Question about Saturn heater hose assembly

[Bill Jobe]

My granddauter has a2007 Saturn Aura 3.5L V6. A pinhole developed in one of the metal conduits that cross over the right side of the motor to the heater.
Does anyone know why that settup?
It's a plate that both tubes are affixed to with rubber hose ends where they terminate.
Can anyone tell me if one could just replace the one bad side with rubber? The replacement part is nearly $100. The part is bent 90° and attaches to the air intake on the motor.
Why that design?!!!

[Bruce Wrenn]

In the past, we have used soft 1/2" copper to make up such. Short section of 5/8" heater hose at each end, connected to the copper with worm gear hose clamps.

[Bill Jobe]

Can the old setup be left in place, unused, and rubber hoses used instead or does the $100 metal unit that affixes to the air intake perform another function?

[Doug Dawson]

My granddauter has a2007 Saturn Aura 3.5L V6. A pinhole developed in one of the metal conduits that cross over the right side of the motor to the heater.
Does anyone know why that settup?
It's a plate that both tubes are affixed to with rubber hose ends where they terminate.
Can anyone tell me if one could just replace the one bad side with rubber? The replacement part is nearly $100. The part is bent 90° and attaches to the air intake on the motor.
Why that design?!!!

A 12-year-old Saturn is approaching end-of-life, so you probably don't want to spend the money. If the location of the pinhole is a straight pipe section, you may be able to get away with tubing it over. That is, find a heater-type hose with approximate inner diameter roughly equal to the outer diameter of the pipe, slit a couple of inches of it lengthwise, put it over the pipe around the leak, and tighten it down with hose clamps at each end and directly over the pinhole. Three clamps in close proximity. Make sure the pipe surface is clean first. Don't use sealant.

The part is probably junked, and if it's corroded enough to pinhole somewhere, it will probably pinhole again somewhere else. Personally I'd just replace the part.

If you were to bypass the part with just one long heater hose (assuming they were the same size at each end,) you'd have to figure out a way to brace the hose so as to not interfere with anything else, but more significantly so that there is _no_tension_ in any way, at each end of the hose, and particularly at the end going into the heater core (presumably,) which would be an absolute PITA to replace. This is critical (and probably the reason for the part that failed.)

[Bill Jobe]

So, does it serve no other function, such as the old heat sensors inside breathers on carburetored motors that warmed the air when motor was cold?

[Doug Dawson]

So, does it serve no other function, such as the old heat sensors inside breathers on carburetored motors that warmed the air when motor was cold?

I'd have to see the part in context. For such a cheap part, it's usually just a hose stabilizer, but I'd have to see it.

[Bill Jobe]

$100 is not cheap, in my opinion, for a hose stabilizer. $15 worth of rubber hose and some tie straps....that I consider cheap.
But this is my granddaughter's car and my son does not want to toss the metal piece, particularly if it provides another function .
But I see no reason for it.
So, I don't understand why they designed a $100 part if all it does is add bulk....4 sections of hose...8 hose clamps..2 metal tubes connected to a steel plate that is bent 90°, 2 holes drilled in it and fastened to the air intake snout on the motor.
Why?
Seems to me if all it does is secure the hoses a much cheaper setup would have been used.
I would like to find out if it has another function.

[Doug Dawson]

$100 is not cheap, in my opinion, for a hose stabilizer. $15 worth of rubber hose and some tie straps....that I consider cheap.
But this is my granddaughter's car and my son does not want to toss the metal piece, particularly if it provides another function .
But I see no reason for it.
So, I don't understand why they designed a $100 part if all it does is add bulk....4 sections of hose...8 hose clamps..2 metal tubes connected to a steel plate that is bent 90°, 2 holes drilled in it and fastened to the air intake snout on the motor.
Why?
Seems to me if all it does is secure the hoses a much cheaper setup would have been used.
I would like to find out if it has another function.

If you go on rockauto.com, there's a picture of what I believe is the part you want, and they're selling it for a bit over fifty bucks. It is indeed just a metal pipe hose connector, albeit a rather elaborate one. The dealer price is actually what you'd expect for a part like this. I don't create GM's pricing structure. In fact, it's impressive that they still sell the part. In my experience with GM, finding factory parts for some of their older cars is colloquially known as "The Land Of Broken Dreams".

It's in Saturn -->2007 --> Aura --> 3.5L V6 --> Heat & Air Conditioning --> Heater Hose / Pipe --> Heater Pipe.

Visually check the correct part.

Is the pinhole leak in a straight section of the pipe? You didn't say.

Again, it's critically important that the shaped heater hose into the heater core is angled correctly and not under tension. Otherwise the heater core will likely fail, in time. That's just the way they are.

[Bill Jobe]

By golly, they have the part for $54.
Thank you very much, Doug !

[Bill Jobe]

This is the one.

[Doug Dawson]

By golly, they have the part for $54.
Thank you very much, Doug !

Just check that it's the right one, they have two variations on there (probably to do with whether the car has a/c or not.)

[Bill Jobe]

Just check that it's the right one, they have two variations on there (probably to do with whether the car has a/c or not.)


