KEEPING
DELTAS
DRIVING
Lancia Delta Integrale specialists and enthusiasts
Got any Os?
I wanted to make sure our rebuilt 16v engine was trouble free for a while, so I replaced many hoses. The rubber T piece coolant pipe at the back of the engine was one I replaced, the original was well made and showed no sign of cracking, but I looked for a replacement anyway.
The T hose available from Walkers is good and substantial, I have used this successfully in the past, it costs £34 plus carriage.The hose is reliable and maintenance free, however with 4 worm drive clips, 2 sections of hose, and a metal T piece, I felt it was a bit far off original for this car.
Walkers T hose connector
Tanc Barratt's T hose is a Samco silicone hose with a bonded in aluminium outlet pipe. This looks much like the original, and has a full Samco guarantee, this hose is only available at Tanc's, being specially made for him.
The cost for this item is £55 including vat and delivery.
I looked at AECar and decided to buy their hose, it looked simple and functional. I like Eddie's website with its clear visuals, and many components have a schematic diagram to show where the part fits.
Tanc Barratt hose
AECar T hose
AECar fitment diagram
The AECar hose was delivered quickly and was fitted to the engine, the engine was installed and hooked up.
Several fluid leaks were addressed, the last persistent coolant drip was traced to the new T hose.
Eddie can only sell what his suppliers send him, but the concept of this T hose is a mistake.
The metal side pipe extends through a hole in the main rubber pipe, and screws into a metal collar inside the big pipe, this screws up to seal onto the rubber structure. This screw has no frictional lock to secure the seal, and can come loose as you attach the secondary hose to the header tank. This was the source of the last drip, with the engine hot the rubber softens and the seal becomes unstable. As I pulled off the header tank hose to tighten the fitting, the metal pipe and its collar
pulled out of the big rubber pipe.
Hose with detached T pipe
Hose end fitting
Old and new hoses
You'll know how difficult it is to access the back of a Delta's engine to reach this hose, I removed the header tank, pressure sensors and the cardboard bulkhead to access the pipe, and lost a lot of fresh anti freeze too.
I fitted the old pipe back in place, it still has plenty of life in it, this old bonded rubber pipe works fine and doesn't leak.
The moral this story? Fork 'andles maybe?
Anything that happens on the 'dark side' of an Integrale engine is difficult to access, there are so many things to remove that going in from underneath is sometimes easier.
This hose can only be reached from on top, so it's strut brace, bulkhead, header tank, pressure sensors, and a few more bits and bobs all off,
and of course a bucket to catch the coolant.
