Dieselsite coolant filter warning/fix (with pics)
 

Hey guys, I recently had a problem with my Dieselsite coolant filter. I had a little problem that caused me to loose a lot of coolant and make a huge mess of things. The heater hose T-fitting is obviously spun on a lathe as well as the barb but the problem is that the 3/8 barb fitting is simply press-fit into the main tube. Which when under pressure caused the barbed portion to pop out and dump super-heated coolant all over everything. I fixed it by simply drilling (8.5mm) and taping (1/8NPT 3/8) hose barb in it's place and it's now it's good to go, for good. Anyway, I figured you guys would like to know of a potential source of a sudden coolant drain. Here's the pics.

Before:
http://i52.tinypic.com/23ib12u.jpg

After:
http://i53.tinypic.com/2vuemwy.jpg

have you notified dieselsite about this problem?

Thanks good to know....I'll keep an eye on mine..Nice job

I used a cheap black molded one for my DIY kit
http://s7d5.scene7.com/is/image/Hard...id=200&hei=200

Not yet I was going to call him today but got stuck hanging X-mas lights, will do tomorrow though.

they seemed like pretty good guys to deal with. i think they will make it right with you and i am sure that they would like to know if they have a defective part. i know i will be watching mine now. thanks for the heads up.

How long ago did you buy your coolant kit?
I bought mine 2 months ago, I will check mine tomorrow AM in daylight!

Thanks for the heads up!

Me too ... It was one of those HELP Plastic Heater Hose Tee's (3/4"x3/8"x3/4")

I got mine mid/late October so about 2 months ago too but I didn't install mine until about 2-3 weeks ago. Give the 3/8 line a little pull/twist hopefully yours will be in there strong, if not it's an easy fix so no big deal if it pops out in your driveway but on the road you're totally screwed.

Same thing happened to me with the same kit about 8 months ago. I couldn't believe how cheap of a T it was. I went to car quest and a new plastic T.

I wonder if they will follow through with fixing "THEIR PRODUCT".

Thanks for the post.
I will keep an eye on mine :)

I made my own, so I was in charge of quality control. I used copper fittings.:-dancing1

wow what a pile of junk. glad i didnt get one.

mine is leaking a little bit.

High Binder. You should let diesel site know of this post.

I used a 1"X1/2 pex plumbing tee, you can get this at any plumbing supply store. the other tee is just a straight 1/2 pex tee. they are made of brass, they will last for ever. I would never use anything else. vangard is one maker of the pex tee. don't go to home depot type plumbing stores, they have them, but may not know what you are looking for. good luck, my is working fine.

I bought the Dieselsite kit also. I didn't like the design of the tee, so I had a welding shop run a small TIG bead around the connection of the 3/8" barb to the body of the tee.

Hmmm didn't expect to use my new 1/8NPT tap so soon again after my EGT probe install. Thanks for the info.

at least you will get 2 uses out of yours unlike most of us lol

There were a number of 03/04 Cobra guys who had problems with plastic fittings for a cylinder head coolant line fix on the back of the block. I'd watch that fitting...

My kit has been on since April and came with a different looking T ? So far it has been flawless ,But I will keep an eye on it for leaks.

Hi Chris
not a chance of an issue for this particular fitting it is rated for higher temps / psi than this application

I wouldn't go setting it on a header but then the hose would melt also
this is installed next to the HVAC max ac heater bypass control and it is made of the same material

plus it's been in for 10k

When you make your buisiness model around making the best parts you can, it's easy to be honest and give a record of events.

First off, we don't use the plastic pieces because they are HIGHLY prone to failure. Ask any auto parts house selling them. They sell them by the hundreds to replace, what? The OEM plastic piece that broke. They get brittle under the heat they are exposed to. The aluminum units are not affected by heat. However, they are affected by too much "manhandling" when guys get over generous with the torque applied to the clamps and twist the unit apart.

When we created this part in 2004, We had about 6 failed in the first 200 pieces. We readjusted our press fit and since then have had 2 phone calls since 2005. Considering we make them in batches of 600 and have made 4batches in 2010 alone (2400 units), and I know of none that called in any this year, I don't consider that too much of a problem.

If you have a problem with a part of ours, we'll fix it. If we see a problem that can be avoided next time, we address it. That's why we have the reputation we do. A simple phone call would have taken care of this issue. While the OP may have had an issue and we would have been happy to address his issue, I can't address the guy who doesn't trust our part and "fixes" it before he even tries it.

Guys, seriously, when you see it from this end and know the sheer number of units that leave here and the lack of calls concerning any issue, you chuckle that someone starts a post with "Warning"

Bob

https://www.dieselsite.com/avatarssi...naturelogo.gif

Thanks for the heads-up High Binder. I think I'm going to upgrade my T fitting preemptively.

Bob from Dieselsite, glad you came on here with your perspective. I have your filter on my truck, no problems at all.

If you can accept this, I would point out my only complaints: I had a heckuva time with 2 things (disclosure: I am not a great mechanic, not even good):

1. In your otherwise very good instructions, consider a pointer or two about how to get the washer and nut through the front cover of the engine. I lost a washer and just wasted a lot of time on that before I (duh) figured it out. Done correctly, it is easy, done arse backward like me, tough.

2. For this T connection, there apparently are several ways to avoid losing a lot of coolant and flooding the passenger's side of the engine with coolant when the hose is cut. Please consider some further directions about that in your instructions.

