Changing Heater Hoses
#1
Registered Member
Thread Starter
Changing Heater Hoses
I'm at 61k miles and need to swap belts and hoses. Anyone have experience and tips/ techniques for swapping out the heater hoses? The clearances look very tight, so I'm expecting it to be a pain and knuckle buster. Was curious if anyone used any special tools, etc. Also, from the diagram in the FSM it looks like there are 4-5 hoses if I do all of them which maps to what I'm seeing on sites like Rockauto....any preference in brands? Any thoughts/experience would be appreciated.
#4
Registered User
I understand replacing belts at 60,000 miles, but I've never replaced heater hoses on any car less than 10 years old. Is it really worth the effort, time, and money? It certainly does not hurt anything.....but.
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#8
The oem lower radiator "spring-style" hose clamp gave up on our '05 around 65k, let air into the system, overheated, caused minor havoc. I took the opportunity to do silicone hoses and REAL hose clamps all around. Toughest part for the mechanic (beyond my skill level) was purging the air out of the system.
#10
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#13
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Thing is, those crimp clamps are pretty uniformly wrapped around the hose, whereas worm gear and t-bolts present the opportunity to over-torque, which can be a problem on the radiator side, where the tubes are plastic.
BTW, I learned that the hard way. I'm not proud.
BTW, I learned that the hard way. I'm not proud.
#14
I believe you, thanks for sharing. Hopefully the guys who did the work knew that too...
And I imagine the spring clamps are totally fine but they don't look very robust. Certainly easy for assembly... Then they are put through the coolant temperature cycle over and over again. The new clamps at least feel like an upgrade, but what do I know? (Nothing, that's what.)
And I imagine the spring clamps are totally fine but they don't look very robust. Certainly easy for assembly... Then they are put through the coolant temperature cycle over and over again. The new clamps at least feel like an upgrade, but what do I know? (Nothing, that's what.)
#15
Registered Member
I believe you, thanks for sharing. Hopefully the guys who did the work knew that too...
And I imagine the spring clamps are totally fine but they don't look very robust. Certainly easy for assembly... Then they are put through the coolant temperature cycle over and over again. The new clamps at least feel like an upgrade, but what do I know? (Nothing, that's what.)
And I imagine the spring clamps are totally fine but they don't look very robust. Certainly easy for assembly... Then they are put through the coolant temperature cycle over and over again. The new clamps at least feel like an upgrade, but what do I know? (Nothing, that's what.)
As you say, they are easy to assemble, but more importantly the spring clamps are consistent and robust devices. Even on the priceist of race motors, spring clamps can do the job just as well as more expensive clamps if properly sized and spec'd.