Radiator Hose Tees

Why You Might Need Tees. If you are doing an engine swap, and want to run a pressurized expansion tank, Radiator Hose Tees like the ones pictured can help.

Or, if you are using an engine that has only one heater hose fitting and a radiator that does not have a fitting for a heater hose, a hose Tee can be used in the lower radiator hose for the heater hose return line. (NOTE: When using the tee for a heater hose, do not install the Tee into the upper radiator hose, which puts the coolant will go through the radiator, bypassing the thermostat, thus preventing the engine from warming up.)

And if you have had a plastic or nylon hose tee fail, never fear: these brass or aluminum tees will prevent future failures.

More About Our Tees. We make our tees out of cnc-machined aluminum. For example, a 5/8" x 1/4" tee is an aluminum part with a 1/8 npt thread, and a 1/4" x 1/8 npt brass tube fitting is screwed into the aluminum, similar to the LS1 Steam Vent Tee, #LS1-tee but with only one fitting.

While many people assume that most radiator hose fittings are 1-1/4" or 1-1/2", the actual sizes are usually 1-5/16" or 1-9/16", and we provide the perfect fit.

More About Ordering. We have more sizes than we can show in our pulldowns for base size and stem size. Applications range from 1/2" x 1/4" to 2" x 1-1/8". For example, the 1-1/4" x 5/8" Tee is popular for replacing the failure-prone plastic tee on the radiator hoses of 2002 through 2011 Saab 9-3, Aero.

If you need a size that is not listed in our drop-down menus, let us know the size you need for what application in our note to seller box and we should be able to help.

A few applications, including the following that involve an additional water temp fan switch, require specifying the thread size. 

• 1-1/4 x 14mm x 1.5P for BMW E36 water temp fan switch
• 1-1/4 x 22mm x 1.5P for Volvo, Saab, Volkswagon water temp fan switch
• (1-5/16 or 1-1/2 or 1-9/16 or 1-3/4) x 14mm x 1.5P for BMW E36 water temp fan switches 

For Chevrolet Duramax diesel trucks with te'ed hoses, we make 1-7/8" x 5/8"  and 1-7/8" x 1-1/8" hose tees. Some people like to replace the plastic tees with the brass tees for better reliability in extreme climates and conditions.

We also have the Range Rover Discovery aluminum replacement hose tee with Brass Bleeder screw, 1-1/4" by 1-1/4" as shown below. Note that this is what you need in the note to seller box and we can help (price is $48).

Other common applications include:

Saab 9-3, Aero, aluminum replacement hose tee, which typically uses a 1-1/4" x 1/2" hose tee.

Porsche Cayenne Turbo aluminum replacement hose tee, which typically uses the 3/4" x 3/4" and a 1" x 5//8" hose tee.

Our Corvette LT1 aluminum replacement tee is shown in the middle of the photograph below:

The lower tee is the stock steel tee used on the 1992-1996 Corvettes, which is no longer available from Chevrolet. The middle tee is an aluminum replacement that we make specifically for the Corvette that is longer than the standard 1-1/4 x 1/2 hose tee, shown on top.

LT1/LSx Steam Vent Tee.  The LT1 engines use a reverse flow cooling system, and the rear of the cylinder heads have vent tubes to purge any steam pockets that form during engine operation. Without the vent tube, steam pockets will form, and the cylinder heads will get localized hot spots that could damage the cylinder heads. The reason to install the vent tube into the upper radiator hose is so that you don’t need a radiator with a special fitting for the vent tube.

The tee that is typically used for an LT1 engine is the 1-5/16" x  3/8" tee, which is installed in the upper radiator hose.

Many people like to install the steam vent tube into the heater hoses, and we have the proper sizes for most heater hoses.

Again, if you need a size that is not listed in our drop-down menus, let us know the size you need for what application in our note to seller box and we should be able to help.