General Tech Rubber Hose Replacement Frequency?

[RJS]

Hi All,

In terms of normal/preventative maintenance, how often would you replace the rubber radiator and heater hoses? I'm not sure mileage is a good indicator since I only drive about 1,000 miles per year. Every 6, 8 or 10 years? Or "as needed" based in inspection?

I replaced my radiator hoses in 2008. But, the heater hoses are 14 years old (they date back to the restoration in 2000).

Last thing I want is to loose a rad hose on the road. Even worse would be losing an interior heater hose and spilling hot coolant all over the interior floor.

Thanks

Bob

 

[Geo Hahn]

I suppose for one reason or another (heater work, radiator out, etc) I end up changing them every 10 years or so.

The only one I have had fail while driving is the bypass hose, though I may have stressed it a bit by jamming a plug in there. Its failure was a small leak through a crack but got my attention pretty quick as it was spraying the distributor -- you can't drive far with that.

 

[mrv8q]

FWIW, I got my car on the road 10 years ago this winter, and I plan on going throught the entire cooling system / hose replacement this winter...

 

[DougF]

I rebuilt my engine three years ago, replacing all of the hoses in the process. I replaced them all again last fall after two failures. I can only guess that it was poor quality import products.

 

[charleyf]

I suppose for one reason or another (heater work, radiator out, etc) I end up changing them every 10 years or so.

The only one I have had fail while driving is the bypass hose, though I may have stressed it a bit by jamming a plug in there. Its failure was a small leak through a crack but got my attention pretty quick as it was spraying the distributor -- you can't drive far with that.

wow!! That is exactly the same hose --the only hose --that I have ever had fail. I also have a loose fitting plug in that hose. I wonder?
My hose was rather new and was replaced by TRF when I told Charles about it
So the further concern is to find quality hoses for any replacements. I change mine mostly when they start looking poor.Charley

 

[CJD]

I have a Rangie that eats rubber hoses every 3 years. I have a Jag with the original 20 year old hoses. So, I agree that time changing is not always required. The 4 psi cap really reduces the stress on the system. It's my experience that the hoses get a soft feel long before they "blow". So I give them a good check before I drive any long distances.

 

[TomMull]

Too bad there seems to be such variable quality in some replacement parts. In general, though, it would seem that today's hoses are better than originals. I think all of mine failed at some point in the first 10 years I drove my TR3 in the 1960s.
It relatively to easy to change hoses and also inexpensive, (in Triumph terms) to gain some peace of mind. The gauge I have used lately is to replace hoses with any stiffness, cracks or swelling behind the clamps. If you can find one, probably at least think about doing them all.
Tom

 

[glemon]

As noted it is a bit of a crapshoot, I have a 1999 Nissan Maxima that runs like a champ, and I have had it since the early 2000s, I have not replaced any hoses, and in fact just decided this spring it would be a good idea to flush the brake fluid.

The hoses look fine, but much as I hate to say it, OEM late 90s Japanese may be better quality than the aftermarket stuff we get for our British cars.

I like the ten years or with signs of stiffness, cracking, or swelling, whichever comes first. I also might look at how I use the car, if I toured often I might replace them a little more often than if the car just went a few miles every now and then for shows or ice cream. Actually as I think of it I don't remember having too many hose failures, but I did have one or two back when I was driving these things as used cars, when they were probably 10-15 years old.

I have usually replaced them all on British cars I have purchased as collector cars over the years, don't know if I have kept one much longer than ten or maybe fifteen years, no problems with the replacement hoses.

 

[RedTR3]

wow!! That is exactly the same hose --the only hose --that I have ever had fail. I also have a loose fitting plug in that hose. I wonder?
My hose was rather new and was replaced by TRF when I told Charles about it
So the further concern is to find quality hoses for any replacements. I change mine mostly when they start looking poor.Charley

I also had an almost-new bypass hose fail when I was running it with the drilled-out copper plug. I suspect there was too much pressure on that hose due to the plug. Anyway, I ended up removing the copper plug when my aluminum radiator solved my overheating problems,,,So far no blowouts after 4+ years.

 

[TR3driver]

I use 10 years as a rule of thumb; but have had a lot of hose failures in recent years. 3 bypass hoses and 3 upper radiator hoses since 2008. I finally quit using the cloth-covered reproductions and used Gates hoses instead. Even one of them failed, but I think I may have damaged it by getting the hose clamp in the wrong place (partially over the bulge in the radiator inlet) and then just tightening the clamp to stop the leak rather than repositioning the clamp as I should have done. At least, I hope that is all it is!

 

[pdplot]

Only had one hose develop a leak in 18 years of owning my TR6 - small bypass hose. But - when I did a valve job last summer I replaced all hoses "just in case". Most were still ok. If they're starting to crack or getting soft, I'd definitely replace them.