Bad coolant elbow

Last week for a couple of hours my car temperature spiked up. i was able to refill the coolant and it went back to normal temperature for over 3 days when i took it in for oil change and had the guys take a look at why my car over-heated.
I was told i have a bad coolant elbow and the total cost plus labor is about $600.
is it really that hard to replace this cheap component.

remove belt.

drain coolant.

remove alt.

remove belt tensioner.

install new elbows from the help section at your parts store. put some saliva/coolant on the o rings, insert in belt tensioner.

install belt tensioner.

install alternator.

install belt.

fill coolant.

bleed cooling system.

Two hours or so and $20 in parts. Depends on skill level.

Whoever told you it would be $600 is trying to rip you off. I wouldn't ever take my car back there again.

Thanks for the tips guy. The guy was saying something about how it will take 6hours to replace because they have to remove intake manifold or something like that.

I though it was pretty weird because i was looking right at the elbow. I am definitely going to call other shops.
I have kinda suspected this shop is full of it.

lol no.... and an intake manifold job can actually cost you more than that.

It calls for quite a few hours of labour.

If they were basing their pricing on removal of the LIM, then that actually is a pretty good price.

But they should know better, you don't need to remove the LIM to do these elbows.

Agreed with the guys. Coolant elbows is Dorman #47065 and is usually about $4. A little lube on the o-rings is free and you got 4-5 13/15mm bolts based on what year your car is.

Takes me about 30 min. Say it'll take you an hour. FWIW it only takes two hours if you live in Canada. Things take longer when you are close to the north pole.

Trying to give a high estimate considering most people dont have a high skill level and when unfamiliar with the motor they go slower.

LOL sorry to hear all that but i just replaced mine in under 20 min and it cost me $25..... coolant elbo u can pick up at ur local auto parts store..advanced auto auto zone ect... the part is 3.95 and add price of your coolant and POW fixed



disconnect battery
dont have to remove belt completly off the car just take it off the alt pully
i leave alternater plugger in but just unbolt it and move aside
drain coolant if it hasent leaked out all the way
3 bolts hold in alternater braket and if you removed alternater then there is 2 left to remove
one should be under the heater hoses and the other under the tensioner pully
wiggle bracket free, make sure you remove ALL of the old coolant elbo ... peices tend to get stuck in the lim and alt bracket
install new one and put it all back together
becarefull though... the bolt for the alternater that goes into the alt bracket is a diferent length then the ones for the alt brack it self

^^^^^^^^^
Man, i wish i you had posted earlier, could have saved me $160 . What i finally paid was a lot cheaper than the initial quote; thanks to the fellas.

Can I get that elbow at someplace like Autozone or Advance commonly or is it just a matter of replacing the o-rings? Does anyone have a part number?

the answer is right above you lol

Originally Posted by makenzie71

Can I get that elbow at someplace like Autozone or Advance commonly or is it just a matter of replacing the o-rings? Does anyone have a part number?

Originally Posted by BillBoost37

Agreed with the guys. Coolant elbows is Dorman #47065 and is usually about $4. A little lube on the o-rings is free and you got 4-5 13/15mm bolts based on what year your car is.

Takes me about 30 min. Say it'll take you an hour. FWIW it only takes two hours if you live in Canada. Things take longer when you are close to the north pole.

oops...I missed it! Thanks again! I got a new one now...just need to find me a bit of time to get it done.

Is this really so common an issue that the elbows need to be hung up next to things like oil filters and windshield wipers at the store?

Originally Posted by makenzie71

oops...I missed it! Thanks again! I got a new one now...just need to find me a bit of time to get it done.

Is this really so common an issue that the elbows need to be hung up next to things like oil filters and windshield wipers at the store?

At Oreilys it's in the help section.

Just to make sure, the procedure is the same for n/a and s/c engines? I'll be doing this in a parking lot so any tips, tricks or variations specific to the L32 in an 05 would be greatly appreciated.

I just had these things replaced by a shop less than a year ago when the upper one split open. This time it exploded and the entire half going into the bracket is completely missing. It doesn't seem normal that it would fail again so quickly.

Yes..the procedure is the same.

Here's a picture of the alternator bracket, so you can see where the bolts are located. There is one that is hidden from sight. Ignore the writing...it was for some other reason.


I pull the alternator
Pull the bracket
Use vasoline or oil to lube the o-rings
Ensure the holes are clean
When bolting the bracket back on..I keep wiggling the upper elbow as I tighten it. The elbow should still wiggle a little when the bracket is tight. If not..it's got pressure on it and could deform and leak rather quickly after.