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Thread: radiator hose help/??

  1. #1
    Van Enthusiast joegri's Avatar
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    radiator hose help/??

    hi guyz i recently did a head gasket job on my van and noticed that the upper radiator hose would INFLATE really big while running then after it would cool down the hose would colapse flat like a pancake?? also when it was cooled off if i took the radiator cap off it would let off a lot of pressure?? well the hose let go this afternoon and now i,m looking for a new one to put in. can anybody give me an idea whats going on with my cooling system. after i log out i gotta order a new upper hose and a new cap and a new thermostat. thanx for reading my problem. joe g

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    Re: radiator hose help/??

    I'd do the lower hose while you're in there. It isn't too hard to reach from underneath.

    Sounds like just a matter of having a really trashed upper hose and possibly a cap that wasn't releasing pressure properly. I wouldn't worry too much unless you continue having problems after changing the hoses and cap.

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    Administrator timsrv's Avatar
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    Re: radiator hose help/??

    I agree. Anytime a hose "blows up" or collapses it's time for a new hose. Sounds like you've been running on borrowed time. It's considered good routine maintenance to replace the cap every few years anyhow. I think doing the hoses and the cap will solve your problem. Tim

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    Van Enthusiast joegri's Avatar
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    Re: radiator hose help/??

    thank you reducto and tim for your thoughts. i did order new top n bottom hoses for the primer van. now that i think long n hard about it, because these van make up alot of built up heat all the rubber componets must really take a beating . imagine that a rad cap could ruin yer day pretty quick! this cap is maybe 4 years old but it did come off my other previous van. "other than that mrs lincoln how,d ya like the play? thanx again fellas. joe g

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    Re: radiator hose help/??

    There's also a couple of hoses you may want to look at. There's two rubber hoses that go to the heater core for the back heat. You'd be able to see them if you were looking at your oil filter. One of these hoses ruined my day pretty quick!

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    Van Fan wirewrkr's Avatar
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    Re: radiator hose help/??

    Believe it or not, the best price I got on the GATES brand formed hoses was at AMAZON!
    looked up the Gates numbers at Gates' websight, went to Amazon and plugged in the number.
    BAM! they're on the way.
    Very inexpensively too I must say.
    I'll check that heater hose before I button it back up.

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    Van Enthusiast joegri's Avatar
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    Re: radiator hose help/??

    well i replaced the upper and lower hose and put in a new thermostat and all seems to be fine!! i did notice that the gauge now reads just a tic cooler too. the temp gauge now reads just a lil bit left of center. i did,nt replace the tstat yet cuz i,m gonna go in a replace the alternator so, i thought i,d do them at the same time. thanx for the help boyz. i did,nt know that a hose and a cap could get that bad!! also as a sidenote there is a cruisenite at a cool spot and i was thinkin bout bringin the primer van. just cuz i love hearing people say "what is that thing!

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    Re: radiator hose help/??

    Quote Originally Posted by wirewrkr View Post
    Believe it or not, the best price I got on the GATES brand formed hoses was at AMAZON!
    looked up the Gates numbers at Gates' websight, went to Amazon and plugged in the number.
    BAM! they're on the way.
    Very inexpensively too I must say.
    I'll check that heater hose before I button it back up.
    I surely believe that Amazon had your part and at the best price. I'm kind of lucky, I guess, because I live 45 miles from the nearest Napa, 80 miles from the nearest Sears and Home Depot,etc., so I've been shopping at amazon forever. Me and the UPS man see each other a few times a week, sometimes. I get tune-up parts, tools, wiper blades, just about any and every thing I need. Definitely, keep it in mind when you looking for stuff and if in doubt, you get the benefit of the reviews. Because I shop there so often, I get the Prime shipping, for $79 a year and everything that's Prime eligible is 2 day shipping and I have an Amazon Visa that scores me 3 points per dollar on Amazon purchases. I don't want to sound like I'm an Amazon stockholder (I'm not) but when something works, I promote it.
    Last edited by skibum; 05-24-2012 at 05:40 PM. Reason: spelling

  9. #9
    Van Fan wirewrkr's Avatar
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    Re: radiator hose help/??

    Quote Originally Posted by skibum View Post
    I surely believe that Amazon had your part and at the best price. I'm kind of lucky, I guess, because I live 45 miles from the nearest Napa, 80 miles from the nearest Sears and Home Depot,etc., so I've been shopping at amazon forever. Me and the UPS man see each other a few times a week, sometimes. I get tune-up parts, tools, wiper blades, just about any and every thing I need. Definitely, keep it in mind when you looking for stuff and if in doubt, you get the benefit of the reviews. Because I shop there so often, I get the Prime shipping, for $79 a year and everything that's Prime eligible is 2 day shipping and I have an Amazon Visa that scores me 3 points per dollar on Amazon purchases. I don't want to sound like I'm an Amazon stockholder (I'm not) but when something works, I promote it.
    We're running in a parallel. Shopping is kind of difficult around here so with all my Amazon bonus' (same as yours) it makes it silly not to buy from them.
    I even bought a 46" TV from them last year.
    Gotta love the the revues!

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