Radiator Hose Replacement?

[Gebo]

My "98 LS400 has over 300K and I have never replaced the radiator, thermostat or any of the hoses. I listened to a podcast by Ron Ananian and I got worried.

Should I change them out? What should I change out?

My 2002 4Runner is in the same boat.

As most of you know, I am a "freak" when it comes to coolant changing but I don't figure that has much to do with the hoses????

 

[ragtoplvr]

Modern hoses are VERY almost amazing reliable. Most cars now go to the scrap with the original hoses unless damaged.

Rod

 

[Donald]

A good inspection should tell you in what condition the hoses are in?

But if its keeping you up at night, replace when next doing a coolant change. Its not that expensive.

 

[Snagglefoot]

It used to be that rad hoses failed pretty regularly, but honestly I only had one fail, and it was on a small molded hose many, many years ago. Who could argue it's not a good thing, but in my experience, of all the things that failed over the years, hoses were not the problem.

 

[Gebo]

Originally Posted by Donald
A good inspection should tell you in what condition the hoses are in?

But if its keeping you up at night, replace when next doing a coolant change. Its not that expensive.



They look and feel fine. Since I am "always" within 50 miles of my home, I'll just keep inspecting.

 

[mk378]

The heater hoses and the U-shaped bypass hose on the back of the engine (which is the same size as a heater hose) tend to fail first.

 

[Kira]

They have a new class of "rubber' for hoses with a 4-letter designation for the chemical compound. Everything else is old fashioned.

The blokes at more than one dealership swore to me that they do not change hoses anymore. That truly met "blew my mind" criteria.

Years ago I changed the hoses in a '99 Jeep Cherokee figuring 150K was enough. I had read that hoses can age from the inside out.

Since the vehicle had only 4 hoses, I went for it.

All I can say is that after I finished, the old hoses lying on the ground looked dry and "greyed". The newly installed hoses (Gates) looked fresh and subtle.

 

[JHZR2]

Every one of my Mercedes diesels still has its original hoses. Ive not had a need to replace any, and theyre all still good. Now verging on 40 years old...

If you see a reason to change, great. But I wouldnt put it on a schedule.

If you need to do a major system opening, and the hoses are bonded to the radiator neck or some other point, that might be a good reason...

 

[Pelican]

Originally Posted by Gebo
My "98 LS400 has over 300K and I have never replaced the radiator, thermostat or any of the hoses. I listened to a podcast by Ron Ananian and I got worried.
Should I change them out? What should I change out?
My 2002 4Runner is in the same boat.
As most of you know, I am a "freak" when it comes to coolant changing but I don't figure that has much to do with the hoses????

Well even if they "work" right now they are still 22 years old and can fail at any time without notice.
If it were up to me and the cars is in overall good shape, I'd change the lot! If you want to do it a bit at the time I'd wait for the rad as this generally gives you notice (not always) hoses however burst suddenly and there you are stranded and/or with engine damage.
I spoke with a mechanic a few years ago and he told me that with today's hoses one cannot tell the condition visually because the way they are built and to really see the condition one would have to cut the hose, which would defeat the purpose, so he said play safe replace them every 10-15 yrs at the most. So it's up to your risk level tolerance (sounds like a financial advisor

)

 

[WyrTwister]

Is the vehicle ever out on the highway , in the middle of no where , away from town / city .

We purchased a used 2006 Buick Lacrosse 3.8 l , 2 or 3 years ago ( 36,00 - 37,000 miles on the clock ) . We plan to mainly use it as a road car .

Read about the 3.8 l plastic coolant elbows & their habit of going bad with heat & age . Replaced them with metal elbows , heater hoses , radiator hoses , tstat & gasket and installed a gallon of Dexcool . Refreshed the other fluids . Purchased a new serpentine belt , but the old one looked good . Put it in the trunk for a spare .

