[urq] Aircraft Spruce hose replacement

[daniel dornseif]

I did the hose replacement on mine.   You will essentially have to adapt the 2 1/2" hose at the top to the 2" metal recepticle that connects to the turbo via a rubber elbow fitting.  You will want to get "aircraft heater hose" when you order.  It is very heat resistant flex hose since light aircraft use the exhaust manifold for the heat source for cabin heating.  You may be able to find an adapter that goes from 2 1/2 to 2 and get an Aircraft Spruce section of hose for both sides of the adapter.  This would be the neatest route by far.  The method I used is much less elegant, but works, and is airtight.  I ran the 2.5 inch flex hose all the way down to the stock 2 inch coupling to the turbo, then used a precisely cut piece of thick radiator hose to make up the difference in diameter.  Then, I used Permatex sealant to seal any gaps, and clamped it all down onto the 2 inch fitting with a hose clamp.  The two issues are:
  1.  Asthetic.  From the top, it is a bright orange piece of hose, that doesn't allow paint to adhere well.  To solve this, I have just bought a piece of 4'' to 2'' heatshrink tubing to cover it, then I will shrink it on and reclamp at the igloo.  Should look fairly stock from the top after that.  It should come in the mail this week.
  2.  The stock hose fits well behind the headlight, but my new hose required some shimming at the bottom so that it would bend properly, and not hit the headlight connections for the inboard headlight.  It takes a little bit of rangling, but it's not a big deal.
   
  All and all, the AS hose is top quality, and will outlast the stock hose, and it is also much cheaper than the OE hose.  Also, if you go with my route, you can keep your old hose as a spare since it doesn't leak.
   
  Best of luck,
  Dan 

		
---------------------------------
How low will we go? Check out Yahoo! Messenger’s low  PC-to-Phone call rates.