What are cooler hoses actually called? Ridiculously dumb here

Radiator hoses: not the big ones (upper & lower) but those 2 little ones that come/go from the way bottom of the radiator. The hoses lead to connecting to small hard metal pipes... I need to order those 2 little hoses, but can not find anywhere what they're called!? Huge apologies for asking such a ridiculously dumb question, but please,what are they?

Book says: "Cooler hoses" (automatic transmission only) --- do I just walk into the parts store and ask for " cooler hoses"? Eh, afraid they'll look at me sideways when I say those are too big, lol.

Well, I HAVE An automatic transmission... but this is the first time.

Also - what fluid is in those hoses? Wow yep I asked, seriously can't find that either!!!

Thanks to anyone who reads this and sorry for the stupid questions :(

The people at the parts store are probably dummer lol

Those are transmission lines. Also called a coolant line or a few other names. Go to the parts store and see if they have transmission cooler lines. Transmission fluid goes in them.

Now.... this is where I will toss a warning - if you don't k ow what you are doing - take it to a pro. If you mess this up, it could cost you a transmission. You are smart for asking, but you'd be smarter to take it to someone who knows what they are doing if you don't.

Ah thank you!!! Yeah, I have no idea what I'm doing, I think I'll go replace the head gasket instead (sarcastic / not sarcastic). :) If I'm going to learn, I may as well do that while I'm at it. Seriously ~ thank you!

I didn't know you had an automatic in your truck. You may get a straight rod from them and have to bend it to match yours. You should check rockauto maybe and use promo code. Could save you a couple bucks if you have something else to work on until they arrive. Those auto stores are just so expensive.

Let us know how things go Tink. :)

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Originally Posted by BradMph

I didn't know you had an automatic in your truck. You may get a straight rod from them and have to bend it to match yours. You should check rockauto maybe and use promo code. Could save you a couple bucks if you have something else to work on until they arrive. Those auto stores are just so expensive.

Let us know how things go Tink. :)

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Oh Brad, I'm so sorry I thought (wrongly) that it was in the profile info that shows on the posts here that it's an auto. But now that I just looked I don't see it, so I'll see about putting it in the signature? I know that's SO important too can't believe I didn't pick up on that before :( Dang it.

Sighs, been a long year already!!! Ok so I'll fix that, and yes, the auto shift stick (what is that even called not a stick-shift) isn't such an issue since I relocated the fuse box. My bf's legs are so long it was in the way for him but not for me so it was really only me trying to be nice. I still keep trying to find the clutch- 3rd pedal with my foot & miss the knob in my car a whole lot! Man anyways, thank you & YES that's what I was wondering about bending one or finding one already bent, you know those types that have skulls & eballs & stuff for knobs come with different length shafts - but never saw an auto w/one yet.

SO... I was serious about the head gasket. Went to deal with the radiator today, and my kid kept saying I should change the oil (since he drives the truck he's got a hundred opinions now what I should do). I kept saying: I'm not worried about the oil, I'm worried about getting it to stop using so much coolant, couldn't figure out where it was "STILL" leaking from since I replaced hoses, etc. etc. been watching it like a hawk. I'm always on his case about 3k oil changes (old-fashioned like my dad was)... yeah it can go longer than that but I don't like to & he picks up on that, 100 miles away from the 3k mark 'mom'.

Then today when I went out to find out where those tiny coolant hoses go I was poking around & checking all the fluids... pulled off the oil cap to smell it, even though the dipstick showed the level was good, since I'm anal like that and always smell the oil as if I know what I'm doing lol (aka for a gas smell just in case) and there was foam in the oil, thick grey sludge. Just on the bottom of the cap, no cardboard color crap or grey foamy sludge on anything IN the engine, pulled the plugs, fouled w/carbon but not oily at all, then pulled the valve cover, taking a billion pics in the process since I'm sure to forget how something goes back on.

The middle pic below shows the grey sludgey oil.

That was the ONLY spot that I've found with it other than the oil cap rubber o-ring gasket thingie itself.