Note , the power steering pump was much easier to get to , since I had set the alternator aside . Otherwise it is a big pain to get to ! :-(

I am a senior citizen & less able to deal with mechanical break downs / emergencies , on the open road . Cost a few hundred dollars to DIY in my drive way , on my time table . Guessing I will never have to do it again . Pretty cheap piece of mind .

 

[andyd]

My 30 yr old BMWs went to the crusher with most of their original hoses. I replaced as needed. 60s-70s cars , hoses were a maintenance item. These days hoses don't burst like they used to. E-28s had a Low coolant level sensor that warned you if it lost less than a qt on the expansion tank. If you blew a head gasket, it was your own fault.

 

[wander2039]

Heater hose just failed on the Focus, first one I've ever had. Unless their damaged or you can feel soft spots I probably wouldn't mess with them.

 

[Kestas]

Back in the day I used to change hoses every 50K to prevent problems on the road. Now the hoses seem to last forever and only get changed if they fail visible inspection or feel different.

 

[Creekside]

My moms 04 Taurus with the Duratec has only seen the upper hose fail in 350k miles. It's seen a couple coolant changes with G05 and regular oil changes. The coolant system won't be what kills this car. I always thought the transmission would kill it but the Schaeffer 204 has put life back into it.

 

[DGXR]

Generally look for cracks, bulges, or any other signs of deterioration. Otherwise I wouldn't bother with replacement unless they are VERY old... for cooling system hoses, my comfort level drops around 25 years. These are cheap parts and a failure could leave you stranded.

 

[PandaBear]

I had one that bulge up at around 240k miles, another one with a pin hole leak at around 260k miles but that one is a bypass hose. Slow loss of coolant and wasn't even aware it come from there (because there was also a radiator cap problem). I'm sure the Japanese and maybe also American started using EPDM since at the latest late 90s and they have been pretty reliable.

To be honest I'll replace them if they are 12 yr or 150k miles, if I want to keep it for long, but not every 6 years 90k miles or less.

 

[Yah-Tah-Hey]

OEM. Reuse the constant tension OEM clamps.

 

[eljefino]

They'll fail *if* you let oil drip on them. They get soft and generally give plenty of warning if you inspect them.

Generally only valve covers are high enough to get 'em, and those gaskets are pretty easy to change.

 

[brages]

Some hoses have design defects. (Volvo P1 upper radiator hose)

 

[CapitalTruck]

I changed all the hoses on my mom's 2007 Highlander V6 when it passed 200k miles. I figured it was cheap insurance. On the Toyota V6 there is a rubber hose UNDERNEATH the intake manifold in the V of the engine. That was a real pleasure. Had to take plastic air plenum and manifold off. I sure felt better after getting that in there though as it has to be exposed to unimaginable heat. I also put a new thermostat in while I was in there. Basically, I figure 200k is enough for hoses. That represents a lifetime as far as many manufacturers are concerned. Her Highlander currently has 228k on it. I love that Ron Ananian podcast.

Perhaps it's because it's a small turbo charged engine, but I have had to do numerous cooling system repairs to my sister's Chevy Cruze. Plastic all over the place. Anyway, I mention this because when I was changing one of those plastic three way water outlet jobs I found the radiator hose attached to it was severely degraded on the inside. I couldn't see any sign of problem on the outside. I changed this and the two smaller, heater hose sized hoses that came off the same tee because I figured I was on borrowed time.

I have also heard that these modern EPDM hoses are lifetime, but like I said, I think lifetime is 200k miles for many vehicles. As the other poster remarked, I also would recommend OEM hoses and tension clamps. The Toyota hoses come with all the protective sheathing and insulators (if applicable) preinstalled. The OEM clamps are like a dream to work with after some of the aftermarket clamps I've dealt with. Just research the correct hoses, buy them, buy an OEM thermostat, and put the stuff in. You'll be glad you did.

Your frequent changing of coolant has done you great favors as it keeps the acid levels of your cooling system down and prevents electrolysis from attacking your hoses.