I changed the tensioner assy today and in the process, I somehow broke the little plastic L shaped bypass hose coming out of the manifold. I tired like crazy to get the broken piece out of the manifold but somehow ended up letting it fall inside the manifold. I tried fishing it out with a wire but no luck. I put it all back together and refilled the radiator. Drove it for ten miles or so and it did not overheat. My question is, where is this piece going to end up? Basically, I twisted the entire end with the oring off and that is what fell inside the manifold.

 

Coolant elbow?

 

Is the pc Larger enough to plug the port? If I am picturing it right the worse thing that could happen is it would block off the heater hose area. I don't think it can make its way back into the important area. Its ashame I scrap out my old block I could have checked it.

 

This is the L shaped plastic tube going from the tensioner into the lower intake manifold that is under the throttle body. The part that broke off is from the oring to the end. I was able to get the oring but the end turned sideways and rolled down into the lower intake manifold. I have looked at the bottom of a spare intake manifold and it looks like it could could possibly end up at the bottom of the t-stat or could go the other route into a port on a head, depending on how the water flows through the motor. Not sure. Only way I know to get it out is to remove the LIM. I drove it 25 miles and so far, it is not overheating.

update! Gorn, I believe your are correct. I took the "spare" LIM and poured water into the hole where the plastic pipe would go to see if I could determine flow path. Only place the water is going is to the bottom of the t stat opening in the LIM. The tstat area is sperated, the lower part connects to where the L plastic pipe goes and the upper area is the path for water throughout the rest of the engine best I can tell.

 

Yes that's a coolant elbow... It goes from the water pump to the LIM. Plug the other one or when the thermostat opens, you're going to spray coolant everywhere =P

And it's not going anywhere btw heh

 

I put new plastic elbows in when I replaced the tensioner assy. I just was unsure of where the broken piece from the old elbow was going inside the motor.