30/05/2014
RockAuto
Radiator hoses and heater hoses are made out of better materials and last longer than ever. However, it still just takes one weak point in the cooling system to cause leaks, overheating or other mayhem. My first car, a ’77 Dodge, taught me the weak link on Chrysler small block V8s is the thermostat bypass hose. That smallish hose with the big bend in it failed catastrophically with no warning. The engine overheated and needed new head gaskets by the time I had safely pulled over. Ever since that infamous night decades ago, I replace the thermostat bypass hoses on my old Chryslers an additional time between the complete hose changes.
Newer engines often have unique cooling system plumbing. Identifying potential weak points or knowing what hoses and other parts should be routinely replaced may not be obvious. Looking at the parts available under "Cooling System" with your parthuntercan be a good way to identify parts that are unique to a particular engine. The service manuals can help explain how an engine’s cooling system is laid out.
As radiators got buried deeper in the fronts of newer cars and manufacturers strove to use the same engines in more vehicles, it became more common to see unique plastic parts built into the cooling system plumbing. A plastic piece might splice hoses together or be the outlet for the radiator cap. Some of these plastic parts might be unique to one or two car models.