I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! My wife and I were driving back from my parents house yesterday evening around dark. I apparently ran over something considering I heard small thump under the front passengers side of the truck. I went out and looked for a few minutes this morning and found two shallow nicks in the hose. Should I replace the hose, or just let it ride? I do not see any fluid leaking from the shallow nicks. The hoses were replaced about 2 months ago.


This leads to another question. After looking at the hose, you can see several tiny dots. There are no visible fluid leaks, but what is the likely hood this is a radiator leak? I also noticed the hose coming from the water pump and thermostat housing have a thin film of fluid around the exterior of clamps. They do not appear to be leaks, and could be anything entering the radiator from the road I guess.


Anyway, just looking for some opinions.


Thanks,
Cody

 

I wouldn't bother replacing the radiator hose. In my book that is normal wear. If it concerns you just continue to drive your truck and keep an eye on it.


In your second pic I can't see a film of fluid around that hose clamp. The hose and clamp look like they're in good condition. Maybe I'm just blind...

 

You can replace it now, or on the side of the road.

When hoses get older, they lose "rigidity" Ever notice hoses under pressure they look like inflated balloons, bulging at the clamp?
Guess where you weak spot is....... and you'll forget about the cuts until...

 

Where the nicks are, squeeze the hose with your hand and try to open them up. If they are not very deep, don't worry about it. If when you squeeze the hose they look fairly deep, I would replace it.

All those worm type clamps should be tightened a little bit, especially a few weeks after a new hose is replaced. They do not adjust themselves as the hose shrinks from being new. I got a tip from a long time mechanic, he said those aggravating clamps that the factory used that need pliers to squeeze? He said they are the best clamps to use, since they keep constant pressure on the hose. As the hose shrinks, they shrink with it.

 

Thanks guys for the reply. If I had to guess, I would say the cuts are very very shallow. As for the heater core hoses, the film I am seeing around the clamps does not appear to be coming from the end of the hose but rather from around the clamp itself. I only tightened them down with a screw driver so I do not believe they could be cut in anyway.

I will I’ll just keep an eye on the hose for now and probly replace it in the spring. Now that I have my car back and it is in a reliable state. I will definitely have something that I can drive for the rest of the winter between the two.

Thanks,
Cody