Radiator and hose issues
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 244
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From: Cadillac, Michigan
Radiator and hose issues
Hi, I have a 1982 Ford F100 Flareside with the 300-6 cyl 3 speed OD. I have replaced the thermastat, the radiator cap, the water pump. My heat gauge stays in the normal range, but after I have driven 15-20 miles I check the radiator hoses and the upper and lower are both hot, my problem is the upper and lower radiator hoses are super hard, I’m afraid they are gonna blow out. The upper hose is fairly new and the bottom hose is older. Is this a pressurized System? If I remove the cap and let it run til the thermastat opens should I see the water circulating ? I’m very concerned I’m gonna blow a hose. Any thoughts or ideas. Any comments or ideas will be appreciated
FTE Legend
Joined: Nov 2015
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From: Angier, NC
Is this a pressurized System?
When you bought the new radiator cap some times they ask what PSI do you want I guess they did not.
On the cap it should be stamped what the PSI it is maybe 13 PSI?
For every 1PSI the temp is raised 2*f. So a 1 PSI cap raises the boiling point to 214*f so add up what a 13 PSI cap would raise the boiling point to?
As the coolant heats up it expands raising the PSI and making the hoses hard.
If I remove the cap and let it run til the thermastat opens should I see the water circulating ?
Sometimes you can and sometimes you cant. If the radiator is old and plugged you may not see flow above the water level and there is no way to see it below the water level.
When the stat opens place your hand on different areas across the face of the radiator. It should be hot across the whole face not just a little area.
Warm is good as it has flow, cold is bad as it has no flow. You can take a I.R. temp gun and do the same thing.
I’m very concerned I’m gonna blow a hose. Any thoughts or ideas. Any comments or ideas will be appreciated
Because I did a complete cooling system rebuild (not water pump) I am not worried but I can still blow a hose, as they say when it's your time it will happen.
Dave ----
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From: Virginia
All the originals I have seen have been 13 psi caps. You can get 16 psi caps. When I have a iffy radiator and trying to get by with it, I have run 7 psi caps to help it hold and not leak. Like was mentioned, the higher the pressure, the higher the boiling point. That is how a pressure cooker works. Food gets done a lot quicker when you cook it under pressure because you can heat the water hotter under pressure.
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Feb 2013
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From: Cadillac, Michigan
Radiator hoses
Thanks everyone, I had replaced the top hose recently so now I am changing the bottom I hope that takes care of the problem if I even had a problem thank you very much
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From: Virginia
When you replace the bottom, make sure it has a spring in it. If the new one did not come with a spring, pull the spring out of the old hose and insert it in the new hose. It keeps it from sucking shut at high rpms from the waterpump suction.
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From: Virginia
P.S. You may already know this, but to make sure, take one of the heater hoses off the engine when you are re-filling the engine after you get the new bottom hose on. This will get a lot of the air trapped in the engine out. When you are filling, as soon as coolant starts running out of the heater hose fitting, stop and quickly put it back on, tighten it, and then keep filling. Then run it with the radiator cap loose/off till the upper hose gets hot. Then it will have all the air out of it.
Don't take the heater hose off the heater core at the firewall, it's too easy to damage the heater core and make it leak. Take it off the engine.
Don't take the heater hose off the heater core at the firewall, it's too easy to damage the heater core and make it leak. Take it off the engine.
Tuned
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 331
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I too have an 82 F100 4.9. It was my dads and it sat for years (over a decade). My hoses are original, but still pliable and soft (go figure). I did by one of those $5 prestone flush kits, and I used a garden hose to flush out my radiator. It took a while (and over 20 5gal buckets of rust colored water before it was cleared out. I should have just taken the hose and thermostat out when I did it, but I didnt, I warmed it up every other time. Anyways, its been over a year and I know I dont have any radiator clog issues, everything runs well. Even on a 180 mile trip in warm weather my truck never even gets to the "o" in normal, after I changed out the temp sensor.
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Feb 2013
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From: Cadillac, Michigan
Lower radiator hose
Of course the new lower hose has no spring so I will remove the spring and reuse in the new hose. I hope. I will fill as suggested, and go from there. I’ll answer back when done. After my back heals up. Pretty bad pain right now. Gettin old with all this back pain sucks. Thanks everyone.
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From: Virginia
If you do the heater hoses, make sure you take a sharp knife and cut them off the nipples sticking out of the firewall. Cut slits in the hose and carefully peel them off. If you take pliers and start twisting on them to get them off it's a 99% chance the heater core will start leaking.
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