Thanks for responding, Joe. This turned out to be more research than work, but I hope it will be helpful to some one else.
As it turns out, the L-shaped hose is a drain hose, and the nipple comes from the compartment that the heater core is in. The heater core is actually situated in such a way that if it fails such as mine did, it will drain out of this small hose onto the ground outside- not to the inside of the car. The 2 heater hoses actually mount to the side of the heater core, and are accessible from both under the hood and under the car on the drivers side. The hose in question is rubber and attaches to a nipple on the firewall, and doesn't use a clamp; whereas the heater hoses are actually rigid lines with flare nuts at the ends that screw to the core.
Friday, January 9th, 2009 AT 6:00 PM