Hey folks, I'm having a rough weekend, hopefully someone has some helpful info. This is gonna be long winded but I'm trying to be thorough.
I took my 02 Blazer LS 4dr 4wd in for an oil change yesterday. She has 116K on her so I got a 5w30 Castrol HM job done. I put a new air filter in her as well. I haven't had the vehicle long so I wanted to get some fresh blood in her and make sure all was well.
Then I noticed a small oil leak coming from the front drivers side, after investigating it appeared to be the oil cooling lines, which several people on here have said need some TLC. This morning I awoke to a lot of oil on the ground, checked oil levels and it didn't appear to be bad.
I decided to try and replace the oil cooling lines myself so I went to O'Reilly's this AM and bought this Dorman® OE Solutions™ 625-100 - Oil Cooler Line Assembly | O'Reilly Auto Parts
As I was removing the old lines the top quick connect broke on me, they were pretty brittle.
After fighting with the new lines (the bottom piece didn't completely line up with the remote filter, and the new hose base didn't pivot like the old ones did) I go to connect to the radiator and the new quick connects won't bite the new "E" clips. The new quick connects are also deeper than the stock piece apparently.
As I mentioned earlier the old clips broke so I am SOL on using the old lines temporarily. I have retired for the evening with no Blazer, I do need to get it figured out soon though.

I have seen the How-To on making your own lines out of tranny hose which I am game for but I still need the quick connects. Does anyone know where to purchase them?
Or is it worth it just buying the AC Delco lines and praying the quick connects work this time?

Thanks for taking the time to read my novel.

Any help will be much appreciated!

Thanks, SS

 

Mine had threaded fittings on the end, so I can't offer any advice as far as the quick connects. If you can find a source for them, I think making your own is the best choice. That's what I did, and it's much cheaper than buying new. I've heard plenty of bad feedback on the dorman ones, as well. My home made ones are almost a year old, and so far haven't leaked one single drop!

 

Dorman makes the replacement fittings that go in the radiator. Most of the auto parts stores have them in stock. The line is aluminum and the fitting is steel, so it's pretty common to get rusty and corroded. The fittings thread into the radiator, but be careful when removing them. Very common for the radiator tank on the driver side to crack and leak coolant. Take the old fittings with you to the parts store.

Edit: I agree with making your own lines. Done it several times and if done right, they don't leak. OEM and aftermarket lines will leak again