I'm "thinking" I caught it just in time or just as it was starting happening since when I drove it to the store today it sounded & ran GREAT. I pull that cap off multiple times a week in all seriousness since it's still 'new' to me. But who knows?! I've got LOADS to learn.

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I'm going to read up on some sort of tool to lock the chain in place so I don't have to figure out how to reset the timing chain (probably saying that wrong), and where the heck the silent shaft is in this engine if it has one. Trying to go by the book of course and follow all the directions is hard when I'm not used to this engine - or an automatic - at all.

Changed my avatar because I'm too frustrated at the moment to find the signature, LOL! Hope that helps, again really sorry I missed making sure that was somewhere earlier since it can make such a difference! Thank you so much for pointing it out & everything else, too :)

Found more oil gunk while I was cleaning the valve cover :( Went to the parts store and got what I hope are all the things I'll need to finish replacing the head gasket & valve cover gasket.

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Gross, I'll be doing an oil change/filter change & probably another oil change, too.

Oh yes, and the cooler hoses that started this... they're bought 'by the foot'. The parts guy said just bring in a piece so he can be sure to get the same size. No big deal :) Yay!

Do you want to convert to a 5 speed or is that a bridge too far at this point?

You've one of the more hard core DIYers on this board, and that's saying a lot...

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Originally Posted by noahwins

Do you want to convert to a 5 speed or is that a bridge too far at this point?

You've one of the more hard core DIYers on this board, and that's saying a lot...

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Well, here's the deal:

I bought this specific truck because I needed an automatic vehicle of some sort that one of my kids could drive right away to get a drivers license, and be able to drive to/from/at work. After he found out the new clutches run about $900 for the shops to do (in my 3000gt that is the love of my life and also a 5 speed manual) he refused to even try to learn & risk owing me for a clutch while he was learning. So be it, lol, I didn't want him crashing my car anyway, and he allegedly needed a truck for work anyhow. I've wanted a little TRUCK since I was 16 or so years old, so buying an automatic truck made us both happy.

This truck is SO easy to work on (there's actually room to work and like no computer crap every stinkin where) I have an alert set on craigslist already for another 1st gen Mighty Max, clean title & manual transmission... I want to get one that is a stick with that little extra seat space (extended cab type) for me, and me only to drive that is a 5 speed. And I want the extendo cabby deal so there's room for my dog who is already about 80 lbs & big at 11 months old. I'm a little afraid of the dodge's... not sure what's all different or not, no offense to the D50, it's just me being girly or something. I have had nothing but love for & from Mitsubishi.

So no, not really convert this to a 5 speed, unless the transmission fries or blows or stinks up the streets in a melty explosion of dragon fire and burnt hair of some sort and is beyond rebuilding. I'm looking forward to getting a 2nd truck with a 5 speed though, and passing this one on to the BF, or the kid, or whoever ends up liking it most AFTER I find another truck for me.

I'm not in a big hurry with taxes to pay soon & tons of money not coming in at the moment that should be, I'm trying to patiently remain poor for a tad while longer.

I don't know about being hard-core DYI, it's like this quote for the head gasket replacement was $1200+ and I hung up the phone & said "HAH!!!!" so loud i"m sure the neighbors heard me. $1200 my a**. I could buy 1 or 2 more trucks for that and swap stuff around! I'll figure out how to do a head gasket... other people do it ALL the time!!! I talked w/the neighbor's friend if I mess up if he can help me but no habla english so idk about that. I'm pretty good about following instructions but suck at knowing what stuff is called so I read a lot on the boards, a lot lot. My car scares the crap out of me to work on. Oh I do work on it, but it takes me forever and I'm oh so careful with every little piece afraid I'll break something since everything is smooshed together under the hood with like zero room to work. It's like you have to take off 5 things just to get to the part you need to work on/replace/diagnose, etc. When I saw this truck and how little basic it looks, I'm not scared at all. So I'm sort of using the truck as practice for the car and/or practice for my 5spd truck.

