Hi Scott,
    You can replace the stock T with a 5/8 on all 3 points and then run a
5/8 heater hose to your rear heater. The present rear heater hose is 1/2 on
the T end and 5/8 at the heater core end. There are usually good reasons why
engineers design things as they do but the rear heater Ts are beyond my
reasoning ability. Only possible reason is the lead engineers brother-in-law
had lots of special hoses laying around.

Darrell Boehler

----- Original Message -----
From: Stucco <spaddock@DEN.WANTWEB.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2000 10:35 PM
Subject: Unusual Achilles heel discovered...

> Hey Listees,
>
> So I'm having my mechanic do a simple job for me- the (PVC?) conduit that
> under my van that carries the antifreeze back to the engine developed a
slow
> leak up front after I drove over something or another and was bugging be.
> Time for a fix.  He gets that battle won in next to no time and is letting
> my van run to test for air in the system and general cooling health when
> *POP* and loads of steam!  This funky little "T" shaped affair designed to
> route coolant to the rear heater falls apart!  It's roughly, just in front
> and above the passenger rear tire.  Well, I'm glad it happened there,
> needles to say, but upon further inspection of the remains- what is this
> plastic?  I mean it's oddly sized (the straight legs are 5/8" and the tap
> leg is 1/2" and made of thin (and decayed) plastic!  What would I have
done
> out on the roads someplace? My mechanic had a replacement from a '91 he's
> parting out, thankfully.  I was considering something a bit heartier like
> copper or something, but as he had the part and it looked loads better
than
> my busted one...
>
> Has anyone dealt with this under engineered little ditty or am I a
> trendsetter?  :)
>
> Scott Paddock
> '87 Vanagon Wolfsburg "Rolf"  (who no longer marks his territory with
> antifreeze)
> '93 Eurovan GL "Gita"
>