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To Replace Hoses Or Leave Alone?


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I have a complete set of hoses under the driver's seat. My vehicle is now 10 years old. Should I change the hoses for the spares, or leave it alone and just keep an eye out for cracks, leaks etc?

I am tempted to work to the old saying 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'. But on the other hand I reckon I should change the coolant anyway. It's been in there for a long time now, though it measures OK for strength.

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Everytime I try to fix something that ain't broke, it soon needs proper fixing. Last winter I drained the cooling system three times. (Lying under the car jerking the bottom hose and waiting for the coolant to get all over you is my favorite pastime :lol: ) Ok, first time I changed the coolant. Second time it was the head gasket and then all the jerking destroyed the rusty radiator so then that one was leaking. Third time replacing radiator.

I would change them next time you change the coolant but no sooner.

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Hi Jim,

I would go with your first instinct, leave the originals alone and keep an eye on them.

If you do change them, you are bound to end up with one or two leaks at the connections!

If they are in good condition, leave them on, but keep the spares and some new jubilee clips under the seat if you are doing long trips.

My 110 is 20 years old, and I am sure the majority of the hoses are original and in good condition.

Regards,

Diff

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You guys have convinced me. I remember once I decided to drain the steel fuel tank of a car I had (can't remember what it was) to get the water and crud out of the bottom. What I didn't know was the water and crud at the bottom of the tank had corroded around the drain plug. So I ended up with a tank with a big hole in the bottom.

So I shall take the easy way out ;)

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Hi all.

When I were a lad ;) , coolant hoses were made of materials that did deteriorate as they got older, but materials technology has moved on significantly.

Unfortunately it isn't unknown for flexible air hoses to fail, or the occasional vacuum hose.

A quick straw poll.. who has suffered a burst coolant hose on any vehicle built within the last 20 years ?......

Don

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Don,

I've had two. Both were new (in the past couple of years) hoses.

I would suggest that occasionally the root cause of the hose bursting is something other than deteriation. ie Heat gasket therefore excessive pressure, chaffing, cuts etc therefore it doesn't matter holw old it is.

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Hi Jim

If the new hoses are genuine LR then I would replace your ten year old hoses. In my experience a burst radiator hose meant a cooked engine as the temperature gague does not start moving until the engine is boiling. I think you have a VDO gague fitted but am sure you spend more time looking at the road rather then the gague!! Do you use aircon - as it is also easier not to smell leaking coolant when a hose bursts if you have the windows and vents closed.

On the other hand if the replacement are non-land rover I'd say stay as you are. Non genuine ones dont seem to be as good - they might be ok in UK where most tdi's seem not to have to work too hard. I had one fitted in Nelspruit a few years ago and it was leaking at a joint by the time I reached Joburg.

If you take care, as I know you will, you will not get any leaks from the new connections so that should not put you off changing them. Also follow the correct bleeding procedure and replace the plastic plug on the radiator and the thermostat housing with the brass type with an o-ring (see www.zeus.uk.com).

For a laugh check your hose that comes from the heater pipe over the cylinder head and goes over the water pump - check the underside in the area of the support bracket over the water pump. The other hose to check is the one coming from the heater assembly that goes into the cylinder head - check it where the rubber engine cover rubs on it.

Cheers Nick

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The position of the sensor/sender for the TDI engine meens that a fall in engine coolant leaves the temp sensor/sender high and dry and by the time it registers a rise in temp it is generally to late. There are two ways round this - fit a coolant level alarm on the expander tank or fit a thermocouple sensor/sender on the block that will register engine block temp in real time.

All hoses that show swelling or disfigurement should be replaced. You are a very brave man indeed if you have even a 5 year old hose on the engine. The cost of new hoses vis a vis the cost of rebuilding an engine surely dictate the old saying "a stitch in time saves nine".

Irresprective of whether you change the hoses I strongly recomend the addition of the coolant level alarm or thermocouple temp gauge or even bothh.

Adam

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I have a EGT gauge with an audible alarm. I then connected that alarm to the alternator and oil pressure warning lights. My latest connection to the alarm has been a float in the expansion tank. So if the coolant level drops the alarm goes off. This is a common modification here amongst those who know.

I agree that the standard LR temp gauge is rubbish. It shows no difference from about 60c to 95c. I have a VDO gauge, but as you say, I can't drive with my eyes glued to the gauge, although when going uphill with max boost and the aircon on I keep an eye on it. The most I have seen is 105c but by this time my EGT is normally over 700c so I lift off and switch the aircon off.

I have an override switch to disable the alarm because it scares the passengers who don't know what it means: also it makes for quieter starting as the alternator/oil pressure alarm goes off until the engine is running.

The other thing to be aware of is that car coolant temp gauges only register if there is coolant in the block - I once had a car that ran out of coolant - the gauge read zero, the heater didn't work (which is what I noticed) and the block was about red hot.

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Jim, sounds like you are well protected but you should be aware that by the time the oil pressure warning light comes on you may be in BIG trouble. Because the TDIs have an oil cooler and good pump that pushes it there you really are all out of oil by the time that oil pressure light ignites and if you are cruising, with say 3000 RPM, at the time then even a minute without oil can be drastic. For real peace of mind you should have an oil pressure gauge instead/aswell - this is going to be my next mod.

Adam

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