hey guys i was looking at my radiator hoses that go into the heater core and my arm tapped this line and it snapped. this was ver brittle, but can't figure out what it is, i thought it was a hard worn out vacuum line but on the end of the lines they have like a barb that goes into these fittings, i've never seen a vacuum line with these. heres some pics and sorry for the quality

 

it is a hard vacuum line. i had that happen to me also.

 

vacuum lines have a barb on the end?

 

They have barbs on end so when they are installed inside of a rubber hose they don't slip out under pressure of vibration.

 

i understand that the fittings would have barbs, but the line that snapped off had a barb that went into the fitting. so if it is can i buy a vacuum line with a barb on it at kragen or something?

 

i don't know that the local auto parts store will have the barb.

the easiest fix is to slide a piece of regular vacuum hose over the two broken ends as a repair sleeve. it needs to be a nice snug fit.

if you do something different, know that the dime sized cylinder in the first picture is a check valve.

 

kragen has a roll of the hard vacuum tubing it just doesn't have the barb, so should i get it and keep an eye on the lines to make ure it doesnt come loose or should i use zip ties as like a hose clamp or something?

 

Junkyard. There's nothing special about vacuum lines.

 

Vacuum lines are made of a very rare material, known as Unobtainium. They have to be due to the harsh demands that vacuum puts on them. The corrosive nature of vacuum, and its propensity for escaping at any available opportunity, coupled with its amazing ability to flow thru the smallest of cracks, makes the high dollar material a requirement for this application.

Ok. All BS aside..... The plastic vacuum lines have a limited lifespan, simply due to the environment they hang out in. It gets HOT in the engine compartment, and over time, the plastic lines dry out, and get brittle. The 'soft' lines do the same thing, they basically harden, and become brittle. When replacing lines, I almost always use the soft line, as it lasts longer, and is less of an ordeal to deal with when it comes time to replace it, or move it around..... doesn't blow itself into a million pieces quite so readily.

 

It gets hot in the engine bay? No shiat?

Seriously, I've had to replace a couple of hard vacuum lines on my truck and used some that were pulled from a wreck. They don't always go bad, so I guess the best advice is to do whatever is needed to get things to work.