Rear coolant hard line install grief

[GreggPDX]

I'm finally putty stuff back together on my engine, and I went to install the big coolant hard line at the back of the block, and the center o-ring is giving me grief! This is the one the slips into the aluminum pipe right between the turbo inlets. I'm using a new o-ring, and I lubed it with some silicone, but it refuses to go in all the way. I tried multiple times, and removed some of the nearby hoses to give me more room to work, but it keeps hanging up with about 3/8" left to go in. I know it should go deeper, because I tried installing without the o-ring, and it went in no problem. Part of the problem is that the line it's going into has some flexibility, so it just flexes when I push hard.

I've managed to destroy the o-ring, so I'll hit the dealership today to get a few more, but does anyone have any tips for how they got this installed?

<rant> I swear it's the stupid little things like this that are killing me. It's funny how some everyone seems to get hung up on different issues with these cars. There are several things that went smooth and easy for me, that other people struggled with, but then I get hung up on crap like this! </rant>

Gregg

[bethridg]

I remember it being a pain and having to use a pair of pliers around the pipe that goes under the intake for leverage so it didn't move as I pushed. The o-rings on each end of the hard pipe kept falling out when I was threading in the bolts too so I used a very small dab of super glue to keep them in the pipe end.

[P1054]

That was a pain for me too.. I put a tiny bit of dish soap on some of the more stubborn o-rings and it makes a world of difference, they go right in. On that particular one, getting pliers or some sort of brace behind the pipe helps too.

[GreggPDX]

Thanks guys, that's good advice about bracing the pipe, I'll rig something up tonight and give it another go!

[GreggPDX]

Just wanted to provide an update on this. I was finally able to get the line installed after I figured out I'm an idiot. I was using the wrong o-ring! I bought two o-rings from the parts house, one for the hard pipe and one for the temp sensor. They are similar, but not the same, and when I bought them, they just handed me two bare o-rings. I made an assumption about which was which, and I didn't do a good job checking against the old ring. I used the the temp sensor ring which is actually thicker, and it was binding up on the hard pipe.

When I went back for a new ring, they gave me the package with the part number, and that's when I realized my mistake. With the correct o-ring, the pipe went in easy like butter!

For reference, the correct, current part number is WHT006407.