11-29-2010, 09:21 AM
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Seek to understand,^Value
Location: San Jose, California
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Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 17,122
Mein Auto: 02 BMW 525i M54 automatic
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Quote:
Originally Posted by agent15
This piece broke despite, as BB notes, the metal reinforcement tube inside the outer plastic connector. This design definitely belongs on the list of head-scratchers...
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I agree. My plastic nipple was so brittle that almost anything would have broken it off.
Because of that, and because people may wish to re-use an expansion tank if it's fairly new, it behooves us to come up with an OEM-hose-clamp-removal process that is the least forceful we can devise.
At first, I tried to "chop" off the crimped nub of the OEM hose clamp with snub-nosed wire cutters.
Almost instantly, as soon as a modicum of side force was applied, the nipple simply "twisted" off (it twisted because the plastic broke but the metal sleeve was still intact).
At this point, I realized I should have either dremeled off the hose clamp (so as to exert zero sidewise force) or I should have lifted up on the end of the hose clamp wrapped and locked end.
Here you see the pliers used to lift up on the end freeing successive lock pins in the OEM clamp. In hindsight, even this would have exerted too much sidewise force on the nipple, dooming it to failure.
Finally the OEM hose clamp was "peeled off". In the future, I would dremel off the hose clamp. I welcome a BETTER method from the peanut gallery if you can propose one.
BTW, I do realize that it's almost futile to try to "save" the expansion tank if the nipple is as brittle as mine was. However, I can imagine a situation where you have to "go back in" after doing recent work - and then, you would have a less-brittle nipple (my assumption anyway) and you'd want to "save" the expansion tank if you could.
So, if anyone has a less damaging way to remove the hose clamp, let us know!
BB
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