I have a great amount of respect for any businessman in your position, and I am again glad you came on here to educate us on your fine product.

Thanks Bob

Honestly, the problem is too minor to even have you waste time on sending out a new one. So educating people about the possibility of an on-the-road major coolant puke and a quick and nearly free fix as a preemptive or restorative function is a service to the community of 6.0 owners not a bash on your product. I love the filter setup and would buy it again in a heartbeat.

Sorry I just haven't had the time to be out here often enough to post, but Thanks for the compliments!

Since we started using our new billet machined housing this year, we need to re-do all our coolant filter instructions and would like that to be done by the first of the year. So, please offer up any advise for things that need to be added, or as you called it, "done correctly" tips or tricks you used to make it easier for someone else.

I will consider all notes or additions (even pics) anyone has. Thanks for all the help and feedback. It really matters what everyone thinks out here.

I beg your pardon if my post came off as rude to you. Glad your happy with the product. Thanks for the kind words.

Anyone wanting to send me tips, send them directly to bob@dieselsite.com

Thanks,

Bob

https://www.dieselsite.com/avatarssi...naturelogo.gif

Even though there has reportedly been very few failures on this part, it still has the potential of failing. Why not just use a good brass fitting and be done with it? When I received my kit from Dieselsite my first impression was that is was a well built, well thought out kit, except for that tee. My honest first impression was " if anything fails in this kit it will be the tee." I will be changing mine as soon as I can find a brass tee.

Because no such tee exists. Brass tees can only be bought in same size branches. If I could buy an off the shelf (and I do obviously from the other tee as you can see), I would. I mean, why else would I spend 3 times as much to make something I could buy?

Now, you could build a tee using brass fittings, but that option is huge and weighs a ton. It's about as ugly as crap too.

Like I said before already. I could spend 1.50 and use the plastic tees (that's my cost in bulk), but was quickly warned from using them from the supplier for failure reasons. I don't pick a part or make a part that might be easier. When you send out 50-100 a week of anything, you simply don't want even a 1% failure rate. So, with that in mind, if I was having the nightmare that some must think I'm having, wouldn't I just use a plastic fitting or brass (doesn't exist anyway) if that would solve it?

Bob

That's what I thought. I've been looking and haven't been able to find one.

I just ordered my filter kit last week. It's good to see the owner of the product I just bought reply directly to the problem. That makes me feel better about his product. I've had my 07 for about 2 months now and love it. The filter kit is the first purchase for me after reading through the many threads on up keep of the 6.0.

Thanks Bob I'll keep you in mind for future additions to the Ford.

Mud

My ill advised plastic part beats some cra.p machined part hands down it is the same material major manufactures have made flush kits for radiators and other components from for years
http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...qfCwaCn1uZvisw


I am glad i made my own DIY kit
press fit stuff is a joke IMHO

I have the dieselsite kit. If I was buying again, I would buy the dfuser kit. Why?

Two reasons. First, that aluminum tee is going to fail. You can defend it all you want, but some of us have an engineering background and know a poor design when we see it. The press fit is a mistake, and the thin wall of the aluminum tube is a mistake. You will have failures, it is just a matter of time and vibration. Those DIY installers who don't leave a generous loop of hose will be the first to have failures. I'm sure you will stand behind your product when it fails, but I wonder if you will pay for my lost vacation time and whatever damage is done to my truck?

Second was the hose clamps not properly sized for the application. That was a little tacky, IMO.

I'm on the record here on these two issues already. So I'm not just jumping on the bandwagon.

bpounds well stated !!!

thats what I am saying !!!
defending a problem is crap ! man up and fix it .. stating they couldn't find a better part?? ,, then don't sell the stuff ! I made my own kit with a few tees and a left over remote oil filter kit ,, no problems or even the folks that fixed the existing press fit kit with a tap and npt barbed fitting .. hell even the pex brass tee solution was better ..

I just crossed the Mohave desert with my set up ,, I would have been pissed if a high dollar kit failed

I do not have an engineering back round .. just a mill and a lathe and common sense

guess I better check mine more often so I don't get stranded somewhere with no rad fluid.

dfussers kit
http://www.pwctoday.com/photopost521/data/500/add.JPG

I have to agree. I put a Dieselsite kit in recently. The first thing I looked for were the lock washers for the filter mount.
Installing the kit, I noticed that the hose clamps were oversized making the install look sloppy. The thin washer on the mounting bolt deformed after trying to tighten it. It never really felt tight because it kept bending. I took it off and replaced the washer with a thicker steel washer. I could now feel it tighten up. This mounting bolt should also have some locking. I used a ny-loc nut in place of the plain nut supplied.

Now that I realize that that thin wall aluminum tee is just press fit, I will be swapping it out tomorrow. I will use a threaded brass tee with threaded barbs as shown in one of the posts. I do not want that week link under my hood. No peace of mind there.

All in all the kit works, but for the money spent, some of the details that make it a professional product aren’t there.

I will say after re reading all the posts Dieselsite does show concern and they were just missing some input from the end users ,, we are a bunch that will fix it ourselves so I bet Bob will address the issue now that it has been brought to his attention

I agree, and I appreciate him coming in and explaining his position and including some of the background. Hopefully Bob will consider it as constructive criticizm. Like most things, it has room for improvement.

You are so good at putting many comments in a "nutshell"
I agree