What are radiator hoses?
Radiator hoses are an important part of your car engine cooling system. They carry the coolant from the radiator to the engine, allowing the engine to stay at a suitable temperature while you are driving. Most cooling systems have more than one radiator hose.
If the radiator hoses fail, your engine can overheat. This can cause severe damage to various engine components.
Learn more about how the cooling system works >
Causes of radiator hose damage:
Radiator hose damage is often caused by the radiator hose rubber deteriorating over time. The coolant in your engine can reach very high temperatures (around 100 degrees Celsius under slight pressure without boiling). When the radiator hoses are exposed to these high temperatures and then cooling for a long period of time, they can eventually perish and develop cracks, or bulges on the side walls of the radiator hoses.
Symptoms of a radiator hose in need of replacement:
High engine temperatures – A damaged radiator hose can cause your engine to reach higher temperatures and potentially overheat. If your car has a temperature gauge you may see your engine running hotter than normal, and if you have a over heating warning light, or Check Engine Light, it may turn on the dash as well.
Coolant leaks – You may notice puddles of coolant appearing under your vehicle. Leaking coolant should be fixed as soon as possible. This is because a lack of coolant can cause damage to your engine.
Cracks in radiator hose – sometimes a radiator hose will harden over time, which can cause it to crack, especially around the end of the radiator hose where it goes over the radiator or engine pipe fittings. You can often tell if a radiator hose has gone hard by gently squeezing it. Sometimes a hardened raditaor hose will feel “crunchy” and not elastic. You may also notice the end of the radiator hose goes outward where it connectors to the engine or radiator cooling pipe fittings. If it is hard to squeeze and doesn’t immediately return to its normal shape once you let go, then the radiator hose could be perished and you should get it replaced immediately.
Soft parts or bulges in radiator hose – sometimes a radiator hose will lose its integrity and the side walls may bulge in some areas. To tell if the radiator hose has gone soft gently squeeze it. If it is really easy to squeeze then the radiator hose could be perished, and it should be replaced immediately otherwise it could split losing all the engine coolant which overheats your engine almost instantly.
Collapsed radiator hose – sometimes soft parts of a radiator hose can collapse and be sucked in on itself via the flow of engine coolant via the engines water pump. This can often cause a blockage in the cooling system and the engine can overheat as a result. Therefore collapsed radiator hoses should be replaced immediately before you have serious and expensive engine damage from overheating.
Heater not working correctly – Coolant helps to control the temperature of your car’s heater. If there is a problem in your car’s cooling system, the heater may not work correctly. The fan may work but reduced or no heat will come through.
Steam coming from engine – if you have a leaking radiator hose the cooling system and radiator cap may not be able to maintain the few pounds of pressure on the engine coolant. This means that the engine coolant will boil around 100 degree Celsius. Therefore if you see steam coming from under your bonnet or steam coming from around a radiator hose, it may be because there is a leak, crack or split in the radiator hose, and the engine coolant is boiling away creating pressurised steam.
New Radiator Hose Installation in Hamilton
Are your car’s radiator hoses in need of replacement? If so, we can help!
At Grimmer Motors, we can thoroughly examine your cooling system, determining if the radiator hoses need replacement. If they do, we can remove a broken or damaged radiator hose and replace them with new radiator hose. This will allow for an improved cooling system and engine health long term.
For radiator hose repair and radiator hose replacement in Hamilton, contact Grimmer Motors today!