how often belts and hoses be replaced

Comments

• adc100 Member Posts: 1,521

  April 2001

  Hose replacements vary from car to car, depending on the engine design. Hoses coming from the top of the engine (engine outlet) may not go 5 years. I think the ones going into the engine from the radiator can go beyond 5 years. Go with quality hoses/belts (origional factory or Gates, etc.) Believe me it makes a difference.
  Again depending on the load on the belt (V-belts) They can go well past five years or maybe less. Heat and time are a factor on both belts and hoses. Look for the belt to have glazing on the underside- then its time to change.
  
  The serpentine belts- even though the ribbing may be coming off. They are good for a good long while- here I'd say 60,000 miles or more.
  
  Like anything else nothing is etched in concrete. A general rule of thumb for all this stuff may be around 5 years.
  
  The one hose though I would look at every 3 or 4 years is the hose coming out of the thermostat into the top of the radiator. 3 out of 4 times this is the one that stops you on the road.. Just my rambling thoughts.

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• Mr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481

  April 2001

  That's a good answer...best thing is to have someone really look them over once a year anyway after the 3rd year of operation....also, I replace them if, say, they are hard to remove and they had to be taken off for some other repair...it's a great opportunity to replace a 2-3 old belt or hose at no extra labor cost. I did this many times on my Saabs (real pain to remove the belts) to replace the many alternators (also a real pain to remove).

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• armtdm Member Posts: 2,057

  April 2001

  in the belts and hoses. When you start to see the cracks start thinking about replacement. Plus, when you have your coolant changed is a good time to replace the hoses too, less expensive. say every other coolant change 4-5 years

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• Mr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481

  April 2001

  Cheap insurance.....with these modern alloy engines, a few minutes of overheating that you don't notice and all hell breaks loose.

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• adc100 Member Posts: 1,521

  April 2001

  failed hoses and belts are the single most common mode of breakdown. How many times have you heard of a woman traveling a long distance-car breaks down- woman is stranded- sometimes raped and killed. I've heard and read about it frequently. You better believe when my daughter was driving the hoses/belts were always super maintained. But wouldn't you know daughter calls me from her cell phone many years ago and says her car broke down at a shopping center. Upper hose had a pinhole leak. I replaced just a couple of weeks before. Bought it at a discount auto store. No more.. no more..Gates, name brand, or OEM. You can literally feel that the hoses are thicker. My $.02.

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• mdecamps Member Posts: 115

  April 2001

  People often replace their upper and lower radiator hoses as well as the small bypass hose, but often forget the heater hoses. On many newer cars these are preformed with metal fittings on the ends. They are often a OEM item, but equally as important as the other hoses. Change them all together! I also recommend flushing the radiator every time you do the hoses...this can prevent an expensive radiator repair down the road.

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• pbraun Member Posts: 11

  April 2001

  The most common breakdown is running out of gas. Number 2 is a flat tire. Carry a spare, and the needed tools. I recently replaced all of the radiator/heater hoses on my car. The heater hoses came from the dealership, as my car is old. All of them together cost about $200.00. I also flushed out the cooling system. Be aware that most shops do a "drain and refill." It is not the same. They don't want to do a flush because of the time it take to do it right. Buy quality rubber. It is well worth it. Don't forget the timing belt every 60k. Check your manual if you have a timing chain.

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