# passenger's side rear camshaft seal and cap



## jimmy154 (May 19, 2009)

Hi,

I been reading about how to replace this for a few hours now. Is there a tutorial that goes over how to replace this? Can I do it without taking the cam out? I think the cam seal and the seal cap might be two different parts and I just have to change the seal cap. Is any of this doable without taking the cam out?

I don't think my issue is with the cam cover breather hoses, pumps or valves, although the hoses where they meet the cam covers did have a little bit of sludge in them. As far as I can see the engine only leaks oil from the rear passenger camshaft seal or cap for the most part. And then there does seem to be a little bit of oil where the PCV is. At least I think it's the PCV. It's one of the valves or pumps that goes to the hose that goes to the cam covers.


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## spitpilot (Feb 14, 2000)

I'd make sure the PCV system is in perfect order...Audi/Vw published a bulletin saying they would not honor warranty claims for oil leak fix until "PCV system is put in proper working order"...I replaced mine and it stopped all the oil seepin from the cam adjusters....There is a DIY in Passat world about 4 cylinder adjuster seal DIY...and its the same technique as for V6 right bank...you have to compress adjster with a simple tool..then loosen the cam (the intake) and raise it up outa the bearings to get slack enuff to remove adjuster and then R&R the seal/gasket under it. This isn't hard..just precise...you must mark cam and gears well so you put things back EXACTLY right!...:thumbup:


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## 02GLXWag6stk (May 23, 2008)

Fortunately if taken care of the B5.5's shouldn't experience as much PCV issues due to a design change
vs that of pre 2002's.

Not taking special care of your PCV or oil leaks can cause large collateral damage over a period of time: very expensive CATS!

Good $30 investment: buy the new OEM oil cap that relieves PCV pressure: one way internal valve

Good to get a vag.com and check your car weekly and inspect BEFORE issues arise.

I have 5 spd 2002 and have the original cam seals and caps and I have 108K and no oil leaks whatsoever so far.

This thread will solve some of your issues:

http://www.passatworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=300414&highlight=pesky

GL


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## jimmy154 (May 19, 2009)

I'm not sure leak is from the cam seal cap. It seem to be either from the valve gasket or the piece I removed in the picture. I think it might be an oil pressure gauge, not sure. I attached some picture of the side of the cam seal cap (best picture I could get), the part I removed with what seems to be a value cover gasket leak above it or the part itself leaked right onto it, but it must have squirted up a little to get that high or at least that's the way it looks. I also attached a picture of what I think is a small leak in one of the breather hoses where it attaches to a plastic piece and then another hose. This part is located right on the top, back and middle of the engine. 

If it is the part I removed that is leaking should I add some silicone to seal it better?

First picture is of the part I removed and the oil that is on the valve cover gasket next to it.
The second is the side of the camshaft seal cap cover cover the oil. But the oil goes all the way from the part I removed and runs above 15 cm down to the camshaft cap seal.
The third is a picture of the oil running from the part down to the camshaft seal (once again you can only see the side of it at the bottom). The part I removed is just above where the photo is taken.
Pictures 4 and 5 are of a hose where there seems to be a small oil leak. The one that is removed does not leak oil. I needed to remove it to get a piece of the air intake out.
Picture 6 is the part I removed with a little darker lighting. I added it here just to showcase my photography skills a little more.


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## O_o (Nov 12, 2009)

Like spitpilot said, your first order of business should be to make sure the PCV system is doing its job. It's possible that replacing the PCV hoses will stop your oil leak entirely without having to replace any seals.

However, you should be able to replace the camshaft end cap and seal without removing the camshaft. There's a seal-puller tool you can order (or if you're lucky, borrow) from any VW $tealer$hip, or (DISCLAIMER: I ACCEPT NO RESPONSIBILITY IF YOU EFF IT UP) you can ******* it by (CAREFULLY) threading in a lag screw on opposite sides of the seal and yanking it out. You can then pound the new one in with an appropriately sized object -- PVC pipe, shot glass, etc...