I'll keep trying & reading & learning so long as there's anyone to put up with the dumb questions I ask, I'm so sorry about that since I realize it can be irritating to some people. I do watch a lot of Youtube videos & research a lot before I ask though to try and keep it to a minimum lol. I like being able to fix stuff & make it 'my way' and/or the 'right way' though so I don't give up easy. There are certain things I won't try though that's for sure! Some things are better left to the professionals yeah I can be a big wuss, too! And rarely have the 'right' tools rofl, so that makes it more fun ;)

You are definitely a silly girl, lmao Luv that new avatar.
Looks like you have work ahead of you with that muck you found in that oil. When you do a head gasket, be sure to re-torque the head about 500 miles later. That way the damn thing doesn't do it again. Oh heck that reminds me I have to do mine too!!!

Did you look for hair line cracks in the head? Not trying to depress you, but our engines are notorious for doing this stuff. checking between valves and MCA jet valves is the common spots.


$1200 for a head gasket? lmao They are taking advantage of the female voice on the phone, JERKS. I will fly over to you and replace the clutch and fly back home for $500. :lmao:

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Originally Posted by BradMph

You are definitely a silly girl, lmao Luv that new avatar.
Looks like you have work ahead of you with that muck you found in that oil. When you do a head gasket, be sure to re-torque the head about 500 miles later. That way the damn thing doesn't do it again. Oh heck that reminds me I have to do mine too!!!

Did you look for hair line cracks in the head? Not trying to depress you, but our engines are notorious for doing this stuff. checking between valves and MCA jet valves is the common spots.


$1200 for a head gasket? lmao They are taking advantage of the female voice on the phone, JERKS. I will fly over to you and replace the clutch and fly back home for $500. :lmao:

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Hey thanks :) Avatar was fastest yeah. okay so... you found me out, I have a female voice and get taken advantage of, rofl. So so frustrating. Yeah so anyways the muck thank thank thankfully is not all over the engine innerds, I am SO thankful for that I can't even explain, yeah. Just the inside of the valve cover and the cap so far ... though I haven't drained the oil yet not knowing how long the head gasket process will take me. Didn't want the workings all exposed any more than absolutely necessary. And now figuring I'll have to do an oil change like every 100 miles for a few weeks ;) just in case. j/k but will keep a super close eye on it.

The head is still on the rest of the engine because I got stuck on the 'last' step. I took out the camshaft bolt at the end, and off that drive bolt thing that attaches to the front of the cam sprocket at the very front in front of the sprocket but I'm not sure how to take off the head while leaving the timing chain on the sprocket and the sprocket nice and stationary in place. I saw on 2 different videos where people used zip ties to lock the chain around the sprocket, so I did that, and I stuffed rags down around the timing chain but I can't figure out what's supposed to happen to separate the timing chain sprocket from the cam shaft where the gold & the black pieces meet.
Like at the moment that the cam shaft is pulled apart or up from the timing chain sprocket is the timing chain sprocket going to fall? Am I supposed to tilt it ever so gently forward off the cam shaft? Is the timing chain stiff enough to hold the sprocket upright while it's ziptied tightly around it & not get slack in the timing chain that makes the chain fall off the sprockets down in the crankshaft area? So many questions I don't understand yet how it's supposed to happen the right way.
I saw people suggest to suspend the sprocket from some point under the hood but how in the heck do you take off the head if the sprocket is attached to the hood rofl. Ugh, I can't find a video that shows the order to do the last step in! Darn youtubers only have 2 hands lol.

1:44 it's all zip tied up and 1:55 the head is off. WTF? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3HSy...ature=youtu.be

There's another video that shows the same darn thing. It's zip tied, and then the head is off. Only in that video the sprocket's not suspended from the hood. WHAT?! How on earth are these guys doing this... once again at 2:32 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFgNp7052MU

omg so... it's after midnight again and I'm reading and watching more and more to see the missing step somewhere. The book is zero help on this too.

