Heater hose restrictor ? Why
 

On the 98, the heater hose has a restrictor designed into it. Why is that restrictor there? I had a weak hose that needed replacing. I found a set of hoses off a earlier model (maybe 95). The hoses are in good condition (and free). This set does not have that restrictor. Will it hurt anything to run it a few days (or weeks) without the restrictor?

good question but i dont know the answer

The restrictor is to slow down the flow of coolant through the heater core. If coolant flows to fast it will release less heat than it could otherwise. It won't hurt to go without the restrictor, but you could try pulling it out of the old hose and re-using it.

Thanks Z28Pete. I already broke it trying to get it out of the old hose. They put the hurtin on those connections when they built those hoses.

No big deal, it won't hurt to run without it, just that the heater will be a less warm on cold days.