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Kenworth lower coolant tube, help please


tyates007

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I just went through this on my C-12 powered T2000, also. In fact, I just brought it back from the shop this afternoon.

 

The C-12 tube is a bargain in comparison to your "big Cat" tube, as they only wanted $478.01 for it, but there were none available in all of the Kenworth Parts Warehouses in the United States, even at that ungodly price.

 

If, by chance, the Kenworth dealer gave you the number for the tube, just put that part number in a search engine, and you'll find a bunch of far cheaper aftermarket alternatives, most of which will be stainless, which should far outlast the OEM piece. I found aftermarket alternatives for mine for as low as $215 shipped.

 

But, at the suggestion of the parts counterman at the KW dealership (since he couldn't get me one anyway), I went to a nearby radiator and exhaust place that had fabbed up coolant tubes for them in the past when Paccar had none available. Long story short, they bent one for me out of 2 1/2" aluminized exhaust tubing and welded on one bung for the water filter valve for $65, which was greatly appreciated, since I'm between work assignments and money is tight. If you go this route, though, insist that they also weld on a bung for the low point drain, even if it takes more time and/or costs more (don't ask me how I know this).

 

On edit: I found nothing for you on eBay, but there are several options here: http://www.bing.com/search?q=t2000%20lower%20coolant%20tube%203406&qs=n&form=QBRE&pq=t2000%20lower%20coolant%20tube%203406&sc=0-12&sp=-1&sk=&cvid=136a276498254da9804cfa94ab5f1285 Look carefully, though, because that search brought up some listings for models other than T2000s, but there are some for C-15/3406E powered T2000s.

Phil

 

2002 Teton Royal Aspen

2003 Kenworth T2000 - Cat C12 380/430 1450/1650, FreedomLine, 3.36 - TOTO . . . he's not in Kansas anymore.

ET Air Hitch

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I just went through this on my C-12 powered T2000, also. In fact, I just brought it back from the shop this afternoon.

 

The C-12 tube is a bargain in comparison to your "big Cat" tube, as they only wanted $478.01 for it, but there were none available in all of the Kenworth Parts Warehouses in the United States, even at that ungodly price.

 

If, by chance, the Kenworth dealer gave you the number for the tube, just put that part number in a search engine, and you'll find a bunch of far cheaper aftermarket alternatives, most of which will be stainless, which should far outlast the OEM piece. I found aftermarket alternatives for mine for as low as $215 shipped.

 

But, at the suggestion of the parts counterman at the KW dealership (since he couldn't get me one anyway), I went to a nearby radiator and exhaust place that had fabbed up coolant tubes for them in the past when Paccar had none available. Long story short, they bent one for me out of 2 1/2" aluminized exhaust tubing and welded on one bung for the water filter valve for $65, which was greatly appreciated, since I'm between work assignments and money is tight. If you go this route, though, insist that they also weld on a bung for the low point drain, even if it takes more time and/or costs more (don't ask me how I know this).

 

 

While tending the Dollytrolley at our RV spot at the horse stable in Yuma I noted that a couple of Mexican KW's were parked at the end of the street and some days the Mexican mechanic would arrive and service the trucks...... One day I wondered down to watch the mechanis and sure enough he had a leaking coolant tube rusted thru........

 

I ask if he had a new tube and he said "Oh no senior........tooooo many pesos.........I will buy a hose and use part of the tube.........

 

I said you can't do that he said "Oh yeses senior you see and he flipped the hood on the second KW and sure enough he had went down to the parts store with the old tube and looked at ALL of the preformed hoses hanging from the racks and I'll be darned if he did find two hoses that fit even better than the original tube then he cut the sections with the bungs out of the old tube and clamped then to the new hoses........It looke pretty darn good........

 

I ask when he get the new tube will he use the "hose / tube" for a spare......he said " Oh nook seinor......the hose has 100,000 miles ......it is NEW.....we don't need a new tube..........

 

Manauna......manauna......

 

Drive on........(with coolant)

97 Freightshaker Century Cummins M11-370 / 1350 /10 spd / 3:08 /tandem/ 20ft Garage/ 30 ft Curtis Dune toybox with a removable horse-haul-module to transport Dolly-The-Painthorse to horse camps and trail heads all over the Western U S

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Scrap won't be pleased to hear me say it (Just cover your eyes and ears and move along to the next thread, my friend :D ), but the craziest thing that someone could possibly do is to replace a rotted out coolant tube with an OEM replacement (which would presumably have the same vulnerabilities as the original), especially at those obscene OEM prices! The states that use rock salt -- and far worse, calcium chloride -- which eats through the paint and then the steel tubing itself, have some culpability in these things rusting out, but the problem is decades old now. Why aren't the original tubes stainless, or at least treated, as is automotive sheet metal, to resist the effects of the salt and calcium laden road spray off of the right front tire?

 

The parts counterman at the Kenworth dealership showed me his screen the other day so that I could see for myself that every KW parts warehouse in the country showed a quantity of "0" available. What I also saw was that the dealer cost that Paccar Parts would charge a KW dealership for the replacement tube was far more than the retail price of even the most expensive stainless aftermarket coolant tube that I subsequently found online. :(

Phil

 

2002 Teton Royal Aspen

2003 Kenworth T2000 - Cat C12 380/430 1450/1650, FreedomLine, 3.36 - TOTO . . . he's not in Kansas anymore.

ET Air Hitch

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Thanks for all the help. Found this one cross referenced with oem part # for $215 shipped. They were going to build it for me today and it will ship tomorrow. Hope I'm not violating anything with posting the info as that is not my intent mor do I have any affiliation with the company.

 

http://www.southpointeradiator.com/coolant-tubes/kenworth/t2000/c15-c16-caterpillar-3406e-/lower-coolant-tube-kwt1056.html

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Thanks for all the help. Found this one cross referenced with oem part # for $215 shipped. They were going to build it for me today and it will ship tomorrow. Hope I'm not violating anything with posting the info as that is not my intent mor do I have any affiliation with the company.

 

http://www.southpointeradiator.com/coolant-tubes/kenworth/t2000/c15-c16-caterpillar-3406e-/lower-coolant-tube-kwt1056.html

No your helping the rest of us thanks for posting.

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