Radiator hoses lifespan

[nathannookie]

Just wondering if I should be replacing my 2004 original radiator hoses? Only 70,000 miles, but wondering if they go bad?

 

[Dillusion]

Just check for cracking and the build up where the hoses connect.

Time is also a factor not just mileage.

 

[AuSeeker]

Best indication of radiator hoses being bad other than obviously being dry and cracking is swelling and also having soft spots, the hose should be more or less the same size it's whole length, if any section is noticeably larger or bulged out they need to be replaced, you also can squeeze it's along it length and see if any area feels softer than the rest.

 

[Ghostrider]

I would do the main ones just because. On my 01 SR5 I did them at 10 years and again a month ago. However, if your heater hose system is like mine I would not touch it. The plastic hose on the heater box is 20 years old and plastics get brittle. I had replaced mine at 10 and decided it was not worth the risk of breaking the plastic parts and replacing the heater box so I did the radiator hoses and hoses to throttle body.