VR Coolant Hose Split - now what?

[some_evil]

Hey Guys,

This week i realised that little hose thats only about 150mm long by about 20mm wide had split and was jetting coolant over my engine. I have replaced this hose (a bit of coolant did drain out) and topped up both radiator and resovior. I then run the engine for 5mins with heater on full and unscrew the air valve on the top of the metal elbow but there doesnt seem to be any pressure in the large hose running into the engine at all.

Does anyone know how to build up some pressure? When i squeeze this large hose i can hear air leaking from near the hose clamp on the engine end, but I only replaced the hose and clamps less than 12 months ago, so i wouldnt have thought there would have been a problem. Should this large hose be air tight and not letting any air squeek out when i squeese?

Could there be a problem with the thermostat?

Cheers guys.

 

[azzaholic]

try letting the car run for that little bit longer so that the car is at running temp and then try the bleeder valve again, and also make sure that the heater is off when you try the valve as this will give it more pressure

 

[EDGE3]

This means that the hose clamp isnt tight enough,you have to really tighten it up,the best way to check is to have it pressure tested this will show signs of any leaks it may have,I had this done to my car and there were 3 hose clamps that I thought were on tight but once the pressure gauge was on these hoses were pouring out with coolant,all that had to be done was tighten them up really tight and now its all fine.I hope this may help your situation.

 

[some_evil]

Thanks for the replys guys. I will purchase two new clamps and that large hose and see if that helps at all.

Someone else today suggested i replace my Radiator cap as these deteriorate like a hose does. I had no idea it was that bad until i saw what the new one looked like haha.

Yeah i will replace the hose tomorrow and let you know how it goes.

Cheers

 

[some_evil]

Hey guys,

yeah the hose was just old and hard compared to the new one i just purchased and installed. Now i have pressure in the hose with no leaks at either end of the hose.

I have just run the car for about 10mins and the temp gauge hit about 1/16th or the first bar on the indicator. So i took it for a spin around the block with heater on and off. Upon return to my house I opened that little air screw on the top of the engine connector and coolant jetted out when the screw was half out. So i now have plenty of pressure in there, but my new question is, should the top radiator hose be quite hot to touch after running for 15-20mins? I have never noticed this before so thats why i ask the question (mind you i have probably never grabbed it before and taken much notice).

I heard ages ago that if there is no coolant in the engine the temp gauge will show cold because nothing is touching the sensor. Can anyone confirm or reject this statement? I am a little conserned there may be something up thats all.

Cheers

 

[hako]

Yes - the top radiator hose should be hot after 10 - 15 mins of running....if it isn't hot then could mean that you have no coolant....the same as if you have no coolant the temp gauge will not work because it is not immersed in coolant.
There is one exception to the top hose not getting hot, and that is only if the thermostat has not opened, and in mid winter if the temps are about zero, it may take 15-20 mins of driving for the engine to get warm enough for the thermostat to open.

A good test or check you can do which will tell you if the coolant is OK is to squeeze the top radiator hose after a drive - if it's hot and hard that means the cooling system is holding pressure (if not it means it is not holding pressure and will boil at a lower temperature).....also when the engine is cold or has cooled down after a drive squeeze the hose again and you should not hear any bubbling sound - this indicates the cooling system has no air trapped in it.

Edit.....to overcome the problem of no coolant and therefore no temperature gauge reading , devices are available to warn you of this problem, and can save your engine. Here is a link to a local bloke who makes such a unit at a very cheap price:
http://www.mj9.com.au/