According to the parts manual the new style duck bill was introduced at VIN B34499 which is part way through the 2010MY so there will be 5.0L cars running around with the original design.

 

At least that info is encouraging for my car. Thanks.

 

Thanks for this positive info for my 2010 as well as the vehicle ID number when it was introduced. Both make me feel somewhat more confident against imminent failure. Now all I have to worry about is my coolant crossover pipe or water pump failure!!!!! lol (but not really funny)

 

A followup to my previous post. The tool I made had successfully slit the throat on my duckbill, but did not cut it off.
So, last Friday night I took another crack at it, but this time I lengthened the leg of the tool that holds the blade, such that the leg plus blade was about 3.25 inches long (about 1/2 inch longer than before, you can see a line where the previous bend was on this photo):



Modified tool, now about 3.25 inches on blade side.

Maybe I'm getting old, or maybe due to the length of my tool, but it took me about half an hour of trying before I was able to locate and get my tool in the hole (shame on you! I can hear what you're thinking ).



Tool resting on transmission, blade is up in the hole.

Note the ridge on the transmission housing, that runs around the housing. I put a mark on the tool at that line:




Marked a reference point on the tool.

Now here's the tool showing the mark, so you can see that the duckbill hole is 5.75 inches back from that ridge on the transmission housing:



Reference point on the tool, showing how far back the duckbill hole is from a point on the transmission housing.

I sawed and sliced away for a period of time, just to make sure I was doing everything I could, before pulling the tool back out (I could feel a rubbery resistance at first, and then feel metal on metal scraping, which was probably the tip of the blade rubbing against the wall from which the duck bill emerged.

When I pulled out the tool, I ran my camera down there, trying to see what I had accomplished, and saw that my view was blocked. Turn out to be the duckbill I cut off, and I was able to get a finger down there to gently nudge it to fall out of the hole. And here's the result, one severed duckbill:



Success!
The duckbill was cut at an angle, due to the tool being tilted toward the back of the car, because the tool has a 90 degree bend, and the slope of the transmission housing forces the tool to cut at an angle. If I had it to do over, I might have bent the tool a little bit to compensate for the transmission slope, but no matter, my duck is now lipless, and will never plug up on me again!

Just a note for those interested, the flat part of the duckbill is not very long, only about 1/8 inches:



Severed duckbill, note that the flat of the lips is only about 1/8 inches.

 

Hi and thanks, I used your method when I first bought my xk. Great full

 

KJ07XK, I've made the tool and found the duck bill cavity with my finger but haven't been able to get the tool on the duck bill. I'll keep trying. You mentioned that you might have bent the tool differently. Greater or less than 90 degrees angle.

 

To get a straighter cut across the duckbill, from top to bottom, I'd decrease the angle between the two legs of the tool slightly, so maybe 75-80 degrees instead of 90.
Getting in there is PITA. I think I exhausted my not so nice vocabulary, several times, before I hit it, and then worked the tool into the hole.

 

Seeing that severed duckbill is a thing of beauty!! I sliced mine up pretty well, but no de-billing. As much blood, sweet & swearing it takes to reach and de-billitate that thing, I think you should mount both the tool and the severed bill to a plaque & hang it on your man cave wall. WELL DONE SIR!!

 

I'm still working on mine! only 3 days so far.................what a bitch. Not easy for an 81 yo............not ready to give up yet!
Got camera from HF (only a mile away).

Found another use for camera; checking brake pad thickness's; couldn't live without HF!

Thanks again,Cheers, Adrian

 

First, thanks to the guys that figured this approach out. It's inexpensive, relatively quick and works.

I've had some success by mutilating the duck bill rather than severing it. I can get the blade on the bill but it's difficult to actually cut into the bill, so I've stabbed it and tried to rip it. I'll give it another go to actually sever the bill. The water is draining now but I want to finish the job.

 

How do you know when youve got the blade on the duckbill?

Ive made a tool to the spec and measurements, but i can't
find the hole, i turn the tool clock-wise blade facing right and
try to get it in the whole but I can't get the blade to face 90o up

please help!

 

You do need to get up in there, so getting to 90o is important. There doesn't seem to be anything else in there, so if you get in the hole, just start sawing.
It does have a slight rubbery resistance to it.

 

so this tool sits on top of the transmission, how did you get the picture of the tool beside the pipe can you see it from the top

 

The camera definitely helps to find the whole. It is a challenge to first locate the opening with the camera, then manipulate the tool into the opening at the same time; without moving the camera. It is doable, frustrating, and as others have stated an exhaustive use of your 4 letter vocabulary. For me, I was on the passenger side of the transmission with the tool turned on its right side once I had it passed the transmission. I then, about 4 inches in, started rotating the tool left, so the blade started turning up, and started pecking the tool upward until I felt an opening. once in, the tool was then flat side facing up as the blade was now in the opening. Then it was a matter of both pushing upward and turning the tool back to the right (as my blade edge was on that side, wedge shaped not hooked like the excellent pictures included by the successful De-billatator). This motion allowed me to spear & Slice the duckbill until it was pretty well torn. Imagine sticking a pocket knife into a latex dishwashing glove. I did not achieve success until my third attempt doing this. I would spend an hour at a time trying. Anymore & anger/frustration would take hold. Patience & Persistence is the key.

 

How can you make sure your not cutting something else , eg wires or another pipe when you put it in the hole and cant see anything, pity you didn't attach a small camera scope you may have had a good view of it.

 

I have an XK, so there is more workspace available. Those with an XKR will find those air pipes to the SC in the way.

 

The first postings in this thread by DpezXK8 did include some camera shots/video, better than what I saw with my scope, but neither one showed anything else in there, so I just went for it.
It's really hard to get a decent view up into that hole.

 

Just throwing something out there but could a small hole be cut in the inside casing and insert the camera to locate the duckbill exit point, then if located it could be opened from inside , then the access hole siliconed closed with a piece of plastic etc.

 

Still trying to do this!! on my second round,
I am doing it blindly, i can't get the blade to go 90o and into the hole!
any tricks?

 

Try expanding your four letter word vocabulary.