Sorry to hear about your connector failure, Snaxxor.

I got mummy's hose clamp pliers from amazon today. Sure looks like it will make an easy job out of using the OEM clamps. I'm going to have another go at it tomorrow.

[edit]

Nah, I did it this evening. Now I'm not going to lie, it still wasn't easy. I wish mummy's tool was about 6" longer, that would sure help. And I wish the OEM clamps opened up just a little more more than they do. And I wish my hands were smaller, not that they're big or anything, just... well, I'm pretty bruised & scratched up. Speaking of "scratched up", the clamps and the connector took a beating, LOL. Granted, if you were reading earlier comments, the connector had this fun little trip lost in the engine bay for days, eventually pinging off the driveshaft like a gunshot, and found on the road immediately after, which was a freaking miracle. So crazy!

Anyway, this project is done. And I'm done. I don't ever want to do this again. Ugh.

 

I got big hands and I moved the battery plastics out of the way and I don't have the engine cover on so I had more than enough room to work with. The clamps wiggled right on. Was a tight fit but I would still call it easy. I'm 6'1 so it was "easy" for me to lean over to see what I was doing. They do sell a version of the tool with an extension by the way.

 

Easy or difficult... I suppose that's a subjective call. In hindsight, I should have stood on a platform or small stool when reaching over things; that would have definitely helped. And perhaps once a clamp was over the hose, I should have used one of those large long-nosed pliers to maneuver it into place. Either way, what this tool clearly does is takes a really difficult task (for some) and makes it do-able.

So, thank you.

 

I'm intending to swap out my temp fix this weekend for the new hoses, connector, and clamps. I'll try to take solid pics (I don't generally do video) and have a writeup. Got the fancy-pants clamp pliers but not sure how useful they'll be in the engine bay - they're probably too short. Still, if they can re-latch the oem clamps I'm here for it.

 

Hardest part was applying the deathgrip to the pliers with either hand, WORST part is getting all the old pieces out. CRAPIEST part is the refill of coolant (if yours broke) because you have to take time, rev the engine occasionally etc, obviously use the funnel kit if you have it or access to get one.

 

To bleed my system I just took off the recovery tank cap and wrapped a rag around the hole and drove around for a couple of days.

 

That's pretty redneck engineering... I like it.

I spent $25 on the funnel kit. Easiest bleed ever - engine to temp, shut off, fill funnel, go away. Repeat until level in funnel doesn't go down (about 2x for me)

 

+1 on this pair of pliers. Only tool I found to get access to the engine side hose clamp. Took forever and even after loosening the clamp I had to cut the hose from the fitting. Had started off just replacing the connector but saw than the firewall hose had a cut in it. Visions of having to do this job twice gave me night sweats so also replaced both hoses. The removed oem connector now looks like a jigsaw puzzle. Nissan probably saved less than a dollar putting this cheap crap in our cars. Don't put this job off, I really pushed it at 165000.

 

I've got to redo mine from the temp/Home Depot Racing Team fix to the actual new hoses and such. I'll add pics here when I do.

 

I may have missed it above but worm gear clamps do not adjust for temps/expanding/contracting. Spring clamps as I have been trained by a master Tech. are best. Also, the pliars that @Rochester showed are the closest thing to mine I saw above, but mine (I bought after struggling hours getting the hose clamp back into the backside of engine/hose and completing job first ugh) have the red handle, but the actual pinchers are at the end of a cable! They are a dream come true and everybody needs this tool. You can put it nearly anywhere in the engine bay. I also bought a set of hose removal "sticks". They are very pointed at the end like a wedge and you move them around the end of the hold hose and it breaks it free. It's a cinch after that. Another must have.

 

Thats right, don't use worm clamps on coolant fluid hoses. It wasn't anything I had ever considered until this project, and now it just makes sense.

"Project" LOL. Not so much for someone like you, Texas Boy, with proper training and proper tools. But for most of us here, it's a PITA.

 

So as much as I wanted this to be a fairly easy job, I am now at the point where it will be a 2-day affair.

I went out and bought the hose clamp pliers with the cable and, while they are surely a useful tool in other areas of the engine bay, for this job the clamp portion turned out to be too large. I could compress the hose clamp to open it, but there was no room to easily maneuver it up the hose to get it off the plastic piece. Off to AutoZone for a pair of 90* long reach pliers. That allowed me to get the clamps slid back away from the ends. I gave a mighty pull and snapped the plastic piece in half. I was able to fish out one piece from the hose to the firewall intact but the engine side hose still has half of the plastic tube in it. I have tried to use my pick set to loosen the hose all the way around the inner diameter and everytime I try to pull it out with needle nose pliers I can only get a tiny piece.

I am thinking I need to put a hose clamp or vise grips on the engine side far enough from the end that I can then crush the plastic piece and carefully remove the pieces from the inside of the hose. That sounds like a nightmare job so I'm asking if anyone has any other ideas to try before I go all Gorilla on it?

Anyone?

 

To be honest, what you need assuming you don't have bear paws for hands is to A. remove the windshield/battery trim on the passenger side, and B. Get some 16" or longer bent-nose needle-nose pliers. They work just fine. I've got the fancy hose clamp pliers too and they work awesomely if you can get them positioned right. I would recommend removing the entire assembly from the car (hose: heater-connector, connector, hose: connector - block) and dealing with it OUTSIDE the engine bay and then reinstall as a unit.

For mine I went ahead and bought new double-compression OEM clamps from Nissan. They come latched open so installing is a matter of positioning and hitting the tab with a pick - pop! and you're done.

 

Also, don't dismiss the benefit of proper position. If you could stand on a platform and reach downward, it would be a lot easier than otherwise.

Sorry to read how a simple project turned into days of frustration, particularly since that's how it went for me too.

 

Thanks for your replies.

Since it is only the connector to engine block portion, I will see if I can get just that one piece out and deal with it out of the car.