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[Osprey]

Spotted a coolant leak today, looks as if it’s the Hateful Bl**dy Valve.  I’ve turned the climate control off completely and it is hardly losing anything at present. 

My question is can I trust it to last two or three hundred miles this weekend without failing catastrophically?  I have other things to do and really don’t have time to replace it before Monday.  I’d obviously keep an eye on the level and top up as necessary, and carry the spare just in case. 

Can I trust it to hang in there for a couple of days, or is it a ticking time bomb?

[old git]

see (monumental leek )a few posts ago reply#2, I know its a pain but it's up to you :-/

[Lazydocker]

Personally I'd change it if I already had the replacement... Mine failed rather well when it went

I suppose you could just get the breakdown monkey to do it if you have cover

[Osprey]

Fair enough - I might give it a go this evening if it isn't pissing down. 

Thanks for the advice 

[Bionic]

When mine went on me I simply used a bit of 15mm copper tube and bypassed it using the rubber pipes and clips that were on it until I got the new one one. A VX one naturally cos I wanted it to last!

[Osprey]

Bit the bullet and put the new HBV on.  Fiddly job, hardly a spanner involved but still got a nicely bruised left arm. 

Definitely worth having the correct hose clip pliers - they give a really positive grip on the clips and don't slip off in awkward corners. 

Thanks again for the advice - glad it's dnoe now. 

[Andy B]

Bit the bullet and put the new HBV on.  ....

You know it makes sense.  Better a bruised arm & an hour under the bonnet than the contents of your cooling system on the motorway & then several hours wait for a recovery vehicle. 

[dbr]

last summer hbv started to leak on a journey to Spain. Read on this forum to put on HOT. In 35c thats a commitment!  Went for hundreds of miles losing no coolant. On cold, lost 1/2 header tank in 15 miles

[sjc]

Well done for getting it sorted.  Maybe we should invest, as a group, in having a better one designed?

The best temporary measure is to pull off and block the vacuum pipe.  Then you can have whatever temperature you want and still run your A/C if you need to.

[Alex W]

Bit the bullet and put the new HBV on.  Fiddly job, hardly a spanner involved but still got a nicely bruised left arm. 

Definitely worth having the correct hose clip pliers - they give a really positive grip on the clips and don't slip off in awkward corners. 

Thanks again for the advice - glad it's dnoe now. 

Anyone know where I can get some of these. I just did my HBV and the water pump pliers I used kept slipping off?

[Osprey]

Widely available including (at a price) Halfrauds.

Try these:
Sealey VS1661
Sealey VS1664

These look quite interesting but I haven't tried them (not that I'm a big Draper fan):
Draper 89793

They are designed for the CLIC clips such as used on the breather bridge hoses - used one way round they undo them, used the other way round they do them up again. 

HTH

[Osprey]

I meant to add rispek to Stevens Vauxhall Crawley.  When I did my best RADA shock and horror that the HBV isn't in the TC scheme, the parts bloke said yes, the rate they go wrong they really should be a service item and knocked it down to £28.52 + VAT. 

 

[old git]

hi osprey
I have Draper 89793  type bit of a fiddle to get on clip of the hbv but when puting back you just move clip to suit the next time . Bought for the engine bottom rad pipe on my jeep cherokee what a pain in the butt that was with out it.well had to buy to do the job.Good for tight spaces ,i don't think it was that exspensive as in your link.

[old git]

PS     once you have opened the cilp the pliers stay locked so you can move clip useing the flexy cable then press a release lever once you are happy of it's position to let go.

[Osprey]

Interesting - staying locked on sound useful, never seem to have enough hands in a tight space. 

Thanks!