Cooling System Disintegration?

Ratskinny

Registered User
Hey Guys, this is the first post ive made however have been reading threads like crazy since buying an 89 SC with 263,000 kms on it. Now ive changed all fluids and the car is running well just took it to a rad shop for a flush since it has the high miles and they discovered that the rubber seals of the lid and the inside of the hoses of the cooling system are very soft and slowly disintegrating. Im wonder if this has happened to anyone else or is an isolated insident perhaps because of previous something previous owners did?

Also any other ideas for preventive maintenence would be greatly appreciated as i have a 11 hour drive coming soon and do not want to be stranded. Any suggestions and comments appreciated, thx.
 
its common for rad hoses to become soft/spongey especially if they are old and more so if they are original, also i notice your from the NWT i know that the temps up there are extremely cold in the winter months, so if the vehicle was driven year round up there the constent fluctuation(sp?) in temps from driving the car in the winter (heat from engine/extreme cold outside temps) will reak havoc on any rubber hoses in the engine bay.
 
If it's a car new to you and you don't know it's history, have all the hoses replaced and flush and fill with new coolant.

Current day hoses tend to wear out on the inside before showing signs of wear on the outside. It's better to replace them as a preventative maintenance item every few years than to wait for one to fail.
 
Also: When replacing the lower rad hose, there should be a "wire spring" in there to help prevent the lower hose from collapsing. The replacement hose will probably not come with one. Simply transfer the spring from the old hose to the new hose. (If the spring is not there, then the previous owner did not transfer it). :)
 
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