I'm having a bit of a hard time figuring out exactly what I'm looking at from your pictures (I haven't worked on this engine in quite a while either), but the shaft exposed by the "piece you removed" looks to me like it's for the cam chain sprocket...


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## jimmy154 (May 19, 2009)

The piece I removed is some sort of sensor. Looks like pressure sensor to me, but I guess it could be a crank position sensor  I think that's where the leak is coming from not the camshaft seal cap. But it could also be coming from the valve cover seal next to the part I removed. Seems unlikely though, since it's right next to the sensor and the sensor looks to be leaking. I don't know if I can use some sort of silicone sealant to seal the sensor. I don't know how to check the PCV hoses perfectly. There does not seem to be much sludge where they connect to the valve covers. And I disconnected the hose near the back of the engine, right under where I took the picture of another disconnected hose and there was only a little bit of liquid oil in the hose PCV hose.


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## O_o (Nov 12, 2009)

Maybe the knock sensor then. If I understand the picture, it's pointing the wrong way to be the cam position sensor.

Sealing anything up in there or doing a valve cover gasket job is kind of pointless without cleaning up the PCV system (and there's a good chance that it will solve all your problems). The cheap corrugated breather hoses especially crack, leak, and clog. I replaced mine with chemical-resistant heater hose for some loose change in my pocket.


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## jimmy154 (May 19, 2009)

O_o said:


> Maybe the knock sensor then. If I understand the picture, it's pointing the wrong way to be the cam position sensor.
> 
> Sealing anything up in there or doing a valve cover gasket job is kind of pointless without cleaning up the PCV system (and there's a good chance that it will solve all your problems). The cheap corrugated breather hoses especially crack, leak, and clog. I replaced mine with chemical-resistant heater hose for some loose change in my pocket.


Interesting fix with the chemical-resistant heater hose. That's the kind of fix I like. I hate paying money for these overpriced replacement parts. The car is worth $2000. I'm not going to spend $200 on the Vw Passat Crankcase Breather Hose Kit, 10% the price of the vehicle, replacing some hoses that cost $5 to make.

I already checked the hoses. There are no leaks, cracks and the hoses don't seem to be clogged. The pump I can check a little later and the valve (I think it is), I don't know where that is. Also the smaller hose I haven't found. I kind of fixing this vehicle to sell it. It's my personal vehicle and I won't make the money back so I can't spend the next four months making everything perfect. I'll already doing much more than 99% of people would do before selling a car. Most people would just sell the car as is with the leak.

Right now I ruined both my remotes by going in the pool and lake and apparently I can't start the car without disabling the car with a remote. I have a thread here about the remotes: http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?4943458-Got-my-remotes-wet-and-neither-one-works.


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## O_o (Nov 12, 2009)

Take the remote apart and let it dry out completely before putting it back together with a new battery. I'm pretty sure that when you open the driver's door with the key, it will reset the code.


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## jimmy154 (May 19, 2009)

O_o said:


> Take the remote apart and let it dry out completely before putting it back together with a new battery. I'm pretty sure that when you open the driver's door with the key, it will reset the code.


This is how you program the keys:
_You do need 2 keys. You must be able to lock the drivers door and have the red led alarm light next to the lock button blink. If it does not blink, the alarm does not know the door is closed and will not go into matching mode. Put one key in the ignition switch, turn on, do not start engine. Close the door, use 2nd key, turn door lock and hold in lock position for 10 seconds. Release key to neutral position. 
Press a button on the remote, within 2 seconds press the same button again, the turn signal lights will flash,
this indicates your remote matches the car system and is now recognized._

Batteries both measure 3V on one remote. There are two batteries per remote.


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## 2001 Variant (May 27, 2007)

The part you took off is not a sensor. It's the solenoid of the camshaft chain adjuster (aka tensioner).
I have never taken one apart but hope there is nothing in there that goes out of adjustment when you disconnect the solenoid from the piston.

