Air Hose from turbo to cooler replacement

[ok-rver]

Doing preventive maintenance and looking at most everything prior to 4,000 mile trip in June. Side radiator ISC 8.3. I believe there is a hard pipe from the air side of the turbo down to the level of the charger air cooler. The hard pipe turns towards the side radiator on passenger side. Have not measured but the hose connecting appears to be 4" dia by around 12" long. As shown in the picture, the end of the hose has pulled away from a ridge on the hard pipe about 1/2". The clamp appears to be at an angle. If a replacement hose is available, I would like to replace and not rely on the deformed hose. Has any one replaced this and/or know of a source for replacement hose and clamps. the hose has several bellows with wire rings to compensate for engine movement.

[Ivan K]

Are you sure about the 12" length? Sounds longer than usual. I replaced one just recently, ours is 4x8" and got it from Amazon because of shipping. 

[JDCrow]

Might give Riff Raff Diesel a call. I’ve gotten great hoses from them. 
 

They might be able to make you one or have a compatible one on the shelf. Super great guys 

 

https://www.riffraffdiesel.com

[Jdw12345]

Just an FYI, the wire around the rubber boot is to control expansion of the boot from intake manifold pressure. 
 

One other thing to consider, if there’s room on the hard piping and the boot, two clamps are kind of a normal configuration, and it’s never a bad idea to have a spare clamp or two on hand. They are commonly referred to as a consistent torque clamp and generally can be purchased at most heavy duty truck parts place, Peterbilt, Kenworth, Frieghtliner, ect.

 I’ve spent about 3 million miles in a trk for myself, I’ve never blown a boot, I have blown clamps though!

Edited April 13, 2022 by Jdw12345

[ok-rver]

measured both hoses today. the inlet to the CAC (hot side) is 14" long with 7 steel rings. The discharge from the CAC back to the intake manifold is 8" long with 3 rings. initial searches show the longest hose available  at 12", $141 at HPS. Priced qty 2 of 6" long hoses, 4 clamps with a 6" center aluminum tube at over $200. There is 10" between the two tubes that the hose slides on. concerned about getting the hoses on with the tube in the middle. the tube on the CAC is straight for about 4" past the normal end of the hose. I may be able to slide the hose far enough on to get every thing together. other option is a 6' and 8" hose with a 3" aluminum tube. 

The plan is to power wash the engine and these connections on Friday when it warms up a bit. having this clean will be critical to not getting dirt inside the tubes.  any sources I should be checking out?

[Ivan K]

Wow, I have not seen a 4x14" hump hose. Custom made? Maybe you could just inspect your existing one and find it not being a problem? Mine would have still been good after nearly 200K. I only replaced it while checking cleanliness of the tubing because it was easily obtainable. And it was a Pita to get the new one on, being tight and stiff. But it is pretty...

Even if you have 4" of straight tubing to play with, it is going to be hard and you can't slide it very close to the nearest ring.

Edited April 14, 2022 by Ivan K

[ok-rver]

Thanks Ivan for jogging my memory. The first ring is 2-5/8" from the end so that is all that could be slide on the tube. Using a straight section of tubing will probably not work. Looking at other options

[ok-rver]

REV group parts responded with radiator hoses. Sent back a request for the turbo piping. The diagram and pictures for the radiator hoses and tubes was great info. Riff Raff Diesel only goes to 3-1/4" or so. Waiting on info from gates. 

Spent 3 hours and $15 at the truck bay of a local car wash. Got over 90% of the old grease/oil off the underside of the engine and cleaned the area of the hose that needs to be slid back onto the pipe. maybe a little more cleaning with simple green and a brush b4 I try to slide it back on. Drove 20 miles to get everything hot and dry. checked and already have a bit of oil out the slober tube. Will be fabricating a bottle to catch oil to help keep things clean. 

[ok-rver]

I have come up with a new thought. Hose is 14" long with about 2" overlap each end. That would make it 10" between the two metal tubes.  If the additional 4"long  metal tube is moved against the CAC tube and a 4" length of straight hose is slide 2" over the CAC pipe and 2" of the new pipe. Then I would have 6" between the new metal tube and the turbo pipe. I can buy a 10" hose. Maybe use a clamp over the interface between the CAC and new tube to align and give the straight hose extra support as well as clamps in the normal position. Trying to be creative in a solution that will work.

Wondering if there is a lubricant that is compatible with the silicone that will dissipate to keep from allowing the hose to slide after clamped.

[Ivan K]

An other option, If I had to use a lubricant for the hose, I would go with what's used for mounting tires, just because I have it handy and know that it loses any lubricity once dry. It is a water based mix. Maybe a dish soap would do the same too. I know people use silicon lubricants with turbo cars and much smaller diameter but i would worry about it staying slippery for a long time. You will get 2 inches relatively easily but it will get progressively much harder to twist and push. I am imagining your plan and think it will work. I only had about 4" between the hard pipes and it was a bit of a fight to kink the hose and get the other end started. My new hose was a bit tight compared to the old stretched one.

[Jdw12345]

I always put the hoses on dry on my Peterbilt’s and used a hose removal tool, it’s handy to have in the tool box.

 

https://www.amazon.com/OTC-4521-Hose-Removal-Tool/dp/B0050SFZBG

[Twomed]

"Walmart generic personal lubricant, it is water soluble"

Also known as KY Jelly...😁 Check out at the self check, or just a big smile with the lady cashiers..."it really is for my toolbox".  All kidding asie it is the best lube for any hose, non-petroleum, will not damage any hose material. 

