Replacing Coolant Hose

[Jugster]

I need to replace the upper coolant hose.

Now, the hose looks very short and I'm wondering whether there's a trick to performing this replacement such that I won't need to unbolt the metal outlet from the front of the head.
Any advice?
Thank you.

[DanTreace]

Drain the radiator of all coolant.

Back off hose clamps, upper and lower, so they are loose or remove them.

Back off nut locking the rad. support rod, and back it out some so the upper tank can tilt away some. May have to loosen rod at fire wall depending on year.

Slit the old hose all the way through with a sharp knife, and twist away the hose from the rad. tank and the outlet. Throw hose away.

Remove the bolts of that upper radiator outlet from the cylinder head, and remove the outlet and its gasket.

Reinstall in revere: Put the new clamps on the hose first, loosely. Smear some silicone sealer to the upper tank inlet and to the cylinder head outlet so the new hose can slide easy. Slide the hose on the outlet and the upper tank inlet. Fit the cylinder head outlet to the block with a new gasket and sealer on the flange of the outlet. Then fasten bolts. Return the upper tank with the support rod to existing place. Then tighten the radiator clamps. Fill and check for leaks.

[Scott_Conger]

I tilt the radiator forward or pull the neck off of the head

additionally, all further radiator removals are performed by pulling 4 bolts from inlet/outlets on engine and remove the radiator and pipes as a unit. Incredibly easy to do that way and you do not break any hose seals in the process.

[John kuehn]

For me I unbolt the outlet on the head. Loosen the clamps and use some WD40 , slowly twist the hose and it will come off easier. Then remove and replace the hose.
As for as the gasket on the head outlet is concerned it will be OK if one side comes off clean and doesn’t damage the gasket. Add some sealant if you want and put it back on.

[Craig Leach]

Old hoses can be a real pain wether you are replacing or just need to remove & reinstall them. I like hose picks to get the hose loose. I find
the goose neck & 90 degree work best but the 90 degree are usualy a tool truck item. Just push the pointed end between the hose & tube and slide around the tube. this will sepparate hose . If the hose splits then you know for sure you will need a new one if the intention was to reuse.
Craig.

[Steve Jelf]

What Scott said. After your new hose is installed, leave the hoses, inlet, and outlet attached to the radiator during future removals. The inlet and outlet are two of the places where I like to make permanent gaskets: 1 Apply sealant to the flat surface of the inlet or outlet; 2 put on a paper gasket; 3 smear another layer of sealant on the paper gasket; 4 grease the flat surface of the head or block; 5 put in the bolts and tighten them enough to flatten the gasket "sandwich" but not all the way; 6 let the sealant set up a few hours; 7 finish tightening the bolts. In the future, whenever you reinstall the inlet and outlet just apply new grease on the flat surfaces. Ultra Black is a good product for this use.

[Moxie26]

To me, Dan Treace has a better procedure.

[Steve Jelf]

Dan suggests what to do now in replacing the hose. Scott and I describe procedures to simplify future radiator removals and reinstallations.

[DHort]

If you do not want to remove the outlet from the head you have to pull the radiator forward. Disconnect the upper tank support rod. Loosen the radiator bolts on the frame. Hopefully you have enough thread to do this without taking off the nuts. Remove the clamps and twist the hose. Hopefully it is loose enough and you can tilt the radiator forward enough. Remove and replace the hose. Make sure you put some kind of sealant inside the hose. Reverse what you did above. Just be aware you may need to remove the nuts holding the radiator in place, but you do not have to remove everything. Good luck.

Mine is leaking so I have to do just what you are doing next week when it warms up. Too cold this week.