Yes I will go over that head with a magnifying glass all over and under and in everywhere possible looking for cracks! I will spend at least a day and night cleaning it and inspecting it. I'm obsessive like that. Really don't like doing the same job twice! I already found evidence that somebody had pryed/pried off the valve cover gasket in the past. It's not "too" bad but it's obvious. So frustrating. And for goodness sakes that's not even hard at ALL to take off. So not sure what to expect with the mating surfaces of the bottom of the head/block. But I won't pry.

Thanks for listening oh and your quoted estimate of $500!!! ;)

Hm, what IF it's a serious thing that the $1200 (OH "somewhere between" $1200 TO $2500) quote was based on my voice? This is where I called, just the first results on Yahoo because I simply wanted a ballpark estimate for what a head gasket replacement would cost on a 1984 Mitsubishi mighty max with a 2.6. Period. that's all I asked for. I WISH I WOULD have remembered the GUYS NAME!!! But my hand to god he said just a rough ballpark estimate would be anywhere between $1200 AND $2500. I pinky swear & promise & cross my heart and scouts honor that is exactly the dollar range he said. I was FLOORED because I expected it to be ohhh IDK, based on how fast I think they could do it and parts.. $40 for the gasket and $40 for new bolts, maybe oh $20 bucks for new valve cover gasket, somewhere around $600 tops. I've seen guys claim they can do it in a couple hours, too. Thinking 4 hours tops for actual official professional mechanic type guys who know what they're doing, have a shop & air tools and torque wrenches to just zip zipity do dah done. FFS even I can see it should be an easy job for experienced people.


6920 Ne Fourth Plain Blvd, Ste C, Vancouver, WA 98661
(360) 693-3933
precisiontune.com


Side note: I've never taken any car or truck to that place, never heard anyone recommend them or talk about them, they were simply the first Yahoo search results and I was only curious as to how (little) it would cost for the job. I didn't call any other place because their answer seemed SO ridiculous to me. There is no way in h-e-double-L I'd take this little truck to a shop in the condition it is right now because they'd likely claim some legal liability crap about "having" to replace this & that & so many stupid parts it does not "need" right now IMO. And yeah, I'll find the electrical 'shorts' after the head gasket & radiator are sorted :)

Happy day, the head is o-f-f! The only trick is to go slow, lol. Nearly lost 3 fingers trying to keep that timing chain sprocket on the little metal lip, but managed to do it. Thank goodness I had a guy to help me by lifting the head off while I held on to that sprocket and the metal lip for dear life. Lots of pics to upload later because it looks like I've got an awful lot of cleaning to do! No idea what cleaners to use, etc. Steel, alumimum brass brushes or whatever but seriously Exhaling with relief now! It was so easy I think I can even get it back together after it's all clean :)

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Just made a photo blog , since I had pics all over the place & realize that's probably going to confuse me later. http://mmtruck.blogspot.com/ but I wouldn't try it on dial-up... sort of sorry but don't want to burn daylight, have cleaning to do and still wanted to share pics for anyone curious lol, and for me to remember, too.


Loads of pics, including horrible carbon covered, rust colors, greasy oily dirty currently yucky stuff.

I usually spend a *SIGNIFICANT* portion of my day performing searches on the net. I would suggest that you use Google 'stead of Yahoo: Google's search results are *much* more search-word specific and cogent. Just a suggestion. /c

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Originally Posted by ChristopherASA

I usually spend a *SIGNIFICANT* portion of my day performing searches on the net. I would suggest that you use Google 'stead of Yahoo: Google's search results are *much* more search-word specific and cogent. Just a suggestion. /c

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Hey appreciate the suggestion !!! I'll try Google too also, love the image search on Google better than Yahoo anyway, just seems faster. Thank you :)

That grey sludge might be from years of motor oil made from Pennsylvania crude. Back in the day a bottle of Quaker State would always have a bit of grey sludge at the bottom. I think they filter it out now.

