Blow Rad Hose?

[FenderSi 0]

Think my rad hose has just blown - stopped in a car park but no warning lights came on and then smoke came billowing out of the bonnet. Its dark so I cant see too clearly with just a torch but it looks like the big hose running from the rad under the manifolds on the drivers side of the bay is at least loose if not completely split. Has anyone else had this problem and if so should I be looking at anything else except replacing the hose (I'm hoping it was just corrosion and an unlucky bump)

 

The car is a 1992 2.0 16v running standard engine set up. Any help and advice on where I can get hold of a new hose would be really useful.

Thanks,

Simon

[Jay23Sx 0]

VW are your best bet for hoses, most of the other spares companies don't sell much unless you go performance.

 

I had the same on mine last week, in my case it was a small 6" hose that connects the water pump to the metal water pipe down near the bottom of the engine. That one cost 9.99, expect to pay about £15 for the radiator hose (well, at least thats what they charged me for the top hose).

[Abdul 0]

Think my rad hose has just blown - stopped in a car park but no warning lights came on and then smoke came billowing out of the bonnet. Its dark so I cant see too clearly with just a torch but it looks like the big hose running from the rad under the manifolds on the drivers side of the bay is at least loose if not completely split. Has anyone else had this problem and if so should I be looking at anything else except replacing the hose (I'm hoping it was just corrosion and an unlucky bump)

 

The car is a 1992 2.0 16v running standard engine set up. Any help and advice on where I can get hold of a new hose would be really useful.

Thanks,

Simon

 

 

Do u mean the inlet manifold? If so, its the rad top hose. I picked one up 2nd hand for a tenner delivered last week as mine went too. If it is the top hose Pm radosteve as he has one he can sell. GSF etc dont stock them anymore. I think its a vw dealer only part. Top hoses from 1.8 16's fit too (kr).

[FenderSi 0]

I think I'm talking about the right thing when I say it was under the inlet manifold yeah. I'm not sure how but it was the plastic T-shape piping where the top radiator hose is sealed to the engine block, and another hose flows away underneath. I think it was partially perished from age but the whole thing had just split away, leaving the seal still on the engine and both the other pipes still connected properly, pouring my coolant all over the hot engine, hence the steam - not as bad as it initially looked in the car park. Managed to get the part from my local German Swedish French, along with a new dip-stick holder, which I snapped while I snapped getting the plastic out. Paid only £4.00 for the pair!!

 

Its all fitted now and I've filled the coolant back up to the top, squeezed the top hose a few times to suck it through and filled it up again - tried running it for a while this morning and nothing steamed out of any holes or smelt too hot but I don't have any decent manual (eg the Passat 9A one) yet, so I have no way of knowing how to bleed the system or indeed if this urgently needs doing? I will need to find some way to replace the water I used with proper phosphate-free anti-freeze soon too...any help there? Thanks for the tips. This is the first car I've ever owned that I have actually tried to take things apart and fix them myself so try and be as simple as possible please!! Thanks again.

[Jay23Sx 0]

Your only real method of bleeding the cooling system is to leave the cap of the expansion tank and bring the engine up to temp (from cold). This gives all the air time to work its way to the top of the system.

 

However if you took your time filling, I think the Haynes manual says to take at least 5 minutes, and the heater controls were on maximum then you shouldn't have a major problem anyway. To check for blocks feel both the bottom and top hoses to make sure they are both hot (and that the water is circulaating) and that you get hot air out of the heater.