Radiator hoses?

[atalarico]

So, when I replaced my radiator last August, I forgot to order new hoses. As I was replacing the rad, the hoses seemed fine to me (no cracks, etc.), but I'm realizing that this was probably dumb since there's maybe more to hose life than visual inspection of the outside? Am I right? I've never had an issue with overheating either.

Of course I splurged for the Toyota SLLC, so can I just recapture that fluid in a clean container and reuse it? If I'm just doing the hoses, is there a particular order of operations to do, or just drain the radiator, pull hoses off, put new ones on, refill radiator?

 

[gamefreakgc]

Well hello again!

Yes and yes. You've got the right idea. I replace my coolant on all the vehicles we've ever owned and it's as simple as you put it.

If you're not up to paying high prices at the dealer, I found that Rock Auto's radiator hoses were not only cheap, but a perfect match to the OEM ones. Sometimes replacements are just "approximate" shapes that don't fit too well. Although, trimming a little excess if it is too long is pretty normal, I think I had to do that on the top one.

A good way to tell if the hoses are failing is to look at the end of the hose. Do you see a red crust? If yes, that means coolant is starting to penetrate the hose and is seeping out the ends at high temps. If no crust or cracks (visible if you squeeze the hose, they are small), drive on with confidence my friend.

 

[atalarico]

Well hello again!

Yes and yes. You've got the right idea. I replace my coolant on all the vehicles we've ever owned and it's as simple as you put it.

If you're not up to paying high prices at the dealer, I found that Rock Auto's radiator hoses were not only cheap, but a perfect match to the OEM ones. Sometimes replacements are just "approximate" shapes that don't fit too well. Although, trimming a little excess if it is too long is pretty normal, I think I had to do that on the top one.

A good way to tell if the hoses are failing is to look at the end of the hose. Do you see a red crust? If yes, that means coolant is starting to penetrate the hose and is seeping out the ends at high temps. If no crust or cracks (visible if you squeeze the hose, they are small), drive on with confidence my friend.

Haha, seems like everyone else is already on vacation for the weekend.

So I can reuse the coolant that I just put in there last August (so long as it's still clean)? That stuff wasn't cheap. I think for the upper hose I really don't have to drain the whole radiator, but since I probably have to do the lower hose, I'm going to have to, right?

Pricing it out on CamelBack, every hose in the radiator diagram is only about $42 (bypass, lower, upper, overflow) plus shipping. I'll just go OEM with these ones since they've lasted 231k. I'll probably end up buying some bulk silicone hose for the vacuum hose replacement in the future.

I'll look for cracks because I think I recall seeing some very small ones when I was replacing the rad last summer, but didn't think much of it.

Thanks!

 

[gamefreakgc]

Yep, you are good to go! Just drain in a bucket or a shallow pan if you've got one just make sure there's no dust or debris in it first. Then funnel it all back in. Best part is you don't have to measure anything since you know it's the perfect amount! If you have some left over, drive it around to get the air bubbles out and then you'll be able to pour the rest back in.

I think the Toyota LLC is supposed to last something like 75,000 miles or 5 years?

 

[atalarico]

Yep, you are good to go! Just drain in a bucket or a shallow pan if you've got one just make sure there's no dust or debris in it first. Then funnel it all back in. Best part is you don't have to measure anything since you know it's the perfect amount! If you have some left over, drive it around to get the air bubbles out and then you'll be able to pour the rest back in.

I think the Toyota LLC is supposed to last something like 75,000 miles or 5 years?

Schweet! I just found this thread about silicone hoses, which lead to this site which has the silicone hoses made for heated fluids, so I might go that route instead (well, except for the upper hose which they don't make a big enough diameter to replace)! http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/138879-changed-out-my-vacuum-hoses-silicon-pic.html

Feels good to get all of this outstanding stuff out of the way (and have the money to do so).

 

[cfranck1]

When the coolant is cold, you can squeeze the hoses and tell..
I've seen them disintegrate from the inside.

Squeeze the hoses and listen. If they are deteriorating, usually you can hear and feel them. They will be very soft, and if quiet enough will hear them crack a little on the inside.

Yes you can reuse the coolant if its clean..

I've seen people use Paper Cone Paint Filters, coffee filter to strain the coolant if you think there might be particles in it?!

 

[nobb]

Are they leaking? If not, you can probably wait until the next coolant change interval to change out the hoses. With bad hoses, sometimes you may get minor seeping of coolant at the ends where the clamps go. Many times, this is because the clamps have been on there so long that they've left an indent on the hose and if you don't reclamp them exactly where the clamps where, then they leak.

 

[SilvFx]

totally overthinking this. Get the Rock Auto Dayco hoses or Gates hoses. Just did this on my daughter's 4Runner where I replaced the coolant and then decided to later replace hoses. So simple on 3rd gen V6. Drain two gallons out of radiator into clean 2+ gallon bucket. You can pull off top hose once the level has dropped a couple inches. Once it drains fully, pull of bottom hose and replace. I seem to recall the top hose hose needs to be trimmed about 1.5 inches to exactly match factory hose.

Close radiator, pour coolant back into radiator, run it with cap off and try to get it all back in there. Anything you cant get back in radiator, put into the overflow tank (it will draw it back in when it cools). Replace radiator cap and you are done. 20 minute job.