Slightly cracked coolant hose

[MartinS]

Hi all,

 

I've been taking a look over the car this last week to ensure that everything is in good order for the drive down to Le Mans, and so far the only thing I've noticed which isn't quite right is top coolant hose (which connects the engine to the top of the rad) has some cracks where the hose bends to connect to the engine.

 

It doesn't leak (I've never needed to top up the water in the year I've had the car), but is this kind of cracking something to worry about? Are the hoses well reinforced under the surface cover of rubber?

 

I have a pic which I'll try to get online tonight

 

Cheers!

 

Martin

[Myles]

Mine show signs of external degredation - but they're fine. They're bl**dy thick rubber.

 

Obviously it depends how deep the cracks are, but mine (4yr old car stored outside) are basically superficial.

 

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[MartinS]

Thanks, I'll upload the pics, but the cracks don't seem to run deap. The hose on my car (1995 K series) seems to have a pattern which looks like there is a woven cloth under the outer rubber which is wrapped around something (I guess another bit of hose). If the surface coating is just to protect that, then I don't think I need to worry!

 

Cheers

 

Martin

[stephen grant]

 

Martin - for what it's worth; my top hose also shows plenty of cracking. I showed it to James Whiting because i'm also heading down to Le Mans and didn't want it to split. His view (and he's seen a few of these) is that it's not that uncommon and that they can stay like that for years.

 

I might pick up a spare before I go, but James' view was that it was unlikely to split any time soon.

 

Dunno if that helps, but just passing it along

 

stephen

 

[Terry Field]

My top hose has just blown after 1000 miles. This was a new one from CC and was much thinner rubber than the old one which I had changed as a matter of course during the rebuild. I have now put the old one back on (complete with small cracks) and I feel much happier.

 

Terry

 

1700XF - Team Lotus with flares.

[mav]

Having checked my hoses on the pre USA fettle fettle weekend, I have noticed craking of the rubber coolant hoses, so am setting about getting them replaced prior to the trip, so as to reduce the chances of failure whilst on tour.

 

I don't fancy being 50 miles from home with a split coolant hose, let alone 3000.

 

At the end of the day it's up to you, but mine are being changed.

[MartinS]

Thanks for all your thoughts guys, much appriciated.

 

This leads on to another related question about Le Mans, am I right in thinking there are spares taken there by someone or other? Would they tend to takes things like spare hoses?

 

M.

[Normans_Ghost]

Martin, we will have a lot of spares, a full workshop and a worn out mechanic at Le Mans.

 

However, last year (or maybe the year before) someone had a bottom hose split. It was 100+c, I was very hot, it was getting near to going home, in short I was a bit grumpy (systems normal really). I was replacing the hose which was cracked, dry and brittle. I made a sarcastic comment about getting the car serviced before a trip to Le Mans and was surprised when told that James Whiting had serviced the car a few weeks before.

 

My opinion, take it or leave it, is that rubber hoses show signs of surface cracking when the rubber becomes brittle. This may be OK for the normal UK weather and the normal 30/40 mile blat. However you'll be driving several hundred miles and the temprature at Le Mans may well be approaching 40c.

 

For the price of a set of hoses is it worth the risk.

 

Norman Verona, 1989 BDR 220bhp, Reg: B16BDR, Mem No 2166, the full story here