Rubber Hoses. How long do they last?

[victorysail]

I am just about to go on a long trip. The Explorer is in excellent shape, with only 117,000 Km on it. But, I am not sure how long will the rubber hoses between the engine block and the radiator will last. I squeezed on the hoses, felt a bit soft.
I don't want busted hose on my holiday. I may go to NAPA and and get the hoses and clamps and change them before I go. Comments will be appreciated.

Is the drain plug at the bottom of the radiator?

My original battery lasted ten years!!! I am the procrastinator.

 

[snoborder42]

I think that it mostly depends on what climate you live in. The hoses on my parents expo are original from 1993.

 

[IZwack]

I think hoses tend to get stiffer (not softer) as they get older (like tires). A soft hose just means its able to flex with the conditions where as an older hose can not flex and ajust as well which then leads to cracking. But with 117km and the long trip, its a cheap insurance to go ahead and replace it yourself.

 

[agobbie]

I Just changed mine $25 bucks @ autozone. The Rad drain is at the bottom of the rad on the passanger side

 

[Bwana Bob]

Don't forget to check the heater hoses. They are often neglected. One of mine split after 14 years and 180,000 miles and started spraying coolant. I could have just cut a couple of inchs off the hose and reconnected it, but I elected to replace both hoses. Heater hose is available by the foot at any auto parts store. It was not an easy job to do, though. The heater hose connections at the engine are very hard to reach.

Have a safe trip!

Bob

 

[mikeinri]

You have three options, in the order I would accept if this were my truck and I was getting ready for a road trip:

1. Replace them now. As mentioned, also replace the t-stat. Definitely replace the clamps (use good ones, not the crap at AutoZone). Consider replacing the coolant.

2. Buy the parts mentioned above and take them with you in case you blow a hose on the road. Fixing this on the side of the highway will NOT be fun, but if you're short on time before your trip, it might be an acceptable risk.

3. Do nothing, and hope you get lucky.

I also agree, if they are soft, they are suspect.

Hope this helps.

Mike

 

[shamaal]

My $.02

I've attached a picture of my heater core. Note on the left side the bits of rubber caught in the core. This is what happens when hoses go bad, they shed rubber internally which gets caught in the heater, or worse yet, in the radiator.

The top hose burst shortly after this was taken, slitting it open and examining the inside showed the shedding of the rubber. Perhaps this is a fallout of cheap hoses made in China.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Thanks for the information on the shedding hoses. This is good to know.

 

[victorysail]

Thanks, guys.
I changed may rubber hose and the clamps. The position of the drain plug is very awkward, it is behind a piece of rubber protection which accumulates gravels behind it. The coolant came out spraying and brought the gravels with it into my waiting bucket. I ended using a funnel with a screen filter to put the coolant back.
Now I am ready for my trip.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Are you referring to shredded hose when you say gravel?

 

[mikeinri]

Good luck. Unless I knew the coolant was new (like, less than 6 months old), I would never, ever reuse it. It's cheap insurance to replace it, especially once you have to drain it to do the hoses...

Mike