As many people know, both the duramax van and duramax LML thermostat housings face forward instead of backward like the 2001-2010 truck thermostat housings.
The LML thermostat housing and van thermostat housing face forward at roughly the same angle.
The LML thermostat housing is a little taller than the van thermostat housing.
The van thermostat housing has a large threaded hole in the back of it for the turbo coolant-feed thermostat to screw into (like the pickup truck upper rad pipes). The LML thermostat housing does not have this.
Both thermostat housings are pretty cheap. Like $75 or so.
The van thermostat housing bolts right onto any 2001-2010 coolant crossover/Y-bridge.
The LML has a different part number coolant crossover/Y-bridge part number. I dont know if they are different, Ive never seen an LML coolant crossover/Y-bridge in person. So an LML thermostat housing may or may not bolt onto a 2001-2010 coolant crossover/Y-bridge..
To de-clutter things I swapped to a van thermostat housing a while back. I went through Advance Auto's shelves of radiator hoses, trying to find one that was the proper diameter and bend. I wasnt going to do one of those cheesy-looking ribbed "universal" radiator hoses. They dont bend tight enough radius to make the fit clean and tight. I wanted something that was pre-molded properly.
Advance Auto didnt carry duramax van or LML radiator hoses at the time, so I just took two stock 2001-2010 upper radiator hoses and cut them, and then spliced them together with a piece of metal pipe. The fitment is very good and the proper angle...but it looks like crap with the splice/hose-clamps in the middle. Not to mention its blown apart at the splice on me before because my head gaskets are currently "marginal". Ask me how fun it is to blow a radiator hose and dump all your coolant out on the Brooklyn Bridge in NYC during rush hour when its 97* out.
I was looking up parts for the LML-hydroboost swap tonight and got thinking about the radiator hose. So I looked it up, and it seems now both AC Delco and Gates make upper radiator hoses for the LML and duramax van. Obviously they are less than half the price of the "OEM" hoses you would buy from the dealer parts counter. Like $35 each, depending where you buy the hoses from.
Duramax van upper radiator hose:
Duramax LML truck upper radiator hose:
I ordered both. They should be here on saturday. Ill take lots of detailed pictures and measurements and post them up. I figure Ill choose the one that fits the best and return the other. And then everyone will know which hose to buy if they are running a forward-facing thermostat housing on their truck.
Ben
The LML thermostat housing and van thermostat housing face forward at roughly the same angle.
The LML thermostat housing is a little taller than the van thermostat housing.
The van thermostat housing has a large threaded hole in the back of it for the turbo coolant-feed thermostat to screw into (like the pickup truck upper rad pipes). The LML thermostat housing does not have this.
Both thermostat housings are pretty cheap. Like $75 or so.
The van thermostat housing bolts right onto any 2001-2010 coolant crossover/Y-bridge.
The LML has a different part number coolant crossover/Y-bridge part number. I dont know if they are different, Ive never seen an LML coolant crossover/Y-bridge in person. So an LML thermostat housing may or may not bolt onto a 2001-2010 coolant crossover/Y-bridge..
To de-clutter things I swapped to a van thermostat housing a while back. I went through Advance Auto's shelves of radiator hoses, trying to find one that was the proper diameter and bend. I wasnt going to do one of those cheesy-looking ribbed "universal" radiator hoses. They dont bend tight enough radius to make the fit clean and tight. I wanted something that was pre-molded properly.
Advance Auto didnt carry duramax van or LML radiator hoses at the time, so I just took two stock 2001-2010 upper radiator hoses and cut them, and then spliced them together with a piece of metal pipe. The fitment is very good and the proper angle...but it looks like crap with the splice/hose-clamps in the middle. Not to mention its blown apart at the splice on me before because my head gaskets are currently "marginal". Ask me how fun it is to blow a radiator hose and dump all your coolant out on the Brooklyn Bridge in NYC during rush hour when its 97* out.
I was looking up parts for the LML-hydroboost swap tonight and got thinking about the radiator hose. So I looked it up, and it seems now both AC Delco and Gates make upper radiator hoses for the LML and duramax van. Obviously they are less than half the price of the "OEM" hoses you would buy from the dealer parts counter. Like $35 each, depending where you buy the hoses from.
Duramax van upper radiator hose:
Duramax LML truck upper radiator hose:
I ordered both. They should be here on saturday. Ill take lots of detailed pictures and measurements and post them up. I figure Ill choose the one that fits the best and return the other. And then everyone will know which hose to buy if they are running a forward-facing thermostat housing on their truck.
Ben
