Radiator Hose collapsing flat
#1
Radiator Hose collapsing flat
Hi all - weird issue...
71 cutlass with 350 -
When the engine is cold - the TOP radiator hose collapses flat when I start the car. It eventually inflates to normal as the engine heats up, but I am concerned I may have a bad thermostat, water pump, etc, and may overheat the engine and do some damage.
The bottom hose is fine at all times as far as I know.
The top hose is a little soft, but I don't think it is just the hose, as it is new. I remember from my youth that radiator hoses used to have springs inside them to stop the collapsing, and I did do some Google research on this. Most posts said that normally the bottom hose is the one with the spring inside it and that is the one that collapses - I could not find any posts about the top hose collapsing like this.
Any ideas what I should be looking for to resolve this issue?
Thanks to all of you who may respond to this - I do appreciate your time.
71 cutlass with 350 -
When the engine is cold - the TOP radiator hose collapses flat when I start the car. It eventually inflates to normal as the engine heats up, but I am concerned I may have a bad thermostat, water pump, etc, and may overheat the engine and do some damage.
The bottom hose is fine at all times as far as I know.
The top hose is a little soft, but I don't think it is just the hose, as it is new. I remember from my youth that radiator hoses used to have springs inside them to stop the collapsing, and I did do some Google research on this. Most posts said that normally the bottom hose is the one with the spring inside it and that is the one that collapses - I could not find any posts about the top hose collapsing like this.
Any ideas what I should be looking for to resolve this issue?
Thanks to all of you who may respond to this - I do appreciate your time.
#2
Hi all - weird issue...
71 cutlass with 350 -
When the engine is cold - the TOP radiator hose collapses flat when I start the car. It eventually inflates to normal as the engine heats up, but I am concerned I may have a bad thermostat, water pump, etc, and may overheat the engine and do some damage.
71 cutlass with 350 -
When the engine is cold - the TOP radiator hose collapses flat when I start the car. It eventually inflates to normal as the engine heats up, but I am concerned I may have a bad thermostat, water pump, etc, and may overheat the engine and do some damage.
#3
I'd say it's a old hose, new hoses are lot more ridged than the older hoses, I put a new lower hose on my car and noticed it didn't come with a spring inside like they used to, I emailed the manufacturer and they told me because of the newer materials the hoses don't need them anymore. If a bottom hose won't collapse then neither should the top hose.
#4
If the hose is not excessively soft, then it sounds like the radiator cap is not allowing air into the system as it cools - instead it is causing a big vacuum.
If the cap is slowly removed when cold, air should enter and the hose expands again.
You might need a new rad cap. Does this car have a coolant bottle? If so, it requires a special kind of cap.
If the cap is slowly removed when cold, air should enter and the hose expands again.
You might need a new rad cap. Does this car have a coolant bottle? If so, it requires a special kind of cap.
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