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2G Radiator Hose Popping Off

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98GSXin

10+ Year Contributor
930
0
Jun 2, 2010
Santa Clara, California
Hi. First time posting because I couldn't find a direct answer to this question.

In Brief: My upper radiator hose has completely popped off of the radiator inlet twice within the last week.

Details: My temperature gauge has been accurate. My temperatures have stayed pretty consistently in the mid range of the gauge. I have checked the hose and radiator for cracks and signs of wear. The only thing noticeable is that the inlet to the radiator is starting to corrode a little bit, but has plenty of contact area with the hose. The hose clamp was secure both times that it happened.

Question(s): Is this a sign of too much pressure in the system? Would it possibly be the thermostat getting stuck in a closed position?

Any help will be appreciated and I'm not afraid to try anything once.
 
the radiator cap should be keeping the pressure in the system in check. other than the cap not keeping pressure down, and letting it go high, the clamping of the hose would be the issue.
 
So ask them to pressure test my whole system? Or just the cap?

Would a blockage in the system somewhere cause these symptoms?

Sounds like old clamps to me

When the hose was off and I had to put it back in place, the clamps were still tight. I had to loosen them before I could get the hose back on.
 
check to make sure the neck on the radiator(where the hose goes on to) isnt cracked. My buddy just had this problem. It was just sliding off the cracked neck.
 
just the cap, and yes.

How could I identify if indeed there was a blockage in the system? There's no overheating, so I think it is flowing fine.

check to make sure the neck on the radiator(where the hose goes on to) isnt cracked. My buddy just had this problem. It was just sliding off the cracked neck.

The neck is a little corroded at its very tip, but not cracked. The hose fits on it snugly and clamps down tight.
 
I would pressure test the system to see when this hose pops off. If it pops off at a pressure below what the cap is rated, then it's not clamping tight enough. If it pops off above what the cap is rated for, then the problem would be the cap.
 
if there was to much pressure then it would over heat. and he said its not overheating.

i think that the hump that goes around the radiator inlet has has broken off but it may still look like there is plenty of area for the hose to clamp on to but not stay on because lack of lip for hose to grasp on to. does that make sence?

take a pic of inlet and post it up.
 
What ramsack said ^^^.

Regardless of why your coolant system is being pressurized, if you are building enough pressure to blow off a hose, then it's either not clamping tightly enough, or the pressure relief system (the cap and overflow bottle) aren't working properly.

Fix whichever of those issues need to be fixed first, and then start looking to see if you are really building excessive coolant pressure because of other issues.
 
I am going to replace the cap and thermostat this weekend and then flush the whole system. I haven't driven it since the second pop, so hopefully I haven't done any permanent damage. I will get pics up of the inlet pipe and the hose to get your guys' opinion on if they are too far gone. Thanks for the all the help so far.
 
After following the advice given here, the problem is fixed. Under heavy driving conditions in a mini heat wave in the area, the system has held up fine. The cap and thermostat were replaced and the car is happy once again. Thanks to everyone for helping keep another dsm alive and well.
 
Just a though for anyone that looks up this thread in a search:

I don't know what clamps our cars come with stock, but my experience has been that plastic clamps loose their holding power in about 40,000 - 50,000 miles and a lot less if you are removing and reinstalling them.

I would suggest just picking up a generic set up metal clamps from your local parts store. The kind you can tighten with a screw driver.
 
I guess it's not as common as I thought?

My 2002 eclipse came with plastic clamps on every single hose on the car.

They look like the black clamp in the picture below, but plastic not titanium:

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I know what you're talking about but the plastic "clamps" are not like in the picture. They are closer to zip ties.
 
Mine had the metal type that screwed on up top hose, but one that pinched on like your pics on the bottom hose. But that didn't stop the upper hose from being the one to give....
 
I know what you're talking about but the plastic "clamps" are not like in the picture. They are closer to zip ties.

They do make more than one kind of plastic hose clamp.

Just offering some helpful advise for anyone searching threads with hose problems. Check your clamps, if they are plastic they might be old and need to be replaced.

Nothing here to argue about.
 
Clamps on radiator hoses often get changed. As old as our cars a getting, most have been through at least 2 or 3 previous owners hands. Don't be surprised to find that your clamps aren't the stock ones.

If you're going to use metal worm clamps, I'd suggest looking into heavy duty ones. They don't strip out as easily as the cheap ones from auto parts stores. But my top pick would be properly sized t-bolt clamps.

But another thing to check is to see if the end of your coolant hose has dry rotted. It maybe be so hard that it's no longer flexible enough to clamp onto the pipe. You may just be tightening a clamp around a hard hose. Even one that's overly stiff may be significantly reducing the grip.
 
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