Thermostat and radiator hoses as preventative

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Jan 26, 2012
Messages
1,217
Location
Omaha, NE USA
I plan to change the coolant in my Caravan soon. Mileage is around 125K. I was thinking about going ahead and replacing the thermostat and the upper and lower radiator hoses while I had the coolant drained out already. They are inexpensive and easy to replace. Is it beneficial to replace these as preventative maintenance?
 
I've replaced the hoses, but not the thermostat. I usually only do this if I need to replace the rad. What year is your Caravan?

Regards, JC.
 
Thermostat, sure.

On the hoses, I'm finding the OE ones today (past 15 years) last a really long time. For example, my '99 S10 still has the factory hoses. No signs of any problems at 191K. So I think today's OE parts are much better than what was used in 70s & 80s.

YMMV, as always...
 
Don't fix what isn't broke. More often than nor the replacement parts arent as good as the originals are.
 
I will just change the coolant then. The hoses aren't showing any signs of problems at the moment and the thermostat is functioning as it should. Hoping to get many years and many miles out of this vehicle so I'm trying to take as good of care of it as possible. Thanks!
 
I changed my hoses at 14 years, 130k. It was mostly for my piece of mind. You really can't tell from appearances how they are.

On the thermostat, don't bother unless you have a problem.
 
Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
I don't fool with either of those unless they fail.


I agree on the thermostat, but replacing the hoses every 10 years keeps you from being stranded for lack of coolant and is the schedule I use.
 
Don't forget the heater hoses and the bypass hose from hadez.those carry water faster and as hot or hotter than the radiator hoses. The new EPDM hoses often last the life of the car. Not that stupid bypass though.
 
Hello, My '02 Volvo V70 has 178,000 miles and I'm changing the hoses, giving the cooling system a little cleanse and replacing the coolant.
The original owner had the coolant replaced at 5.5 years so I'm not too late.
I bought Gates upper & lower radiator hoses and Volvo heater hoses. There are fittings on the heater hoses at the firewall.

I'd just like to know the lifespan of the hoses to the oil cooler. They carry coolant to and from the cooler.
As parts go they are quite expensive.
 
Originally Posted By: stevejones
Thermostat, sure.

On the hoses, I'm finding the OE ones today (past 15 years) last a really long time. For example, my '99 S10 still has the factory hoses. No signs of any problems at 191K. So I think today's OE parts are much better than what was used in 70s & 80s.

YMMV, as always...


Coolant, definitely. Thermostat, maybe, and perhaps water pumps since they are mechanical items...

But hoses? The hoses in my 30+ year old mercedes and 23 year old bmw are all original. Knock on wood, but they've all been perfect. And this isn't my first go round with 30 year old, >>200k MB hoses.

Maybe they're all ticking time bombs, but they feel and look fine.

But I keep the coolant replaced often.
 
My experience with old BMWa is the same. The only exception is the fuel hoses after 20+ yrs, they get hard and start to crack.
 
make certain to use the proper coolant.... either mopar or G05.
Hoses? I've gotta agree that hoses seem to last alot longer than they used to - I just replaced the hoses on my 02 intrepid and 98 van. I also replaced the thermostats. all of the hoses looked fine - but I torture my van and I would rather not be stranded. on the intrepid, if you ever overheat it, you stand a great chance of warping the heads.
 
Leave them alone. T-stats and hoses don't need routine replacement like they used to. Replace when they show signs of needing it (slow warm up, deterioration you can see or feel on the hoses).

I have replaced the thermostat on my truck, not because it failed, but because the fiber gasket around the water neck leaked (replaced with Felpro PermaDryPlus silicone/composite type). Figured since I was in there anyway, I'd put a t-stat in. Had that gasket not leaked, I would have left it alone until the truck had trouble getting up to temp.

If you do have to scratch the itch, or if you find these parts need replacing in the future, use OE. I have encountered many fitment and other quality problems with the aftermarket brands that are commonly used. I would be okay with an aftermarket hose IF it has the correct bends, but a lot of times they are "close enough," or the aftermarket manufacturer assumes there were no changes to the OE design over the course of the model run and says a hose for an older model fits when it doesn't. I would avoid Stant stats and caps unless doing an emergency repair, and in that case I would go ahead and buy an OE replacement as soon as possible to have on hand when the Stant part fails.

The exception to OE would be cases where you can get an improved gasket, like I mentioned using on my truck's water neck.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: ram_man
Don't fix what isn't broke. More often than nor the replacement parts arent as good as the originals are.


I agree with the above statement.
 
Originally Posted By: Kira
Hello, My '02 Volvo V70 has 178,000 miles and I'm changing the hoses, giving the cooling system a little cleanse and replacing the coolant.
The original owner had the coolant replaced at 5.5 years so I'm not too late.
I bought Gates upper & lower radiator hoses and Volvo heater hoses. There are fittings on the heater hoses at the firewall.

I'd just like to know the lifespan of the hoses to the oil cooler. They carry coolant to and from the cooler.
As parts go they are quite expensive.


Is your V70 a turbo? If so, be sure to replace the turbo coolant inlet hose on the back of the engine. See here for a nice walkthrough on replacing the radiator/turbo coolant hoses.

For the heater hoses, be careful when removing from the coupler in the firewall. The coupler isn't too expensive ( see here), but it is a pain. I went ahead and bought a spare to have as a backup just in case.

Leave the oil cooler hoses alone - when they fail, they start leaking very slowly (usually from the crimps). The late-model (post '00, I think) has a much more reliable oil cooler design (from what I have read/seen) than the earlier style. I just replaced the oil cooler hoses on my '98 XC at 150k due to oil leakage. They had been leaking since ~140k...verrrrryyyy slllooowwww.

Lastly, order your OEM parts from VolvoPartsLisle - much cheaper than going to a different dealership and paying their massive mark-up. If you need part numbers, go to a website like FCPEuro, EEuroparts, or IPD and grab them after finding the part you need..
 
I was going to replace the thermostat when I change the coolant of my 04 Camry V6, but after reading this, I think I will just replace the coolant and forget the thermostat. Too many components to remove to get to the thermostat. Replaced the hoses several years ago mostly because that is what I have done for many years. The hoses I replaced looked good after seven years of service.
 
I change the thermostat and radiator cap every 6-10 years.
Always with OEM part.
Every second or third coolant change.
The old ones always feel sticky working them by hand.
 
I've never had a coolant hose fail on anything built since the 'seventies.
The hoses on our '97 Accord were original at least until I sold the car in 2013 at 207K. The radiator was not as durable, requiring replacement at around 138K. An easy job and not really expensive.
I have had to replace a couple of thermostats and have stuck with OEM.
Too many stories about poorly functioning aftermarket themostats.
I think I've replaced a total of two radiator caps in the past forty years.
In short, I wouldn't worry about the hoses or the t-stat.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top