Heater Hose Issue?

Recently had a major service of on my 99 Prerunner at 245k miles including timing belt, all the engine internals involved that is recommended such as crank, cam seals, drive belts, Pullys etc. from Toyota dealer.

Also had all 9 coolant hoses replaced and I supplied all OEM ones with matching NEW constant tension clamps and organized all hoses+clamps for Tech to replace.

Got truck back and they gave me two of my new clamps back along with all my old parts/hoses/clamps and two old heater hoses were also missing two Old clamps. Due to this it leaves me to believe they reused two clamps as I supplied the correct amount of clamps+hoses. I also found two old Looking ones At the bottom of the two heater hoses that go into the rear of the block That are now on the truck and suspected these were the two re-used and stated this to my advisor
Advisor says tech insists not the same size clamps/part as the clamps on the top part of the hose Going to the firewall. Tech stated he used two that he had lying around instead that were correct size.

I call BS! and insisted they replace them with new looking ones like I supplied as I don’t want to have issues with leaking down the road from them lying to me as I have had leaks before from Re Using old clamps on my other vehicle.

They insist that they have to order the Two clamps and mine won’t work. Hoses are all the same exact diameter when I held them all up together so can’t see the clamps going to the block being different size!??
It’s been two weeks and STILL waiting on them to get the clamps that now supposedly are on back order...

the attached picture does show different part # for bottom clamps as opposed to top but this doesn’t make sense to me And I can’t find that part number to order or see if they are infact No longer available.


Note *
All this and not to mention I had to have the truck towed back due to a hose leak at the firewall After the job was done Initially. They had to double up clamps and move The heater hose back more on the heater core pipe to get it to not Leak due to too much corrosion. they tried sanding some of the pipe down to clean it prior so this might have played an affect as well due to damage. Not an issue now as it’s fixed but just hiccups and I am understanding.
They also used Toyota Super long life pink coolant where manual states red and red is what I have always run in the truck. They insisted they used red but I can clearly see pink from the leak and paper work says the pink super long life coolant so my faith in Their honesty is being tested now. So insisted changing to the red Coolant as it should be while replacing the old looking clamps with new ones. AND I even said I’ll pay that extra charge.
Many say red and pink don’t mix but believe it was cleared up that they do but I want to keep things the same on an old engine to play it safe.
All this leads me to be very untrusting due to their lies so far and me having to call them out on it. Little things but still, be real and upfront with me.



* My question *
Are the heater hose constant tension clamps ALL the same at the top and bottom of all 3 heater hoses On the 5VZFE Engine?

 

Perhaps you should perform your own maintenance.

 

Believe me I do, when it comes to wanting work done right you have to.
But this one time I haven’t had the time or space to work on it. And I am not gonna go in and change this stupid little part after paying all this money for Them to finish the job correctly. That’s where I’m at
But currently just trying to see the answer to my question about the clamps in fact being different and their not screwing with me...

 

Your diagram shows at least 3 part numbers at play. I think two of the part numbers got merged. I just did some of this on my truck but will have to go back and look to see if the clamps are the same. I do remember ordering two types and got only one, but I may be thinking of the IACV hoses

 

i know the top left hose clamp is a different part# and even different looking clamp clearly in the pic. I actually didn’t get that one but used the ones like the others because the other styles were what were on my truck Originally. Dealer installed it and it’s just fine no leaks.
But yeah the bottom two going to the block are also different numbers but I can’t see why or the fact that they would actually be different and a different size.

 

You can't get mad about hoses not sealing at a heater core in that condition, those things get brittle af. They didn't put the corrosion there. Replace the 20 yr old heater core and stop being such a whiner.

The tech probably fucked with that thing for an hour trying to get them to seal, gave up and had to figure something out to get the job wrapped up. Shit doesn't just magically fall back together at 245,000 miles.

Throwing a fit over 2 mismatched hose clamps lol

How would you handle it if the tech told you the heater core had broken while trying to remove the hoses? Kick and scream and throw chairs around?

You're wearing them out over the "incorrect" coolant causing damage to your engine, but you don't want to spend the money to fix the obviously worn out heater core?

Yeesh

 

not mad about the leak, I was understanding And more than okay with it as I have gone through the same issues before doing the job on my own car.
No way worth pulling the dash and breaking all kinds of old plastic bits to change the heater core if not needed. But that’s no longer an issue as the two clamps seem to be holding.

Am frustrated about me supplying the parts and them not being used after spending a few grand and finding old clamps that can very well fail and leak due to age. Slow leak on a long trip and an overheat and there goes a head gasket. I payed for the labor and parts to avoid that issue in the first place. Not to mention them playing stupid saying they are not the right size “which I believe they in fact all are until proven wrong”
And then playing stupid on coolant used. Not that it truly matters but to someone who keeps their stuff in good shape so they last and to avoid future problems rather than just drive a car into the ground and buy something new. I take pride in my vehicles and doing the job right this way things aren’t a problem down the road.

 

Doing the job right would've been replacing the heater core. They were sanding it down, being super careful, trying to save you money...

