Thread: throwing elbows

What mine looked like when they leaked. Orings turned to goo
I replaced with GM part number orings.
Turbocharged400sbc recommended i sand the casting seem(ridge) with a rat tail to smooth the groove of imperfections. I used ptfe silicone to lube.
Hasn't leaked since. Of course I dont remember how I found those 2 part numbers

Oh so that's what that was. When I took mine out after having them in 4 years I had the orange goop on them. I figured I must have put some rtv on them. So they just turn to goo?

Thought I did to at first but it was only on the side where it was leaking.

Yeah.man, I'm 99% sure I didn't rtv them. I usually just put some Vaseline on them. But they looked just like your pics. Cheap metal elbows suck I guess.

Originally Posted by bandook

Yeah.man, I'm 99% sure I didn't rtv them. I usually just put some Vaseline on them. But they looked just like your pics. Cheap metal elbows suck I guess.

Its the too small crap quality rubber orings

Just found the numbers
(1) of the larger O-ring GM P/N 24502846 and (3) of the smaller O-rings GM P/N 25537068 (AC Delco P/N 15-34066).....taken from Amazon review.

But check out this link for the elbows on Amazon, look at the review pictures and read some of the reviews. Those pics look worse than mine

Robot Check

Theres a normal black O ring under the goo. They don't morph states of matter, thats a sealant which scrapes off. It did what it is supposed to do.

Everyone must have missed the part about rattle room. Mine wiggle once installed. But I kept hearing you gotta watch that angle, wiggle going in. Yeah, naw. I ain't quite that green, boys. RTV=solved

I have driven these 3800s over 150K miles now, had the GT ten years and the P for 6. Started out using a thin swipe of RTV and plastic GM elbows and they lasted as good as any. Joined here, started doing the way way way too frequent metal elbow dance sans sealant. I drive junk and issues I have are not believable.

Tim, my thing about that is this: How to determine date of manufacture on an O-ring? Is the one on the elbow older or the one in the parts store's assortment bin? Or is a whole bag of them off the web older? No one can know. The ones on the elbows were made to fit, factory installed in the groove, and have a sealer coating. I can't think of how to beat that unless its using fatter rings. But then will the elbows install to the intended depth and stay squarely seated?

So the answer is yes, the ones that are pre-installed. And I have pics of all the bores but the one I showed was the only one appearing flawed. And honestly I ain't wanting to act snotty or bag on anybody but it kinda comes out that way. Frustration of having a great car with one ridiculous limitation that nobody else seems to have is where I am at and where any fussy tone comes from. My life just kinda runs that way overall so that don't help but I am used to it. King Workaround.

RTV is the only way I can think of, to put it together only once and be a success for any length of time. As I said, I never had a new elbow leak not using RTV. But they fail quickly. So to me, playing around swapping rings is the desperate hobbyist move more so than RTV. I believe that any reasonable person would anticipate this application needing a little of it. For whatever reason, mine don't stay stationary. Three engines, same. This car had 196K when I got it so theres no way for me to know if somebody in it's history hogged the bores out with a sandpaper drum or something while cleaning them.

I am past it. Its one of those situations where further expert advice is pointless because I reached a point of having to become my own expert, to my own satisfaction and thats all there is. I am used to that too. My sheetmetal abilities have ascended to a point of freaking some people out a little, including me, but I have not found a way to be anything short of an idiot when doing mechanical on non-V8, non-carbed cars. But somehow I just managed to pass the twenty year mark with my 455 GP and put as many miles on it as the two FWDs.

There are just things humans don't get to know, and in the grand scheme of things how important is it? To what great lengths can I justify going, to just be included in the no RTV crowd? Pfft, none. There ain't no way in hell sealant ain't part of this job and people are free to think what they will. I haven't made enough pay in the last decade to play with cars. Only manage damage and chase maintainence but I love my job. Its something a few guys would give a gonad to do but my former mechanical ability has gone sour without any fun projects. Driving heaps is just the best I can do.

