The heater hose fitting at the thermostat housing is leaking on my 96. Is there a trick to dealing with it so it doesn't break and is there an o-ring or something in there that I can change. My wife is supposed to be leaving at 7 am, so I need to get this fixed in a hurry. Rusty

Usually it would be the plastic clip that holds it in place that leaks, new clip usually solves the problem, most replace the entire fitting with a barbed connector and heater hose.

60/40 you get it out with a correct sized deep socket and hold it straight. use a wrench and your almost sure to break it.

I just replaced the one on my Burb, take a hacksaw and cut just behind the plastic clip end, take out the pot metal fitting and replace with a 1/2" male pipe by 5/8" hose barb fitting, then a piece of radiator hose between the two, single screw hose clamp on barb end, & double clamp on the aluminum heater supply tube end, will post pics later. I was able to remove both on my 2 98s with finesse and a adjustable wrench, fitting is pot metal so possibility of breakage on an older one or poorly maintained coolant Ph is high

NAPA sells the replacement quick connect fitting and it's made of steel. Stock unit leaks when you bump, it so replace it pronto. GM's cash cow.

Good to know about the steel fitting DP, do the rubber seals last any longer or clips last longer, with a steel housing at least one could make it part of the normal maintenance routine, as there would be something left to work with that wasn't almost rotted away.

Barb fitting is what I've been using on the truck now for 3 years, shown in pics is only concern I've ever had is the inside seal which has a flow divider in it missing on the one from the Burb I have sketched in green. I don't know if it was supposed to function as a flow control orifice, so far it hasn't seemed to have hurt mine running without it.

From a spares or roadside repair always easy to get another piece of rubber hose, may not be easy to find the clip or seal which is main reason for me getting away from GM design

thanks for the input, I've decided to lose the complicated little bugger and go with the tried and true heater hose and barbed fitting. Also cheap and easy, my favorite. That said, the fitting came out in more than one piece. Now it's out to the shop to search for the 1/2 x5/8 fitting that I can picture, but not locate. Maybe I used it somewhere else. Stores doen't open for a while, so coffee and search time. Rusty

I got mine at a Lowes building material store in plumbing fitting section WATTs is mfr p/n A-493

Got lucky found one in one of my parts bins. Truck is out and towing again.

ttt