I've been having a upper radiator hose leak (at both ends) for a few months now and I'm finally ready to tackle the job of replacing the upper and lower hoses and clamps and flushing the coolant. Before I do this, I have some questions. I'm at 60,000 miles and haven't flushed the coolant yet.

- Are silicone hoses worth the extra cost over the traditional rubber hoses? I don't care about color, just want it to not drip. (I've had the dealer replace the upper hose once before due to the same problem.)
- I want to upgrade the radiator hose clamps to T-bolt clamps, does anyone know what size I would need if using rubber hoses or silicone hoses?
- Since I'm replacing the hoses and will replace/flush the coolant, should I also consider replacing anything else such as the thermostat since I'm doing this? (I'm not having any signs of thermostat issues.)
- Should I also replace the serpentine belt since I probably dripped coolant on it?

Thanks,
John

 

Silicone Hoses have higher temperature rating. They also last longer than the OEM hoses. If you want to tackle others like the belts and thermostat while your doing the hoses, why not? just make sure you have the proper tension on the serpentine belt after you replace it. The pulley's can be a little tricky.

Let me know if you need help on purchasing the Silicone hose and belts

 

Replace the thermostat and radiator cap too. At 60K miles I'm sure your belt is showing signs of wear. Many advocate replacing the belt tensioner at the same time.

My strategy for coolant is to do a drain/fill every 3-4 years rather than a single flush at higher mileage.

 

I do coolant/brake fluid drain and refills every two years.

 

thanks for the feedback. anyone know what size clamps I need for the radiator hoses if going with t-bolt?