[ok-rver]

Tried to realign the hose today. It's not going to move easily so going to leave it as is. My surprise was that there is a part number under the grime and clamp. Got a good picture of part number. Will search for part as a spare. I did straighten the clamp to the upset enlarged end on the metal tube. I do not think at 30 psi it will blow off.

[wamcneil]

I don't think your hose is 'deformed'... I think the tubes don't line up exactly and it was probably installed that way when new.

If the hose is solid I'd leave it alone until something requires removal of the hose and replace it then. Like others have said, installation will be a miserable ordeal if you can't pull the rigid tubes apart and make room for the hose to easily go in between.

There's no rule that says a piece of hose must extend all the way down the clamping surface and butt up against something. There's a bead on the end of the tube and the clamp needs to be past that. As long as you've got enough hose to go 1/2" past the clamp that's all that's needed. You've got plenty of hose for the hose clamp to do its thing.

Either way, you have my sympathy... I too suffer from a strong compulsion to fix things that are not broken. 😳

Cheers,

Walter

Edited May 4, 2022 by wamcneil

[ok-rver]

looking at hose further. The radiator and CAC have not moved, mounts are solid. I have not looked closely at the turbo but it does have a band clamp between the exhaust housing and the turbo housing. the down tube on the air compressor side does appear to be further away from the CAC than it needs to be. From someone that has removed and re-installed a turbo on the 2003 era 8.3 ISC, could the turbo housing have been rotated away from the CAC tube or is there other framework that locates the rotation of the turbo?

[ok-rver]

Older thread but getting ready to do something about the stretched hose. I believe that the turbo has been installed with the outlet going to the CAC in the wrong orientation thus requiring the hose to be stretched. There is not any maintenance records of turbo work by the PO's. Will be purchasing a 12" standard hose and re-clocking the compressor housing. I am award there is clip that holds the housing in position. I am wondering if the turbo needs to be pulled and on the bench or can this be done while mounted to the exhaust manifold? Side radiator motorhome.

Edited September 14, 2022 by ok-rver

[ok-rver]

Finally got around to tackling this issue. I will state this now and again later on. I DO NOT recommend any one do this. I was very difficult, taking 3 or 4  attempts at getting a tool that would re-install the snap ring that hold the housing to the bearing assembly. 

My snap ring has small tabs on each end. I was able to get the snap ring out of the groove with channel locks. One of the tabs was originally up against the oil drain boss and appeared to be bent towards the other tab slightly. The outer housing of my turbo was turned 20 plus degrees away from the cooler, stretching the hose over an inch. The tab may have bent as the housing rotated and it hit the drain boss or was just that way from the factory. I had not planned on completely removing the snap ring from the bore. With the ring not in the groove, the housing rotated very easy and I positioned it so the hose was 12-1/2" long. 

When I went to put the snap ring back in the grove, it did not snap in opposite the opening. While playing with the snap ring, It popped out of the housing. As the tab was bent, pliers would not hold as I compressed. Borrowed a pair of very big snap ring pliers and not enough room to get into the area. ground down the tips of a 13" pair of 90 deg needle nose pliers but could not squeeze the handles together. the snap ring is 1/2" wide in places and pretty strong.  ended up using sheet metal welding vice grips, drilling a hole in each of the arms for 1/8" drill rod. used a 6-1/2" hose clamp to squeeze the snap ring small enough that I could then insert the pins and then try to squeeze small enough. Pins slipped out 50 or more times. Last night I tapped the pin holes #8-32 and bought 3/4" long Grade 5 socket head bolts at Lowe's. Had to chuck the bolt heads in a drill and file the thread major diameter down a bit to get into the holes of the snap ring. threads gave it very good bit into the snap ring. Second try today, I had the snap ring in place.

In doing research on this, I found a couple of good videos on re-installing the snap ring while on the bench. One suggested using pliers to squeeze(radially) the ring fully in it's groove. the other used a punch on each tab to push the snap ring. I did both. the gap between the two tabs on the end of the snap ring finally stabilized about 3/4" wider than when the snap ring first went in the groove. The ring is tapered and is wedging the inner and outer housing together.

My guess is that when my turbo was apart at some time, the snap ring was not fully wedged in place. Housing moved and stretched the hose.

I started up the engine and warmed it up as much as you can idling. In drive, I was able to step thru 10, 15, 20 psi boost while in drive against the brakes. No movement of the turbo housing.  Maybe over the weekend I will be able to get it out and drive it. AG Diesel sent me a revised engine module that "is suppose to work" and I will be able to get to 25-26 psi of boost. That's about 320 pounds pushing against the turbo housing.

This was a true pain laying on my back reaching up into a very small space. I have 4 afternoons involved in getting this apart and back together. I think I would pull the turbo and do it on the bench if I have to do it again, except now I have a tool that makes it a little easier. Having the turbo off would make drilling for a EGT probe much easier.

This started because my hose was stretched about 1-1/2". I could not find a hose long enough to replace the separated tube ends. It turns out the 90 deg elbow on the turbo housing is easy to remove via a V-clamp. I could have removed the elbow and "easily" slide a hose, metal tube, hose assembly made up to the needed length on the the CAC tube, then into the turbo nozzle and the reconnected the 90 deg elbow to the turbo.

May my struggles give you chuckles and ideas.

[ok-rver]

In previous post I had only tested the snap ring holding the turbo housing in place up to a brake loaded 20 psi. I was able to drive 30ish miles with a lot of full power loading and there has been no movement of the turbo housing.