Yes, it's clearly that one.
We had driven to a nearby Advanced Auto after discovering the pinhole and I think that's the price they quoted.
Thanks for posting, Doug.

[Greg R Bradley]

That's a completely normal and correct way to build a car. Looks like short pieces of hose at the ends of the pipes and a pipe that would last basically forever if the car was maintained, which means the coolant changed according to the recommended time.
Rock Auto is almost certainly going to be a cheap chinese knock off of the original made out of poorer steel and may not fit well.
Edit: Since I own a specialty auto parts store, I looked at the listing out of curiosity. Rock Auto is selling one from Dorman, which is aftermarket. Some of their stuff is OK, some is total useless garbage. The other one is a different similar pipe on the same car. It's going to be ready to fail also.
They reference the actual GM part numbers and when you search for the one that failed, you find GM dealers selling the original part at about $68. Look here: https://www.gmpartsgiant.com/parts/pontiac-pipe~12603833.html

If Rock Auto was doing it the way I do parts in my store, they would offer both qualities. I stock 4-5 levels of quality on many items. For example on one Clutch Slave Cylinder, we stock ones from $29-$145. The profit on the 5 different brands/qualities ranges all the way from $20-25. The best choice is actually the one at $120, which is the same as the $145 one less the factory box. The cheapest one any knowledgeable, sane buyer would choose is $60.

[Bruce Wrenn]

If Rock Auto was doing it the way I do parts in my store, they would offer both qualities. I stock 4-5 levels of quality on many items. For example on one Clutch Slave Cylinder, we stock ones from $29-$145. The profit on the 5 different brands/qualities ranges all the way from $20-25. The best choice is actually the one at $120, which is the same as the $145 one less the factory box. The cheapest one any knowledgeable, sane buyer would choose is $60.In my experience with Rock Auto, they do offer different level of parts, with prices adjusted accordingly. NEVER has anything I've ordered from Rock been anything other than what is described. They are liquidators of surplus parts from various suppliers. Very few Chinese parts though, that's what ebay is for.

[Greg R Bradley]

In my experience with Rock Auto, they do offer different level of parts, with prices adjusted accordingly. NEVER has anything I've ordered from Rock been anything other than what is described. They are liquidators of surplus parts from various suppliers. Very few Chinese parts though, that's what ebay is for.
Liquidators explains the strange assortment of parts. They are excellent at shipping the correct item according to manufacturers part number. WAY off on the quality ratings when they have a variety of parts. In both directions with some decent aftermarket being in their "economy" section and some garbage being rated fairly well.
My point was that you can't rely on them for an assortment of parts to do a job because they frequently don't have any good quality parts available. That is real different than my store where we make sure to have all the parts to do a job and have them in the different qualities and properly rate them.

You may not realize that many brands are cheap chinese junk in the box. I don't know the quality of the Dorman pipe referenced. I've learned you can't make assumptions. It could be chinese knockoff or the same supplier as GM. Even possible the GM part is chinese and poor quality. Finding good quality parts is tough today and takes up much of our time.

[Doug Dawson]

In my experience with Rock Auto, they do offer different level of parts, with prices adjusted accordingly. NEVER has anything I've ordered from Rock been anything other than what is described. They are liquidators of surplus parts from various suppliers. Very few Chinese parts though, that's what ebay is for.

Rockauto has a very deep catalog for parts for older cars, particularly stuff that you used to only see in the wholesale catalogs that the engine and trans rebuilders use. I don't see them as liquidators, so much as not as lazy as the mainstream parts jobbers. Many of the parts are the _exact_same_part_ as you would have seen in a dealer box for double or triple the price. Often they seem to be buying from the exact same original supplier.

Then again, you do have to be careful, and it pays dividends to have dealt with this stuff for a long time and know where the cons are.

[Bruce Wrenn]

As for quality of Chinese stuff, it depends upon what the contract buyer wants. Specify junk, and that's what they will sell you. Ask for better stuff, and that's what they sell you. I'll give an example. My daughters Honda Civic needed the tensioner bearing replaced. Bought one from NAPA for $17, which lasted about three months. Put in a Chinese $1.99 special from Fastenal which now has over 300K miles on it. Price doesn't always reflect quality. FYI, bearing was a 6203 2RS which is probably the most common ball bearing in the world.

[Bill Dufour]

Remember part of the design choice of that part has to do with all those hoses and clamps can be assembled by two people on a bench. Those two can then hand the part off so one guy can fasten it in place in the allotted time. If he had to make up all four connections and install clamps with lots of hose flopping around GM would have to slow the line down to his speed.
It could also be that this part is installed on an engine assembly line then the engine is flipped upside down to install the oilpan etc. then flipped upright or on end then finally dropped into the engine bay. After all that flipping, which may include a cross country ride to the final assembly plant it is worth a few pennies to have the hoses still in place and aligned to mate up with the chassis piping.
The whole purpose of that pipe assembly might just be to be a good grab handle so the can lift the cylinder head and bolt it onto the block. You would have to know when it is attached during engine assembly and what happens after it is attached.