RADIATOR HOSES
- Thread starter cordeen
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Hi cordeen,
Last time I remember this being discussed, there was a WIDE variance of thought. I would say that regular checking when the engine is cold (squeezing and visual check of condition) and visual check when the engine is hot is enough. Get in the habit of checking when you are checking the oil and coolant levels. A hot engine will reveal a weak spot in the hose ballooning up. Also check before a longish trip.
Preventative for me is 60k miles or 10 year old car, or long trip if near that mileage/timeframe.
Hoses now are much better than in my youth, but a defect in manufacturing is hard to know before hand. I replace with the OEM or most expensive NAPA sells. Rad. hoses are a b*tch to fix when not at the homestead! Also, gorilla duct tape in an emergency kit works in a pinch when hoses have cooled.
Last time I remember this being discussed, there was a WIDE variance of thought. I would say that regular checking when the engine is cold (squeezing and visual check of condition) and visual check when the engine is hot is enough. Get in the habit of checking when you are checking the oil and coolant levels. A hot engine will reveal a weak spot in the hose ballooning up. Also check before a longish trip.
Preventative for me is 60k miles or 10 year old car, or long trip if near that mileage/timeframe.
Hoses now are much better than in my youth, but a defect in manufacturing is hard to know before hand. I replace with the OEM or most expensive NAPA sells. Rad. hoses are a b*tch to fix when not at the homestead! Also, gorilla duct tape in an emergency kit works in a pinch when hoses have cooled.
OOPs, meant to say 60k or 6 yrs...
All the repair shops I have worked at don't set replacement by time or mileage.
We look for bulging, cracking, and leaking at the hose, and feel if the hose is too stiff or soft.
Some cars get only 4 years from their hoses, others go over 10 years.
I'm not sure what brand is best for replacement.
We look for bulging, cracking, and leaking at the hose, and feel if the hose is too stiff or soft.
Some cars get only 4 years from their hoses, others go over 10 years.
I'm not sure what brand is best for replacement.
I like David's advice here. Every car I have owned has shown hoses going bad around 60k miles or 6-7 years. I have even had some start leaking around this time. Just replaced the hoses on my truck and the lower hose had whitish spots on it where it looked like it might have been seeping.
5.5 years and 76K my hoses still look good.
Believe it or not,I just swapped out the upper hose on my 98 Yukon at 201,000 Miles. It looked fine, but I was changing the water pump, so I decided to do both hoses.
Probably overkill, but have thought about replacing mine with silicone hoses:
http://www.samcosport.com/us/hosekits.asp
http://www.samcosport.com/us/hosekits.asp
hoses are generally cheap. i say to buy a upper radiator spare hose, keep it in the trunk along with whatever tools you need to change them out. usually its the upper hose which feeds hot coolant into the rad that blows out first.
if you keep a spare with you. you can pretty much drive on the original until she blows.
i have the same mentality with accessory belts and idler pulleys or serpentine belt tensioner. keep the spares with you and whatever tools you need to change them. run the originals until they blow.
usually the only tools you need is a few screwdrivers and a basic set of box end wrenches. thats something that no motorist should be without reguardless.
on my stratus, its still got the original radiator hoses and the original a/c and alternator belt, and thats over 180,000 miles. the power steering belt has been replaced once, along with the idler for the a/c and alternator belt. the upper rad hose is bulging like a seagull that ate too many alka seltzers. but its still holding on. i may change it soon just because i KNOW its not got much life left, and being temporarily stranded on the side of the road and being late to whatever it is that i was driving to is no fun.
if you keep a spare with you. you can pretty much drive on the original until she blows.
i have the same mentality with accessory belts and idler pulleys or serpentine belt tensioner. keep the spares with you and whatever tools you need to change them. run the originals until they blow.
usually the only tools you need is a few screwdrivers and a basic set of box end wrenches. thats something that no motorist should be without reguardless.
on my stratus, its still got the original radiator hoses and the original a/c and alternator belt, and thats over 180,000 miles. the power steering belt has been replaced once, along with the idler for the a/c and alternator belt. the upper rad hose is bulging like a seagull that ate too many alka seltzers. but its still holding on. i may change it soon just because i KNOW its not got much life left, and being temporarily stranded on the side of the road and being late to whatever it is that i was driving to is no fun.
Ive found hoses to look fine on the outside but all cracked on the inside, if you really want to see the condition of a hose, pop it off and look within.
MA,
A minor problem with keeping a spare hose is you may not need it for 5 years. Rubber detiorates with age regardless of being used or not. However, it's better than not having one at all.
A minor problem with keeping a spare hose is you may not need it for 5 years. Rubber detiorates with age regardless of being used or not. However, it's better than not having one at all.
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