A Cheaper replacement for the VR6 top Radiator Hose
by Eric Schumacher
The top radiator hose PN 535 121 101H on a VR6 powered Corrado that sells
for over one hundred bucks at your friendly dealer can be replaced with one
from Trak Auto ( PN 71238 for $5.35) The fit is good as purchased and was
made perfect in my case by trimming 3/4 of an inch from the radiator end.
The bad news is that the 71238 has no provision for the 8 mm air bleed hose.
I remedied this by making a fitting to tap into the plastic elbow on the top
of the radiator. I made the necessary fitting by drilling out the center of
a 1/4-20 stainless steel bolt with a #30 drill and silver soldering the bolt
into a brass 5/16 hose barb fitting. The hose barb fitting I started with
was for 1/8 inch pipe. I cut the threads off nice and square just past the
hex and soldered the 1/4-20 bolt in the 1/4 inch hole in the hose barb
fitting. The plastic elbow was drilled and tapped with 1/4-20 into the
mounting flange just above the O ring opposite the inlet. Make sure the
hole is perpendicular to the flange surface to insure a good seal. A thin
rubber washer on the screw for sealing completes the fabrication. The bolt
threads were coated with Permatex "just in case."
Do not be tempted to omit the air bleed hose. This hose drains the air
pockets, that will develop at the two high points in the cooling system,
into the headertank.
