L67 VT Heater tap keeps cracking?

[Bullet1]

Hey guys,

The heater tap in my super6 VT keeps cracking/splitting (2nd in two months went last night) and as a result I lose all the coolant and overheat =(. Was wondering if there could be any reason this could be happening so frequently? and also if there is any heavier duty taps? Maybe a steel sleeve to slide up inside of the tap to reinforce it?

*I also only run 8psi so far and an aluminum radiator to keep the heat down a bit.

Cheers, Rhys.

[Brett_jjj]

If your buying the cheaper heater taps from ebay etc,then try a genuine holden tap instead.The cheap ones are rubbish.A mate went through 2 in 6 months.He went genuine instead then, and a year later,still no problems.I think its the heat radiated from the exhaust that makes them go brittle.Ive got silver reflective tape wrapped around mine and its been there 3 or so years now.My first one broke just from touching it.

[purekiwi]

i replaced mine yesterday with a metal one because the plastic one cracked on me while i was driving and was so brittle that it felt like wet cardboard heres hoping the problem is fixed, i would also advise changing the hoses while you are at it as the clamps dont seem to seal very well once they have already been tightend up for a long period of time and mine had also gotten quite thin and were going to need to be done at some stage anyway so was worth the extra few bucks

[Bullet1]

cheers, yeah I've been using genuine replacement taps but still to no avail. Purekiwi where did you find the metal ones from? I've looked for them but can't find them?

[purekiwi]

i had to get it done by a mobile mecanic called mr spanner cos i was stuck ages away from home and didnt have my wallet or toolls to fix it but im not sure where he got it from but im sure if you give him a buzz he will tell ya

[blacknight]

I deleted the whole heater tap and the heater core and ran a bypass hose back into the engine block. I had went through 3 taps before giving up on trying to replace them everytime. the same crack always seems to appear near the bends and leaks everywhere. This modification didnt harm my engine in any way, and made the bay area more simple in terms of looking for things. If i had a spare heater tap, i'd reinforce it with epoxy or wrap it up in reflective tape, but its one more thing that can fail.
just my two cents...

[Brett_jjj]

I deleted the whole heater tap and the heater core and ran a bypass hose back into the engine block. I had went through 3 taps before giving up on trying to replace them everytime. the same crack always seems to appear near the bends and leaks everywhere. This modification didnt harm my engine in any way, and made the bay area more simple in terms of looking for things. If i had a spare heater tap, i'd reinforce it with epoxy or wrap it up in reflective tape, but its one more thing that can fail.
just my two cents...

This will eventually cause the heater core to corrode and get holes in it etc ,and its a big job to get it replaced,the dash has to come out.I guess it doesnt matter if you dont ever want to use the heater again.

[blacknight]

i deleted it too. meaning i took it out of the dash, the hoses removed etc. Sure it was a p.i.t.a to remove it and i only accomplished the coolant to take a shorter route through the engine.So far no dramas, the car doesnt overheat at all. The temp gauge still remains just above the quarter mark. In the tropics, the heater function isnt as crucial as imo its more to warm up the car's interior and may have a part in the cooling system. would i recommend the modification? not to everyone, but it works for me and no more broken taps, leaky coolant or messy hoses

[Brett_jjj]

Sorry mate,maybe I should read the post properly next time,