What's leaking can be any one of three items:
1) Metal gasket underneath the cam adjuster (you can see a little bit of it in the first picture)
2) The half moon seal that sits under the adjuster and plugs the crescent hole you see in your first picture
3) The valve cover gasket in the rear corner by the adjuster

Most likely it's a combination of all three.
The good news is that you should replace the valve cover gasket when you remove the cover to get to the other two and the half moon seal and metal gasket are sold in a set and also usually replaced together. There are a number of write ups on the procedure around here. You don't need to remove the cam shafts or even loosen their caps (unlike described in most write ups).
The VC gasket is about $25 and the set of cam adjuster gasket and seal should be less than $10. You will also need a special tool to compress the adjuster so you can loosen it up to get the gasket and seal out and the new ones in. The special tool is VAS (or Matra) 3366 and can be had for about 20 bucks online (I bought mine at samstagsales.com with super fast shipping and the best price I could fine. Most places charge around $40. Other than that you will need a (I believe) 10 mm socket to get the VC nuts off and a torque wrench to get them back in with proper torque (I forget - it's either 10 or 15 Nm). The 4 screws for the cam adjuster are Torx so you'll need a bit or driver for those as well (forget what size Torx but it was a standard size I had in my Torx set). You'll also need some good cleaner and some rags to get the sealing surfaces clean and VW recommends some special sealer to but in a few places of the metal gasket and the VC gasket but many people had good luck with regular black RTV sealant. If you're good at this stuff it shouldn't take you too long to do but make sure you read multiple write ups to get a better idea for where it gets tricky.

But as others have said before, make sure your PCV system is in good condition as these oil leaks are usually a result of a clogged system or broken vacuum booster.


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## jimmy154 (May 19, 2009)

Yeah, it does look like a solenoid, lol  I will check the PCV system better when I get the chance.

Ever since it has been leaking (started as a little bit a couple years ago) I have been suspicious of just the right side leaking because I had a timing belt break right when I bought the car (and 2 days before I was going to replace the belt) and a shop replaced the cylinder head on that side of the engine. So I of course I figured they did a sloppy job and now it leaks on that side of the engine.

You know what just accorded to me? I thought the oil pressure when going at high rpm went up, but this must be in other parts of the engine not the valve cover area, since it has a PCV system, no? I have noticed that when going around 100 MPH or more my car leaks a lot more oil than when going 80 or less. Is this more indicative of the PCV system malfunctioning or seals, gaskets and all that happy sh*t?


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## jimmy154 (May 19, 2009)

O_o said:


> The cheap corrugated breather hoses especially crack, leak, and clog. I replaced mine with chemical-resistant heater hose for some loose change in my pocket.


Do you know more specifically what type of hose you used? I don't know what temperature range I need or diameter. I don't know how it will connect to everything either. I think I'm getting ahead of myself here though :screwy:


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## jimmy154 (May 19, 2009)

Awesome. Got half my engine apart. Hose looks fine and the black thing in this picture: http://www.blauparts.com/vw/vw_breather_hose/vw_passat_breather_hose_crankcase_hose.shtml on the bottom of the page, looks fine. I can't located the gray thing in the picture on the link, is it green in my car? Also I'm not sure where the small black hose is also in the link at the bottom of the page.

I had to take my throttle body off to get at this PCV hose, so I decided to take it all the way off to clean it. Turns out to be water cooled. Bunch of fluid came out. Am I going to have an air lock in my coolant system when I put my throttle body back on my car? 

Do European's have the same problem with sludge buildup in the PCV system. I always been using Mobil 1 0W-40 motor oil for awhile now and changing my oil every 5,000 miles or so. Maybe that's why my PCV system looks okay. That motor oil is one of three motor oils I know of in America that might be group IV PAO synthetic and has that VW certification (forget what it is now). In America you can call a motor oil "fully synthetic" if it is group III and not derived from synthetic molecules. I don't believe you can call it "100% synthetic" though, unless it is truly synthetic based.

