83 Venture Drain Cocl Leaking Antifreeze

[DRAGIN TAIL]

I have developed a leak coming out of the drain cock. It is a slow leak but I'd like to fix the problem. I checked the position it is set and it is aligned with the mark at about 2 oclock. I noticed that there is a O ring behind the the hex shaped front and I think the O ring may need replacement. My question is: Does this hex shaped item screw out thus exposing the O ring?

Thanks, Ronnie

[Dragonslayer]

I have developed a leak coming out of the drain cock. It is a slow leak but I'd like to fix the problem. I checked the position it is set and it is aligned with the mark at about 2 oclock. I noticed that there is a O ring behind the the hex shaped front and I think the O ring may need replacement. My question is: Does this hex shaped item screw out thus exposing the O ring?

Thanks, Ronnie

Hey Ronnie,

Good question. I don't know the answer but I got another one if you need it.

[loehring]

I had the same issue on my '89. They won't sell you just that piece so I ordered the tubing with the valve. I think you could fix it without the part though. That piece doesn't screw out but is held in by the gaskets and a ball bearing that is backed by a spring. You can see the bearing pop into the hole in the tube when you position the valve. It would be possible to use pliers to pull the valve out but be careful because the bearing and spring will take off and they're pretty small. If you don't loose them you would be able to replace the gaskets and reinsert but it's a little tricky.

 

I had to do this because I couldn't get the old tubing out of the engine to replace it with the new one. I ended up taking the old valve out and replacing with the new valve. I found out about the bearing and spring when I pulled the old valve. Luckily I had the new valve to replace because I still haven't found the old spring and bearing.

 

As for finding the right sized gaskets, I never tried so I don't know.

 

Good luck and watch for flying bearings.

[Gearhead]

There's a small retaining screw that goes in the metal tubing from the side and rides in a groove that goes all the way around the plastic valve body (with the hex on it). That way the valve body can be rotated 360 deg, but the screw won't let it pop out. The ball and spring are for the detent that engages when you rotate the valve into the "OFF" position (which is where it normally operates).

 

Remove the screw, then rotate / pull / talk / cajole the valve body out of there. It has an o-ring on it which you can replace with a standard automotive-duty o-ring. That's what I did.

 

Jeremy