Hey guys. I am at college in Central New York State and my oil lines (between the filter and radiator) have been leaking for a long time. I bought the Dorman 625-100 lines from Autozone for Pep Boys to install tomorrow (in addition to a tranny cooler). I looked at the existing connections to the radiator (near the driver side, next to the washer bottle, right?) and noticed that the existing lines are bolted into the radiator (looks like they were ment to survive anything!) and the Dorman lines use a RETAINING CLIP to secure them to the radiator. I was shocked how Dorman can trust 5 cent retaining clips to keep those lines secure and protect the engine!!! I noticed how all the other Auto parts stores in the area only sell these Dorman oil hoses!! How can these things survive 60 PSI oil pressure??? Should I be taking these back to Autozone and canceling my appointment? Are these lines inferior to the OEM lines? Should I find a GMC dealer around here to order OEM lines with bolt-in fittings and have them do the job??

Thanks.

BD

 

I have used the Dorman lines and they attach with the same clips as the factory ones. To remove the factory lines you remove the retaining clip and pull the line out of the radiator. You push the new line into the radiator and put the new clip on.
Look very carefully at how the clip fits into the radiator fitting and how it comes out. It is fairly easy to get it out but the first time I put one back on I thought I had the clip in right but I did not have it seated all the way. If I had not installed the clip correctly the line could have came out and made a huge mess.
If it it leaking at the radiator you might want to get new o-rings. You can fish the old ones out with a dental pick. But getting new ones back in the groves can be difficult and almost impossible on the lower one because you can't see in the hole. It would probably be easier to take the radiator out.
Be sure to put some oil on the o-rings and the end of the line so you don't cut the o-ring when you put the line in.
The lines did start leaking again after a few years but they have a lifetime warranty if you keep your receipt.
If you don't damage the old clips don't throw them away. If when you are putting the new one on if you are not careful it can get away from you and fly off to never never land and get lost. Hint: put the line in place but do not connect it to the filter adapter until after you have the lines connected to the radiator.

 

Nothing is inferior to OEM remote oil filter lines.

 

I had the the Dorman oil cooler lines put on last year.
DORMAN 625100 (625-100) Oil Cooler Hose
DORMAN 625001 (625-001) Oil Cooler Hose
They cost about $60.I am not sure how much the OEM cost?
The Dorman oil cooler lines were put on by my local mechanic.
It did not seem like an easy thing to repair.
They have held perfect for the past year.
Only time will tell how good they really are.
All I know is the OEM Oil cooler lines that were on
there were leaking badly.They were on
there for 140,000 miles so I really can't say they were
of bad quality. Nothing lasts forever.

 

See photo. These are the factory lines. How do they "SNAP" in? It looks like a huge bolt.

 

The grove right were the fitting that is in the radiator meets the hexed part of the oil line has a clip in it. Remove the clip from the grove and pull the line out of the fitting that is in the radiator.

Did the front set of lines a year ago on my 2001 and have had no trouble with the Doorman line set.

Blazeme

 

Ok thanks everyone for the advice. I got to go to bed now so I can get up to take it to Pep Boys in the morning. Hard enough getting any sleep in a college dorm already.... Thanks again.

BD

 

You can see the wire clip in the grove that is in line with the back edge of the radiator hose clamp.

 

Went to Pep Boys today. They replaced the oil hoses. Was there for 3.5 hrs. The new lines seem to stick out from the radiator longer than the OEM ones. The upper one is touching the airbox. Is this dangerous?

P.S. The old ones looked like they were ready to go at any time. The hoses were hard as a rock, the whole thing was saturated in oil, dirt, sludge, etc. With all the traveling I do zipping up and down the NYS Thruway, I am surprised they didn't blow already. They should recall the OEM hoses before more T-Series truck owners suffer hose failures and a seized engine. And the recall should entail the hoses being replaced with aftermarket hoses at independent shops (NOT dealerships) at GM's expense. It seems that aftermarket parts and independent shops are the only way to get lasting repairs done. The poor customer service and the expensive, inferior parts are probably 2 main reasons why GM went under in the first place! My way of doing things: ALWAYS buy good aftermarket parts unless it is something GM specific like electronic modules that noone outside of GM makes.

Also this may be a little off topic, but I asked them to check the rear U-Joint and they forgot. How do I check it myself? I hear a clunk or clank when it is put into R or D from Park. Is there I way I can do it without jacking it up? I can fit partially under the truck with all four wheels on the ground with the brakes set and the tranny in park.

Thanks.

BD

 

UPDATE: Well it turns out Pep Boys messed up big time. The lower line attaching to the radiator is halfway out (plastic round clip is halfway detached from the radiator) and I cannot even see the retaining clip on the lower line. They even didn't use the clips that came with the hoses (the ones that were with it are blue. There aren't blue ones on the pipes attaching to the radiator.) Also as I said before, the upper line is rubbing against the airbox. Looks like I have to go back there on a Sunday (they are open), speak to the manager and hope they fix it for nothing. They already charged me over $180 + tax for the labor (I bought the part. They said they didn't have it when I went there for the estimate last week.). I am glad I found this before this Thursday when I go home for a long weekend. It is a 3 hr+ drive home down the NYS Thruway. If one of those lines goes at the speeds I drive on the Thruway, the engine would blow in a blink of an eye. Just now I found alot of bad reviews of Pep Boys being like the Walmart of auto repair. I never should have taken it there. Once they fix it (IF they fix it), I don't expect taking my truck there again. My 2nd worst experience with a repair shop (the only worst one was a dealership in the Mid-Hudson Valley, who will remain nameless for our purposes.). I think they wanted it to fail so they can sell me a new engine. My engine is NOT ready to die. Only 82,000 miles and the way I treat it (2,500-2,750 mile oil changes with Lucas, clean antifreeze, and never taking it to high RPMs needlessly), it can last over 300,000 (advise me if I am wrong, please). I am a computer nerd, but I am seriously considering doing ALL my own work from now on. I am tired of having other people cause needless problems with this truck. I already have the repair manual. I would just need to get more tools and other stuff and I can do my own repairs on everything.