Just about have that Model A roof insert welded in. The other day I needed to set down a cardboard template for a sec and was going to stick it in the trunk gap. Wouldn't fit! Anywhere. This, on a car whose doors originally overlapped at top and rear. Damn thats good. I can move metal mountains or make new ones but can I overcome simple elbow sealing? Maybe if I stick a 400 in it.

Are all these elbow failures on the same radiator cap?

We have all seen a bunch of elbow failures as we all know it's a poor design having some floppy elbow (originally plastic) sitting in there. Just seems there might be something else causing you to have so many issues. If your cap is not releasing pressure at the right psi then it's possible the elbows would be the weakest point of the system.

Watched my neighbor go through 3 radiators in his truck in less than a year, the shop he kept using suggested he also do the water pump after the 2nd failure. While I couldn't understand their thought process, I did suggest a new cap to him and after that cap he didn't have another quick failure.

Originally Posted by BillBoost37

Are all these elbow failures on the same radiator cap?

We have all seen a bunch of elbow failures as we all know it's a poor design having some floppy elbow (originally plastic) sitting in there. Just seems there might be something else causing you to have so many issues. If your cap is not releasing pressure at the right psi then it's possible the elbows would be the weakest point of the system.

Watched my neighbor go through 3 radiators in his truck in less than a year, the shop he kept using suggested he also do the water pump after the 2nd failure. While I couldn't understand their thought process, I did suggest a new cap to him and after that cap he didn't have another quick failure.

Possible for only the GTP, and only for some of the sets of elbows. I think I put the cap off the '02 on it because I had the same suspicion way back when. I did buy a new cap but it would not fit the radiator. Looks like a stock cap on it now. I said somewhere maybe on another forum early on that investing in a cap and system tester is looking like a requirement for W-body usage.

If I had to whip the dead horse further, I could say that over time, I think I have possibly made one relevant observation:

I often have to floor it for short distances (speeders) to enter the roads at the beginning and end of my commute... waaay before the thermostat opens. Almost stone cold. I keep it in mind and try to use patience but soon as I pull out, heres someone driving 3 or 5 tons going double the speed limit. If it happens on the work end, I have to hold it wide open until I surpass highway speed. Did the same thing every day for four years in the GT without making that observation. FWIW. But I imagine the pump deadheading and pushing the elbows out Because they alwats wiggle. Except the new do.

Didn't there used to be a way to edit a post? Typo at and of last post. Posting from phone so theres typos every other word.

I've never thought you were incompetent. Now, I can't always understand your posts but I think maybe that intentional? Lol. Or I'm just dumb. Either way there must be something else going on. It does look like that aluminum has been hit pretty heavy with like 220. I just steel wool mine. I mean, it doesn't take long to remove aluminum and probably just a thou or three removed would cause issues eventually. Bills insight seems spot on as a potential, too. Anyhoo, happy New Year!

Yep, the cap could be bad. Thermostat also. Water pump too. Not pouring coolant out now though, nor overheating. I always thought cooling system pressure would be a good gauge or lamp to have. But then I wonder why you can't buy a beef, egg, and cheese biscuit for breakfast. Seems like that ought to be a thing but I don't have to understand why it ain't. I think I was the only one suggesting I am slipping. You'll get old and trip out first time it hits you that you ain't as sharp as you once were. The ability to communicate with youngers slips away even faster. Me, I just stopped the leak and am back to not worrying just keeping gas, tires, and oil up to snuff.

But man o man, theres maybe the biggest nail biter task yet at the shop waiting for me to pull some kinda magic stunt on and that certainly affects my demeanor at times. Among other things. I know it so I post less nowadays.

As far as I am concerned, all is well. With the GTP elbows. The GT is acting up a bit and hollering about maintainence but the GTP is overdue for oil again. I have to spread my inclination pretty thin over my own junk.