My heater bypass tube needs to be replaced. If I clamp off the flow of coolant at the hose and disconnect it, will coolant still ***** out of the pump? Would it be easier to drain the system first? 2001 1500 5.9 Magnum

 

No need to do either. With engine off, remove the tube. Coolant will be at the top of the pump so you may dribble a little but it's no big deal. Clean the area real well where the tube seals. You can remove some coolant by spinning the pulley, Put the holding bolt in a few threads. Put a nice bead of RTV black around the tube (don't use the "coolant gray rtv") and insert it while hooking it around the bolt. This will keep it from going to far and allows the hook to align to the bolt. Tighten the bolt. It should form a nice bead around the tube if done correctly. Let dry. Start engine, check for leaks.

 

AWESOME, thank you! This should be in the tech section, I didn't see any mention of it!

 

New tubes are available in the "Help" section at your local parts store as well. On mine, the bottom of the tube rusted off, so, the o-ring wouldn't stay in place. 15 bucks for a new one, no more leaks.