How To Replace a Radiator Hose

If you have sprung a leak or suffered a catastrophic radiator hose failure it's obviously time to replace the hoses. However regular inspection of your hoses can give you a heads up as to when they need replacement and save you the hassle of radiator puddles and potential damage to your engine from overheating.

When inspecting your hoses you want to look at the position and condition of your clamps. They should be relatively corrosion free and snugged up to their connections with the engine and radiator. Feel the hoses for spongy areas or irregular shapes. If a hose is spongy or has suddenly developed a humpback it's bad and needs to be replaced.

There are two hoses in your coolant system. The top hose runs from the radiator to the water pump and the bottom hose runs from the engine back to the radiator. If one is bad, replace both of them.

• Correct replacement hoses
• Replacement coolant
• Funnel
• If your clamps look rough get 4 new ones
• A set of pliers
• Flathead screwdriver
• WD 40
• Bucket
• Latex work gloves
• Floor jack
• Shop towels

This article assumes that you have already drained the radiator either intentionally or from a hose failure. Make sure the radiator drain plug is firmly in place. If your car has enough clearance that you can work underneath then obviously there is no need to jack it up. Keep in mind there has to be enough space to maneuver a 2.5 gallon bucket under the lower hose.

The lower hose will be the shorter and stiffer hose meaning it won't have the flex you might need to connect with the mounting sleeves. You might consider soaking it in very hot water or using a hair dryer to "soften" it up a bit before starting the replacement process.

1. Loosen the clamp on the top hose where it connects to the radiator and slide the clamp down the hose off the mounting sleeve.
2. Do the same with the clamp connecting the hose to the water pump.
3. Remove the hose from the radiator sleeve. This is easier said than done. You'll probably need the screwdriver to pry up the lip of the hose to break the seal that has formed from dried coolant and other crud. Once you have broken the seal wiggle the hose clockwise and counterclockwise then pull straight back to separate the hose from the sleeve.
4. Using the same technique, remove the hose from the water pump. Removing the radiator connection first will give you the slack you'll need in the tighter spaces of the water pump connection.
5. Get under the car with your screwdriver, bucket and pliers (if you are using squeeze type clamps) and locate the engine connection first. There will probably be coolant in this hose so you want to position the bucket so that it will catch it. Loosen the clamp and slide it back the hose off the sleeve. Break the seal with the screwdriver and give the hose some wiggle action. When you pull this off coolant is going to come out. Be prepared to catch it in the bucket.
6. Slide the clamp down at the radiator connection and use the same technique to remove the hose.

1. Before you attempt to install the hoses take the time to clean the sleeves at all four points. You want to wipe off the crud and then spray them with WD 40 to make it easier to work the hoses onto the sleeves.
2. Install the top hose first. If you are reusing the clamps clean them off and then slide them onto both ends of the hose. Take note of where the tightening point or clamp handles are to ensure the clamp isn't in an upside down position once you get the hose on.
3. Start at the radiator connection and wiggle the hose onto the sleeve until it is snug with the radiator. Slide the clamp up the hose and tighten close to the radiator wall.
4. Follow the same procedure for the water pump connection and the installation of the lower hose.

1. Now it's time to refill the radiator. Open the cap on the radiator reservoir and unlock the radiator cap by pressing down and turning counterclockwise.
2. Add the recommended amount and type of coolant into the radiator and reservoir. Most likely you will not be able to add the entire amount because there is air in the system.
3. Close and lock the radiator cap.
4. Now it's time to "burp" the coolant system to get rid of the air. Grab the hose at the radiator connection and start squeezing. You'll see bubbles and hear gurgling in the reservoir. Keep this up until no more bubbles are visible then top off the coolant in the reservoir to the line that reads "cold."
5. Turn on the engine, turn on the heater and let it run for 15 minutes to ensure the engine is not overheating.

That's it. You have just saved somewhere in the neighborhood of $100 to $150 in labor had you taken (probably towed) the car to the shop.

- End of Procedure -

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