Do you use grease when replacing radiator hoses?

[oilboy123]

I have but like to use straight antifreeze.

 

[Crashbox]

I usually spit on the inside of the hoses, now with synthetic mucous.

 

[shoz123]

I use a silicone spray.

 

[Merkava_4]

YES! I use silicone grease to help slide the hoses on. Dow Corning 111.

 

[GeaugaFletcher]

Some folks use 'personal lubricant'. I assume you'd want the standard stuff, not the warming or other goofy variety.

 

[swalve]

Quote:

---

Some folks use 'personal lubricant'. I assume you'd want the standard stuff, not the warming or other goofy variety.

---

The story is that Astroglide was invented by or for NASA as a lubricant for hoses and o-rings. I can just picture the look on the inventors' spouses faces later that evening...

 

[onion]

Interesting idea... but I don't know how customers are going to feel about seeing a big greasy tube of KY in my toolbox. It's bad enough that I already have a jar of Vaseline.

 

[Trucku]

Spit seems to work fine...Haven't tried grease.

 

[DaddyOhNo]

Quote:

---

It's not a good idea. Likely nothing would come of it- but you'd be getting grease into the coolant. Also, grease contains oil, which ain't good for rubber... and you sure don't want a hose to slip off.
If you wouldn't do this to your own vehicle, why would you do it to someone else's? That's why I do all my own work, can't trust someone else to do it right.

I've done that sort of thing at the shop occasionally if a hose is really putting up a fight for whatever reason... but that's only because my convenience is far more important than the customer's long-term interests. I wouldn't do it on my own vehicle.

---

 

[wileyE]

On some applications I use a non hardening gasket compound on the bib the hose slides over. Any excess sealer gets pushed away from the inside of the hose so shouldn't contaminate the coolant. I learned about this working on OMC boat motors where they spec'd it in the manuals. It seals the the hose from leaks and seals the bib surface (often a alum casting) from oxidation and corrosion from salt. Don't always do it it on cars but will if the surface of the bib has any pitting or roughness from poor casting. Also use it on bike motors that see high vibration and have hoses that are "just barely long enough" and have tension on them.

 

[65cuda]

When I have something like a rubber hose that really fits tight I will take a little dish soap and apply a little to the inside of the hose. Never had a problem with it yet anyway. Heating it up is good but for a lazy person like me the soap gets it done easier and faster.