Or its because quaker state is no longer made from PA crude oil. PA crude is the best oil for a lubricant because of its high pariffin content, but is not so good for making fuel out of. Once Pennzoil bought them out then Pennzoil got bought out by Shell, they were all moved to Texas and use other oils for their base oil.

Pennzoil was always good about making the inside of an engine all black. Turned from Pennzoil and never went back. Changed to Castrol (not saying it's the best, but it keeps engine internal parts from getting blackened.)

Hm, I wonder how much this issue had to do with the oil not being happy:

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That right there is super hard rubber falling off around the valve cover bolt washer... Just found it. Maybe ya'll should peek at yours too?

Never would have thought to look there myself since I didn't even know there was rubber down in that valve cover bolt hole, but I'm in the final cleaning stages waiting for the wind/rain to stop long enough to put the head back on the block & whammo! Found these that need to be replaced, too :(

That is more from people tightening the bolts down to stop the valve cover from leaking instead of replacing the valve cover gasket and age. In severe cases, it can warp the valve cover to the point that it will never seal.

That is a crushed valve cover grommet. Check your head gasket kit. There may be 2 new rubber grommets in there.

Oh Andy you're right!!! There are 4 rubber grommets in there the same shape & everything! :) I'm going to do a fitment test to be positive after everything, including my hands, are clean & perfectly dry. Heck, may even throw on some gloves to be sure not to get skin oils on it/them. Of all the things to clean, the inside passageways in the valve cover have been the worst. I almost decided to put the valve cover in boiling water end-up one end at a time to see if I've gotten every bit of yucky oil out of them. Sure would have been nicer if Dodge/Mitsu used little nuts instead of rivets. I'd love to get them off and make them shiny inside.

Pennyman I think that the valve cover was sealing fine before all this... so I do expect it to seal up again just as well. But if it doesn't, I'll have to pray ragtime has a spare to sell me :)

Tink, you over tighten that valve cover you chance making the rockers contact it or even cracking it right where those bolts and coned rubber grommets go. The valve cover is thin in the areas where those bolts go. FYI

You could take it to a carwash and pressure wash it.
BradMph is right. If you overtighten those cover bolts you could distort the casting. The Haynes manual specs the torque for the valve cover bolts at 60 inch pounds. That's only 5 foot pounds. If you have a torque wrench for putting the head back on you can check if it will go down to 5 ft. lbs.

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Originally Posted by BradMph

Tink, you over tighten that valve cover you chance making the rockers contact it or even cracking it right where those bolts and coned rubber grommets go. The valve cover is thin in the areas where those bolts go. FYI

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Yes sir no sir I did not ever tighten those bolts nope not me! I undid them last week to start this & just saw how they're deteriorating. TY and I won't overtighten anything at all for sure will keep patience and torque specs handy :) #1 likely not strong enough #2 torquewrench for EVERYTHING (yay tools!)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Andy 2

You could take it to a carwash and pressure wash it.
BradMph is right. If you overtighten those cover bolts you could distort the casting. The Haynes manual specs the torque for the valve cover bolts at 60 inch pounds. That's only 5 foot pounds. If you have a torque wrench for putting the head back on you can check if it will go down to 5 ft. lbs.

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Mhm yep Yes sir no distorting castings ever, nooo problem, will keep that in my head, too. I'm only blonde on the inside - no wait, well, okay, so don't distort, got it. OK yes!!! Great idea I'll see how low the torque wrench will go and if it won't go down to 5ft lbs, I'll find one that does!!!

I'm a super strong believer in torque wrenches more than ever before since my BF broke a bolt in my car head and still hasn't managed to get it out :thumbdown: strong can be a terribly bad thing. Careful & patience & perfectly specific is the only way!


Thank you guys very very much, the head SHOULD go back on today as soon as I get a helper. Not going to try balancing everything by myself for this one. :) Praying that chain will stay on the shelf.

No head today. ALL day cleaning the top of the block. Got to the bolt holes & thought no biggie - but there may be a problem.

Are the head bolt holes in the block supposed to all be blind holes?

