Upper Radiator Hose Split !

[DUBLR]

My 03 5. 9 HO which has been meticulously maintained with 180,000 miles, just split an upper radiator hose. Hoses were soft and visibly good shape (soft, no bulges). So those of you like me, do not procrastinate. New hoses (upper and lower ) and new radiator pressure cap in the AM.



Funny part when this happened I my buddy was driving it. He was following me in a newly purchased 2011 2500 for another buddy.



Was the old girl ****** at me? One has to wonder. The jake's are awesome on these new rides but I like my 03 better... .



Thank goodness my cumalong did not overheat! Scary crap fellow dieselheads. Change em' out, 30 bucks and done. I feel like a dip.

 

[MMeier]

Original ? 180k ? Heck, do it right and replace them with Mr. Bob's silicone hoses !!

 

[rscurtis]

Go to a lower pressure cap if possible. I've had a 7# cap on my truck since new with no issues at all. The 15# cap is giving boiling protection that you may never need. A 7# cooling system cools better than a 15# system with a broken hose. This is a case where the cure is worse than the disease.

 

[DUBLR]

Mr. Bob may owe you but are there any other hose kit options out there? I wiill change them all out. That is a chuck for a kit but good piece of mind.



DUBLR

 

[DUBLR]

Update. Hose apparently swelled and rubbed on the pulley. Nice design. Look at your clearance!

 

[MMeier]

Mr. Bob may owe you but are there any other hose kit options out there? I wiill change them all out. That is a chuck for a kit but good piece of mind.



DUBLR

Nope, doesn't owe me anything, just saw a great product that I could see is well made and outperforms the stock crap by a long shot. If he has them available at MM this year , a set is going on the '93 also. Soooooo..... was that the original hose that let go ? Did it swell right off where it connects to the tstat housing .

 

[DUBLR]

Here you go, pics tell all. Not near the clamps. The scewdriver marks the point. The hose is still very pliable and for some reason sagged far enough to make contact. I am thinking maybe I need to check my motor mounts or turn the edge down a few levels!



The hose is fixed to the radiator which is secured to the frame, not the engine. That said there is not much clearance there in the first place. Oh, and love those stock clamps..... those are tons of fun to try and remove. All cured now.



My advice if clearance is tight is is put a new hose clamp on and rotate the hose until there is a sufficient gap. This is a real hard rub point to notice.



DUBLR

 

[DonFitzwater]

Stick with the stock clamps, they are way easy and clamp great... ..... Were you not aware there is a tool for those? It's much easier and faster to have the clamp tool and keep your stock hose clamps when servicing.

 

[DUBLR]

Yes I was aware there is a tool..... just decided not to pony up $25 for it.

 

[goodguys75]

what is the advantage of using the silicone hoses... they are damn expensive... you can buy several sets of oem for those prices..... Oo.

 

[lil red cummins]

DUBLR:



You mentioned putting on a new radiator cap. I have never had good luck doing this on an older radiator. Too many times when I have done this, the radiator starts leaking almost immediately after the first time the vehicle fully warms up.



I recommend leaving on the original cap, as long as it not letting coolant leak out and the coolant is recovered from the overflow correctly.



Just my 40 years of experience talking here. Not trying to preach, just giving you my humble opinion.



Jim H

 

[S.Morris]

Think about the rad cap pressure change.

If you lower the pressure to 7 psi the rad can boil if temp hits 233 +/-, the 15 psi cap at 258+/-.

If you never exceed the lower temp the pressure will never rise higher than 7psi. If you do , you will boil the rad trying to prevent blowing a hose.....

Something to think about before changing a good cap for nothing.

 

[Bob4x4]

I have had silicone hoses on my 94 since about 96,they are the way to go for anyone who plans on keeping a vehicle for any length of time. We used to build all our police vehicles with them,the standard hoses could not live with the stress from the CHP or most local dept's.

The 05 got a set of Mr Bob's as soon as he had them available. The way some of us stress our rides makes them cheap insurance.

 

[rscurtis]

The cooling system reaches the cap pressure at normal operating temperature due to expansion only, it has nothing to do with boiling. The lower pressure cap puts less stress on the hoses, and more importantly, the radiator and heater core.

 

[DUBLR]

I went a 15 LBS cap already. Even pulling 10,000 lbs horse trailer in 95 degrees at altitude, 6% grade, she has never exceed about 210 degrees. These cumalongs have great cooling.



Silicon is trick but way pricy. I looked at Bob's hoses and noticed 4 small elbows I assume are for the Trans. I need to finds these. I already went with Gates hoses. If these 4 transmission hoses are hard to replace, they are a silicone candidate. My radiator has been flushed twice. Clean as a whistle. Good input all.



DUBLR

 

[Bob4x4]

The cooling system reaches the cap pressure at normal operating temperature due to expansion only, it has nothing to do with boiling. The lower pressure cap puts less stress on the hoses, and more importantly, the radiator and heater core.

If a Radiator or hose can not withstand 15 or even 20 psi it has no place in my truck :-laf

 

[rscurtis]

The issue is not whether the hoses or radiator can stand the pressure, it is the stress placed on them (espescially the radiator and HC, doesn't matter much to the hoses), that the constant cycling from 0-15 psi puts on them.



The lower pressure cap will get you a lot more cycles before you reach the fatigue life of the radiator.

 

[S.Morris]

A 7lb cap will hold pressure to +/- 232f.

If you never get coolant that hot then pressure is not that high. 15 lb just gives more room to rise before boil over.

The only thing that causes a pressure rise in cooling system without corresponding temp rise is a external press leak ,ie headgasket. .

If a radiator will stand 7psi but not 15... it was no good to begin with.

 

[rscurtis]

Liquid expands when heated, and the cooling system in these trucks has no compressible air in the system. That's how the coolant goes from the radiator to the overflow as the engine warms up- it opens the 15 psi cap.



If we were back in the days of vertical flow radiators with the reservoir in the top tank in lieu of an overflow, your point would be correct, cap pressure would likely not be achieved in normal operation, as the system had a volume of compressible air.

 

[S.Morris]

You are correct in that the way coolant goes to overflow is through cap. My point is cap relieves because of pressure rising to its set point. Expansion is the cause as you say..... I am saying there is no expansion without temp rise. Every temp has a corresponding pressure. In a normal operating cooling system you do not get pressue rise until coolant temp starts above 212f. Follows laws of physics... . guess we"ll agree to disagree.

Steve (boilerman)