How do I check if this PCV system is bad? Nothing looks clogged. Also I'm not sure where the small black hose is and the small plastic piece in the picture on the link above at the bottom of the page.


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## 2001 Variant (May 27, 2007)

The short hose connects the crank case to the rest of the hoses. There is a 4 way junction between the oil separator (the little drum with a nipple on top and an L piece on the bottom that connects to the intake) and driver side valve cover connector. The connection to the crank case is in the back way down below the intake snorkel.

The gray piece is a check valve. It could be other colors. Mine is blue.

You can't really tell if the suction pump (or vacuum booster - that arrow shaped thing) is bad from just looking at it. I don't remember how it was but I think there are check valves in each of the two smaller nipples. Search online - there was a thread somewhere on another forum where a guy had it cut apart.

There is a procedure described somewhere (maybe in a TSB) on how you can check the operation of the PCV system without taking it apart. I think it involved connecting a pressure gauge to the oil dip stick slot and running the engine at a certain speed under load (only possible with automatic).


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## jimmy154 (May 19, 2009)

Thanks for the help every one. I have put my car back together, since my wife was bitching about me fixing **** when I'm going to sell the car. I need to figure out if I can program used keys (only the ends) if I don't have any remotes to begin with. The procedure is simple for programming the remotes but I don't know two things: can I program a used remote for a 2000 passat and if I have no programmed remotes to begin with, if the program procedure will work. I started a thread about this here: http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?4943458-Got-my-remotes-wet-and-neither-one-works


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## 2001 Variant (May 27, 2007)

Yeah you should be able to program the remotes. Not sure what year your car is but if your original remotes have oval buttons you should be able to program used remotes from a 2000 Passat as long as they are from the same geographic region (since they need to use the same frequencies). It doesn't matter if the new remotes have the trunk button or not (not sure if yours is a wagon which would have no trunk button) or if they have the panic button. The main lock and unlock buttons will work either way. Not sure though if you would have problems fitting a 2 button remote to a 3 button key part or vice versa. Since B5 Passats in the US didn't have immobilizers you can just swap the key blade though if you get matching upper and lower key parts (remote and folding mechanism).
You don't need working remotes to program. All you need is the key part (two of them) to get the programming procedure done. Since you drowned two remotes I assume you have two keys. You can either transfer the old key part to the new remotes before or after.
If you don't have two keys you can still program new remotes but you need VAG-COM or the dealer tool. In there you can delete all existing remotes and kick off the learning procedure without having to use the second key in the driver door lock but you would still need one key that you can use to turn the ignition on.


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## jimmy154 (May 19, 2009)

2001 Variant said:


> You don't need working remotes to program. All you need is the key part (two of them) to get the programming procedure done. Since you drowned two remotes I assume you have two keys. You can either transfer the old key part to the new remotes before or after.


Is there anything you don't know? Why are my PCV breather hoses cleaner than Jesus' assh*le? That's one I'd really like to know 

Yes, I have a 2000 Passat with no immobilizer. It is a two-button remote. I was pretty certain a three-button remote would work as well, but it's nice to know for sure. I guess my remotes are both broken because I've tried programming them with no success, although I read a few different procedures on how to do it. Maybe the owner's manual will tell me how. There was an ebay auction I was going to bid on yesterday for 12 remotes that sold for $152 with shipping (there were a three Audi remotes in there I was going to potentially to with my wife's car), but I was hoping my remotes still worked and I didn't know if I could program two non-programmed remotes. Have to start looking again, after I look in my owner's manual for the program procedure.


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## 2001 Variant (May 27, 2007)

Another thing you could try is just re-syncing your old remotes. If they still physically work after drying (not damaged by the water) they might not unlock the car because they were without batteries for too long (but they are still programmed to the correct code for the car).