Because I think there may be an issue with the head bolt hole in the back on the driver's side (looking at the block from the front of the truck).

I was cleaning off the surface w/ a clean rag and brake cleaner, and then using Q-tips to soak up any/all liquid that fell in the bolt holes. I even used a vacuum to suck off / out any thing & everything possible, holes included. Then I was went to go concentrate on just the bolt holes, filling them w/brake cleaner, especially one of them that has a little rust...

But when I took a break & went back out to continue with the q-tips there was black fluid that sure as heck looked like oil in that bolt hole again... oh sh*t, oil ?MAYBE! I'm not sure what I did!!! Or the order I did it in since I was exhausted from standing on bricks to reach all the way into the truck all day. OMG.

So then I came back in, got more qtips, went outside, DRIED EVERY HOLE, and now I'm waiting to go out and check that back hole again to see if it stays dry or not.

I don't want to bolt everything back up just to find out I have a cracked block. I don't even know where the oil passageways run through the block anyways so for now just waiting to see if it stays dry, and search google to see if anyone has a diagram of the inside of the engine :(

OTOH it could very well be just me being dumb again. JUST IN CASE thought I should mention it since it could have happened to someone else.

I recommend running a bottoming tap down those bolt holes to clean the threads properly. I would then put the spray tube from the brake kleen can to the bottom of each hole and blast them out from the bottom up. After that, I would use an air gun from a compressor or air pig, and put it to the bottom of the hole and blast it out again to dry up the brake kleen.

Ok thank you! I've been reading that along with head bolt info here.

The oil is draining from the bolt right now, and going to take off the filter when that's done. It looks a little thick/dark but no gloops in it that I can tell yet. Will double-check and stick something in the oil pan drain hole to make sure no gloopy oil on the bottom. I REALLY don't want to have to pull the oil pan -- I did such a nice job sealing it up only a few months ago. But will if I must.

The suspect bolt hole in the back corner on the drivers side sat overnight without me messing with the block at all ~ and it was perfectly dry & clean inside this morning when I checked before draining the oilpan ~ WHEW!!!

Super appreciate all the tips I can get, trying to not rush it though I sort of want to, lol, I miss driving it.

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Originally Posted by Andy 2

I recommend running a bottoming tap down those bolt holes to clean the threads properly. I would then put the spray tube from the brake kleen can to the bottom of each hole and blast them out from the bottom up. After that, I would use an air gun from a compressor or air pig, and put it to the bottom of the hole and blast it out again to dry up the brake kleen.

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All done! All 8 holes are super clean and even & thread real nice & even on all of them now, I am extraordinarily relieved over something as simple as good threads :)Thanks again!!

Just started to springle rain as I was finishing up with the last (of course semi-stubborn) hole, so I'm inside waiting for another clear spot in the weather again. Next house = 3 car garage, 2 bathrooms, 1 bedroom. Don't want to chance getting any parts wet.

Do like I did - 4 car garage with a full height 2nd floor loft with a level yard and a detached house. BTW, it is 3 bdrms 2 baths with a 3 1/2 seasons room.

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Originally Posted by pennyman1

Do like I did - 4 car garage with a full height 2nd floor loft with a level yard and a detached house. BTW, it is 3 bdrms 2 baths with a 3 1/2 seasons room.

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Ooooohhhh that sounds like pure heaven!!!!!!! Seriously!!!!!! Love the way you said "detached house" instead of "detached garage" HAHA! Love it!!!!!!
the level yard, did that here, finally leveled it 95%... took way too long. Been here way too long, still in my first house, worked insanely hard for the simple little thing it is, sentimentally attached. My parents' -wow, okay for the first time ever I'll type- "my mom's" place is mostly hills & sloped to hell & high heaven, big but mostly useless other than buffer space from neighbors/the main road. Ridiculously inconvenient. Again, no garage, just a giant oversized carport type set up & giant old barn that I wouldn't trust a horse in, never mind a vehicle. Man your place sounds dreamy :heartsmiley: