Cooling system hoses longevity

[sk47]

Might as well ask this too...when do you guys change your main belt?

Hello; Did a preemptive accessory drive belt change on my two current vehicles. The originals had not yet failed at five to eight years and the replacement belts are still good to this day some 12 to 16 years later.

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[sk47]

I would say coolant is good for 10 years 100k miles. 5 years seems like a waste unless it looks bad. Same for belts.

Hello; Still have an old school view on coolant. I do the green stuff every two years as I have for decades. Do the orange five year stuff every five years but have not been all that comfortable with five years.
Coolant is a bigger question. To go beyond a factory suggested time, I would have the coolant tested every six months or so past the suggested time.

EDIT- I also use distilled water to flush the cooling system and to dilute fresh antifreeze. I buy the full strength antifreeze and mix distilled water in to make a 50-50 mix for my region.

 

[AZRobert]

Back in the old days - mid 90's and earlier - hoses and belts were mostly rubber and only lasted 3 - 5 years and then would get "crunchy" from the inside. They would look good but if you squeezed them they would crunch.
In the mid to late 90's they had a package where the hoses contained more silicon - usually they were green or blue so you could tell the difference. These would last ten years or more - usually-.
Now days cars/trucks are all pretty much made with these now.
I used to be a service advisor back in the day and we would do hose and belt change overs about every 5+ years and it would usually run about $500-$600. It was one of the "gravy" jobs that most techs usually wanted.

 

[K4fxd]

Never head such a thing in all my years, a decade of which was being a mechanic.

See the red hose on the bottom of this engine? Been there since 1954, still works fine....

I was a line mechanic for many years. I can't count the amount of blown hoses I replaced.

Here is a light bulb that is still burning after 120+ years.

Should I expect my bulbs to last that long?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centennial_Light

 

[K4fxd]

Today, yes they last a lot longer.

 

[K4fxd]

Why some people get on forums to spew bad information is beyond me. Then want to argue about it..... You go girl.....

Wow just wow. Back in the day hoses did not last and were a regular service item.

 

[Paul McWhiskey]

Yea, back in the day. Well, we have come a long way baby. Back in the day we did not have the power densities that we have now. Engine bays were not as congested, and temperatures were not as high. And coolants were not as good as they are today. Most of us car guys and gals keep our engine bays clean and some of us even detail under the hood which helps the outward appearance of things looking better.

Coolant hoses and coolant? Well, they deteriorate from the inside where we can't see. The damage done by coolant that has degraded to a point where it is no longer providing corrosion protection will be expensive. Modern vehicles have many different metals in the cooling system which exacerbates galvanic corrosion. So even while you are not driving things are deteriorating with exhausted coolant in the system. Hoses crack and split internally. The micro cracking in the hoses wherever there is a connection allows tiny amounts of coolant to leak out very slowly so that you do not even see a leak, but it is happening. Partly why one needs to top off the system occasionally and more often as things get older and older.

Most folks never bother with cooling system maintenance because they get rid of the car or truck, and it becomes a problem for the next owner. Myself? I change out my coolant on newer vehicles in 5-7 years regardless of mileage. Replace hoses at the same time. The heat has done its job to them. And yes, silicon hoses do last longer (and cost more). And I replace the coolant with a "long life" coolant that I have a test kit for and test it annually. It is red in color, and I let everyone pick whatever brand and color that they like because I retired and don't get a commission on sales anymore. Use whatever you think is the bomb shiggity for your ride. Just do yourself a favor and change it on a regular schedule per the manufacturer's recommendation. When it has turned into a chunky brown fluid you have not saved any money.

 

[5.0_SD]

So Paul, when the 5-7 years hits, I understand that you personally do change the hoses...when you do, do you change to silicone or stay OEM? I'm a little apprehensive about of the permeability of the silicone. Still on the fence about hose change...definitely doing the coolant for sure.

 

[Paul McWhiskey]

So Paul, when the 5-7 years hits, I understand that you personally do change the hoses...when you do, do you change to silicone or stay OEM? I'm a little apprehensive about of the permeability of the silicone. Still on the fence about hose change...definitely doing the coolant for sure.

I prefer the silicone. Much better heat resistance and longer life.

 

[Cobra Jet]

As others have said, 37k on coolant hoses is nothing - those hoses are still essentially “new” and do not need to be changed unless there’s an obvious leak OR you see any section of hose bulging beyond the nipple or outlet.

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Serpentine belts -
Wear is dependent on how the vehicle is used, and how often. If the vehicle is a daily driver with high miles, inspect the belts for cracking, which is most common issue. Any cracks in the interior where it rides the pulleys, or outer - time to replace. Exposure to under hood heat is the biggest degradation to serpentine belts.

Now a vehicle that isn’t used as often, the belt is going to last a lot longer.

A vehicle that is used for aggressive track events or prolonged hard use at higher rpm’s, always inspect the belt after each run or event. Belts exposed to such extreme rpm bursts or prolonged speed/high rpm events can stretch.

 

[RagmopInKona]

^^^That's why asked...I'm one of the older folk here, lol.

People also, never worried about coolant getting into the ground, today they do, and know most are not going to swap them out every 4 years. I replaced the hoses on my 2004 when I replaced the rad only because they would be half off anyways. they looked fine. Now a track car, that blowing a hose can cause a long clean up, or a wreck, yes, swap them out if you even question their shape.

 

[ice445]

Might as well ask this too...when do you guys change your main belt?

60k or 7 years is a good rule of thumb these days. Depends on climate and such, visual inspection for cracks on the face or the ribs is a good thing to do yearly. Keep in mind on these cars the AC belt is a "stretch" belt, which means there's no tensioner. It's a pain to get on and off. Factory manual says to just cut the old one to save a bunch of time and hassle.

 

[RagmopInKona]

Might as well ask this too...when do you guys change your main belt?

This is what has worked for me.
Performance vehicle that I will tend to wring out Every 3 years or earlier if I start to see a lot of cracking . Then put old belt in new belt sleeve, and put in trunk as a back up just in case.
The daily that never gets driven hard 60k miles or 7 years, unless I see bad cracking before that or I have to replace a water pump, alt,etc before that and the belt is coming off anyways. The old one goes in the new belts sleeve and put in trunk or jack/spare area. As a back up,just in case.
This has worked for me. But no matter what if I see bad cracking, or the belt shows signs of failing I swap it out as It is a ten minute job if that on most rear drive vehicles. 2 minutes if it is cold and pouring out.

Note that a manual shifted power shifted, hard use vehicle are harder on the drive belt(s). and need to be check replaced more often.
Even some automatics that will shift hard with big gear splits .
Track car/race car gets new every season if it needs it or not.

 

[Cory S]

I still have the original coolant/anti-freeze in my 2007 Ram truck. AC/heat works perfect as well. The level hasn't changed, still looks new, and it still tests freezing safe down to -35°F. The serpentine belt is original as well.

I've had a spare radiator, water pump, and belt in the garage for 6 years now just in case.

Truck owes me NOTHING. It's mostly a yard/plow truck now anyway.

 

[K4fxd]

I don't remember putting hoses on anything I've owned since 2000 or so. When I was younger I changed lots of them. Technology really improved on this part.

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