The procedure is in the manual under "Resetting the remote control":
_1) Press button A or button C (lock or unlock button) one time for one second. The vehicle remains locked. The control unit only recognizes one key code via the master key.
2) Lock or unlock the vehicle with the master key.
Note: You have only one minute to reset the remote control.
The key code is part of the master key, a new code is created between the control unit and the key._

I'm not sure if they mean to lock/unluck with the actual key or the remote on the master key but it really only makes sense to use the master key's remote since only that way a new code could be communicated that the second remote could intercept. The manual identifies the two remote keys as master keys (so there really isn't one master) while the key without a remote is referred to as the valet key.


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## 2001 Variant (May 27, 2007)

jimmy154 said:


> Is there anything you don't know? Why are my PCV breather hoses cleaner than Jesus' assh*le? That's one I'd really like to know


Could be because either they were replaced by a previous owner (not sure how long you had the car - didn't feel like reading the thread over to potentially find out ) or it could be because the suction pump (vacuum booster) is not working right causing insufficient flow in the hoses and thus keeping grime out (but also causing pressure to remain in the heads). If you always used synthetic oil and changed it more than necessary that could also keep the crud down I guess.


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## jimmy154 (May 19, 2009)

Hmm  I think the remotes work (or partially work) because I was able to reset both of them. So now they disable and enable the alarm via the front driver's door. Where before I had to disable and enable the alarm by locking and unlocking the trunk.

But programming the remotes does not work. I don't know why. I have done it before in this car. I'm pretty sure the buttons you press when programming as outlined in the manual are referring to the buttons on the key in the ignition. I've tried it in all possible configurations of swapping keys from ignition to the door and pressing buttons on the door key and then on the ignition key. Now I'm much better off than I was, since the remote keys enable and disable the alarm via the front driver's door, but more confused.

I guess the remotes only partially working is a real possibility, no?


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## jimmy154 (May 19, 2009)

I went to my car this morning and my remotes no longer turn on of turn off my alarm via the driver's side front door. I tried resetting them again but this time it did not work for either remote. Maybe my remote batteries are bad, but I checked them and they all measure 2.97 Volts.


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## jimmy154 (May 19, 2009)

Got one of my remotes to work now. Hopefully it will stay that way. It was working this morning for a little while, then it stopped. Seems like the way I get it to work again is just by pressing the panic button. Real interesting crap, eh?


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## 2001 Variant (May 27, 2007)

When you were drying the remotes did you take them apart completely? You might need to clean off the circuit board with some alcohol (could have some deposit from the water on the the contacts for either the battery or the buttons (also make sure you clean the button part on the inside that presses down on the circuit board unless there are actual microswitches in there - can't remember how they set it up).

I would also replace the batteries. They could have been partially drained when they got wet and somewhat shorted. You could still measure voltage but as soon as a load is applied it might drop.

The remotes will either work or they won't. You mean you used the key blade of a remote key in the driver door to disarm the alarm? This wouldn't have anything to do with the remote part of the key. The remote only becomes active when you press a button on it. It then sends out a code to the car and if it matches what the car expects it will unlock and disarm. There is no chip in these remotes that disables the alarm when it gets close it the door lock or something like that.

Also the buttons to be pressed during the programming are the ones on the remote that you want to program. It really doesn't matter if you have it in the ignition or the door lock. It's more convenient in the door though since you can reach it easier from the outside. The procedure of turning the ignition on and then actuating the driver door lock is just there to tell the car's computer that it should now listen for a new code from a remote and latch on it. They picked this procedure because it is something that in normal operation shouldn't really happen (because you usually only have one key with you and that would either be in the door lock or the ignition. The car will listen for a certain time after the learning mode is activated and then latch on the first remote signal it receives. Since this is done "over the air" it doesn't matter where you have the remote that you're pressing the buttons on (it could even be a completely separate one that is not in the door or the ignition).

I'm not sure what other options there are to disarm the alarm but I think it can be set with VAG-COM. You should still be able to disable the alarm if you manually unlock with the blade and then turn ignition on within a very short time after you open the door.

