Changing radiator hoses

[Italchic]

I'm going to attempt changing all 4 hoses. Are there any special things I need to do as far as prepping the connections, sealants, clamps, draining and refilling, etc?

[courtenay]

Make sure you have a large vessel under the car, because as soon as you disconnect any of the lower hoses, you are going to have coolant spilling all over the place. Other than that, it's probably a good time to drain the entire system and replace the coolant (anti freeze and water). Do a search on "burping the cooling system" to find out how the refilling process is done so you don't have any air bubble issues.

[fillupd]

This would be a good time to cut in a high point bleed off in the hose by the firewall. Prestone makes a filler capped type connection.

[baltobernie]

That connector is often sold as part of a kit which includes adapters to flush the system with a garden hose - good idea.

Don't forget to open the engine block drain on the right side of the motor. Sometimes a square pipe plug, YMMV. Ditto open the heater valve. When refilling, pour the gallon of coolant straight in, then add distilled water to top off - tough to get all of the flushing water out - this way you make sure you get the correct concentration. Regular green or yellow stuff - no Dex-Cool. Fill to both rad neck and flushing tee slowly until all bubbles are gone.

Also a good time to inspect and probably replace the radiator cap. Two sizes, depending on early/late.

Quality hose clamps are a great idea. Don't over-tighten them! If you've never done this before, replace one hose at a time, and take a couple of "before" photos. Many hoses need to be trimmed, so compare old vs. new before attempting installation. Always use hoses made for the vehicle; never "universal" corrugated ones. Our usual vendors sell the correct stuff, including metric rad caps.