It doesnt matter that you paid for a bunch of labor. That labor time didnt pay the tech any extra for all the messing around he had to do.

If the heater core is compromised then it should get replaced too. You cant accuse the shop of endangering your engine with the incorrect coolant if you're driving around with a crusty heater core


But.. on a different vibe, you should totally do the heater core. There isn't that much plastic stuff under there. Its actually a pretty straightforward dash pull. Hardest part is messing with blend door/cable adjustments going back together.

 

I have tipped a tech heavily personally on a job done right in the past as I am appreciative as I am a perfectionist myself.
here Is my engine as an example of how I keep things
BUT don’t lie to me and play me for a fool because you forgot to put the supplied parts in the vehicle that I have kindly enough organized, sorted, and supplied.

If they damaged the heater core
Yes I’d be pissed
They damaged it, if you can’t pull a hose/cut a hose off correctly, you shouldn’t be touching an engine period. A shop is a place you pay for someone who is trained to do the job correctly at a high cost. And therefore should be done that way. In a perfect world of course. And that we do not live in I am aware. So true I would be understanding of the damage but not happy with it. Again
Leading back to my frustration is the playing dumb and not doing the job the right way and holding my truck up for two weeks and waiting 4 days to tell me a part is on back order where the part is IN THEIR HANDS and insist it is the wrong part while common sense says all clamps are the same.

 

He didnt " forget" anything.. he was trying to get something/anything on there that would seal up. He can't spend all afternoon on one heater core connection.

If the car had been in front of me I would've called you up and told you the only way i can guarantee no leaks is with a new heater core.

perfectionist lol

If you're a perfectionist then what is that heater core still doing in the truck

 

It is sealed “at the heater core” it’s the bottom clamps that are the old ones that were reused when I supplied two new ones. What I’m trying to figure out originally is if the clamps are actually different And I’m not getting fed BS after paying for the new parts to be used.

heater core is still in there because there is nothing wrong about it and I never planned on changing it in the first place unless Necessary.
That’s like saying I should just replace the whole engine as it’s all worn and old lol

point of all this, trying the figure out the truth about these Bottom heater hose clamps or if I’m getting the run around.

*If they are in-fact different*
I will HAPPILY bring a case of beer for the tech, an apology and gratuity for his time and my doubting of their work.

 

You're not getting the point. If the corrosion is bad enough that new heater hoses won't seal against the pipes, then it needs a heater core. Forget about comparing hose clamp tension on the internet. Like i said, the tech probably tried a bunch of different clamps. It was the lumpy/bumpy/pitted corrosion on the pipe causing the leak.

You said they tried to sand it down and then it still leaked later and the truck had to be brought back in? That was your clue that the heater core was still a problem! Fix it and quit looking for someone to blame

Its not the techs fault, its not your fault, its not the clamps fault, its not the trucks fault. Shit gets crusty after 20 yrs and a 1/4 million miles.

 

Oh I get it. And as of now that’s not the problem. It’s no longer leaking at the firewall on the heater core pipes.
If again it DOES yes heater core will be replaced.

Again my issue, reusing old clamps at the other end of those hoses and that being another potential fail point down the road When I supplied NEW and paid to have them replaced. And if in fact they are different sizes despite same hose diameter.

 

Well suit yourself, if the old hose clamps bug you that much then do what ya gotta do. The spring ones rarely fail, its the screw type ones that will loosen up over time

I'm glad your truck isn't in my shop lol

 

Just trying to limit future issues and figure out that if what they’re feeding me About how they are different size clamps but same hose diameter for some straaaange reason.

 

Those upper and lower clamps are different, look at the part numbers.

This little rib on the hose, along with the different clamp means that the hose diameter is different at the bottom

 

So based on that pic and what I found online, yes the numbers appear to be different
I know holding the hoses up together when I had them new before installed, that bottom end had the same exact diameter as the top Öhlins them up together. The new clamps that I bought also slid over both sides the same leading me to believe how different could the clamp actually be? Very weird
I hope to find out soon if the shop is infact able to get this different part number clamp and I can see the old ones and compare to see if infact they are different.

 

The hose might be close to the same size at both ends but if the diameter of the metal pipe is different then the clamp wont work. If you were the guy responsible for putting the hose on you'd know pretty quick what fits and what doesn't. Sliding clamps around on an uninstalled hose doesnt make you an expert on clamp fitment.

They didn't "forget" anything, your supplied clamps didn't fit, so they used the old ones

The amount of energy you have for this little pissing match with your dealer is comical

I'm out

 

Still can’t believe they’re actually different. But I’m certain that is what was done if they trully are
And I agree comical but still wanting the correct and new ones on.
And admired to the advisor, if I am wrong I will happily pay for the extra labor to replace with new ones due to me supplying wrong ones.

anywho, hope to find the truth In person on this

 

I owned and operated a chain of auto parts stores for 16 years and probably sold a trillion hose clamps over the years and when properly installed never heard of a single instance of one failing.
New or used, hose clamps have a VERY-VERY LOW failure rate.