Maybe you should try to find someone with VAG-COM. You can actually see how many remotes are programmed and you can see if the car recognizes the remote when you press buttons.


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## jimmy154 (May 19, 2009)

2001 Variant said:


> When you were drying the remotes did you take them apart completely? You might need to clean off the circuit board with some alcohol (could have some deposit from the water on the the contacts for either the battery or the buttons (also make sure you clean the button part on the inside that presses down on the circuit board unless there are actual microswitches in there - can't remember how they set it up).


Yep, it has micro switches. I cleaned a lot of the board with alcohol. One of my remotes the front oval button part wasn't completely sealed all the way around (one that got dunked in the lake, I think, for a few minutes) and that one is not working right now. So I will clean that one up real good and see if that helps. But I already cleaned both pretty well. The good one seems to work all the time now, so I'm not going to push my luck with that. 



2001 Variant said:


> I would also replace the batteries. They could have been partially drained when they got wet and somewhat shorted. You could still measure voltage but as soon as a load is applied it might drop.


Turns out 4 batteries for 2 remotes with run you $20 at radio shack. You can get a used remote on ebay (probably with descent batteries) for about $20-30 for a 2000 Passat. The later model remotes (2001 to 2004, depends on model thought I think) run for about $15-20.



2001 Variant said:


> The remotes will either work or they won't. You mean you used the key blade of a remote key in the driver door to disarm the alarm? This wouldn't have anything to do with the remote part of the key. The remote only becomes active when you press a button on it. It then sends out a code to the car and if it matches what the car expects it will unlock and disarm. There is no chip in these remotes that disables the alarm when it gets close it the door lock or something like that.





2001 Variant said:


> I'm not sure what other options there are to disarm the alarm but I think it can be set with VAG-COM. You should still be able to disable the alarm if you manually unlock with the blade and then turn ignition on within a very short time after you open the door.


No, at one point when you wrote about resetting the remotes. I reset them and when I physically locked and unlocked the car with the key part via the driver's side front door, it would enable and disable the alarm system, which was a good thing from my point of view because before I wodl have to go to the trunk and lock and unlock the trunk to disable the alarm, then walk over to the driver's door and unlock that with the key and turn my ignition on before the alarm was turned on again (which happened pretty quick). Now neither one of my keys enable or disable the alarm via the front door.



2001 Variant said:


> Also the buttons to be pressed during the programming are the ones on the remote that you want to program. It really doesn't matter if you have it in the ignition or the door lock. It's more convenient in the door though since you can reach it easier from the outside. The procedure of turning the ignition on and then actuating the driver door lock is just there to tell the car's computer that it should now listen for a new code from a remote and latch on it. They picked this procedure because it is something that in normal operation shouldn't really happen (because you usually only have one key with you and that would either be in the door lock or the ignition. The car will listen for a certain time after the learning mode is activated and then latch on the first remote signal it receives. Since this is done "over the air" it doesn't matter where you have the remote that you're pressing the buttons on (it could even be a completely separate one that is not in the door or the ignition).


I kind of figured all of this. But the retard part of my brain wanted to be superstitious and didn't want to communicate with the rational part of my brain during the program procedure and apparently the retard part of my brain controls all of my actions  So I kept thinking that whether I pressed the door remote buttons or the ignition remote buttons mattered.



2001 Variant said:


> Maybe you should try to find someone with VAG-COM. You can actually see how many remotes are programmed and you can see if the car recognizes the remote when you press buttons.


To find some one with a VAG-COM has been one of my dreams for a long time now. With my MKV Passat I have to buy a $250 VAG-COM cable (forget which one now) and I guess there is no way of getting around it easily at this point.


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## O_o (Nov 12, 2009)

jimmy154 said:


> Do you know more specifically what type of hose you used? I don't know what temperature range I need or diameter. I don't know how it will connect to everything either. I think I'm getting ahead of myself here though :screwy:


Whatever fits and is solvent-resistant. It's not under pressure and doesn't get hot. Just look at what it's replacing...


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