha! Sounds like what we need to do for a car meet. Every meet we say we're gonna cut up a cardboard box like a gp and go through the drive thru. Never happens.

This is the close as we come so far:

[Kreen1k]

Does my 08 with 71k run the risk of this also? Is the 2-eha I'm flushing out cause this?

[dsmuts]

2-eha?

[brandonl2000]

Yes your 08 3.8 was made with plastic elbows as well. However your lim gaskets should be alum/metal.

[Kreen1k]

2-eha?

The chemical in dexcool suspected of turning to acid and attacking rubber and plastic if you don't change your coolant enough. I read about the drain plug leaking, elbows letting go. Both are plastic with rubber o-rings. Its mostly out of my system now, RMI-25 is taking care of the rest. If i lose an elbow in the future, I know it wasn't dex.

[BillBoost37]

I can already tell you...it's not dex. Been there..done that, tested and found out myself. It's the plastic/nylon elbows and gasket frames in not only GM cars, but all other manufacturers as well.