Even in the 1970's we were urged to change water hoses regularly ; indeed a spare top and bottom hose was sometimes carried in the boot. The practice seem to disappear almost overnight, presumeably due to material improvements.
I hated having to change the 2inch long by about half inch dia hose betwwen the head and block on the BMC 'A' series engines, so was glad for the improvement.
In hindsight I wonder if I was "conned" into changing the hoses...ah the days of being young and accepting "the manufacturer's recommendations"!
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Well in the old days you didn't just carry spare wheels, you also carried a spare engine!
My grandad had a Lada from the 1970's and that had a manual aux fuel pump and a start crank! It was brilliant when all his neighbours Cortina's would not start due to the -5c conditions he would just turn a handle of he went while the battery charged itself.
I also remember him always messing about with battery cells.
Cars are a lot more maintenance free now in all ways, but when they do go wrong it is no longer playing with mechano and me being a computer wizz I like it that way!
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JF:
I've done breakdowns on Minis caused by failed bypass hoses, so if you changed yours as a service item, you probably saved yourself an unscheduled stop at the side of the road.
What a fiddly job those hoses were, seem to remember we got into the habit of lifting the cylinder head because it was quicker in the long run.
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I don't think hoses were any worse than they are now, many people didn't use anti freeze all year round, and many used methanol based muck that didn't provide anti corrosion like Bluecol or similar, and would evaporate to nothing over the course of the winter anyway.
If i think back, 90% of hose failures (and radiators and core plugs) were caused by corrosion of the hose connections, not splitting by pressure or age deterioration.
I seem to remember buying corrugated by pass hoses to fit the A series engines, didn't last all that long but you could get them in without stabbing screwdrivers through your palms.
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>>....and many used methanol based muck that didn't provide anti corrosion like Bluecol or similar,
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I can recall changing the thermostat housing, more than once , at the same time as the top hose.
The hose end of the stat housing was very badly eroded and did not offer a good foundation for a hose / hose clip. They were cheap so it always seemed sense to change it.
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I seem to remember buying corrugated by pass hoses to fit the A series engines...
I bet if I go and have a look in the tool box that I used to carry about in my Mini's, I could find you one of those corrugated by-pass hoses that I had as a spare.
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I bet if I go and have a look in the tool box that I used to carry about in my Mini's
I really miss having to carry half a cwt of tools and spares everywhere...not..;)
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Cooling systems are much steadier in modern cars, but the real change seems to be in the material used for hoses. Modern plastics don't swell and perish in the way latex-based hoses used to, and they stand up better to overtightened jubilee clips and the like.
All to the good of course. Most owners never touched the hoses and only became aware of them when they burst in a spectacular cloud of steam on the motorway. But those of us forced to grapple hands-on with some of the more intimate oily bits used to dread the things, getting them off and then back on without damaging them or causing a discreet but heavy leak, and perhaps when the worst came to the worst having to find another one, or one that would fit, before getting everything back together.
But the hairiest thing I remember was the transmission fluid pipes to the radiator in my Plymouth, which I swopped for a similar one out of a Dodge in a junkyard in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The unions were rusted and seized and the thin steel pipes twisted nearly flat before the rust let go. To my amazement it all went back together without breakages or leaks and worked OK too.
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Remember giving those old time hoses a bit of a squeeze - the art of assessment? Then the de-laminated mess that was found inside.
I remember paying extra for some new fangled PVC, or plastic feeling heater hose for a Mini in 1967.
It stood the test of time over about 5 years, but went from being as soft as a pork sausage when new - to semi rigid when aged. I reckon another year or two and they would have shattered like glass.
Top hose every year or so still on `rubber`and the stuggle with the convoluted waterpump hose.
I can remember thinking that surely a better hose material was available in `Modern Times` that being 67.. well - it felt like it at the time, didn`t it.
Then one day the old hoses were gone. An 85 Polo C in the family for 17 years retained all it`s original hoses.
Wonder when they first arrived? I can remember being very impressed and pleased that the `hose rituals` were ended
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Those Mini by-pass hoses. We used to bend them double --very hard work--grab the bend with a mole wrench and shove into the gap and push with a big screwdriver while releasing the Mole.
Worked a treat.
Probably did the hose no good at all and hastened its demise. So the system went on and on.
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I had the head off the Mini at one point and took great pleasure in settling an OE water pump hose in place..
Edited by oilrag on 07/12/2008 at 21:33
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Always replace a hose at the first convenient occasion just before it bursts.
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Mini by pass hoses, Rover P4 top hoses, Austin A35 hoses..
sigh..
Replaced the complex side hose on Peugeot 106 diesel after 7 years: the bleed valve housing (rubber) had crumbled and broke off.. £37 for a replacement.
The replacement has now lasted longer than the original with no signs of problems: suggests materials have improved a lot in the last 10 years.
Old hoses seemed to consist of rubber on a cord base: the cord no doubt rotted as the rubber split.. leading to sudden failure.
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Did a lot more head gaskets in those days.
Engine compression - and oil - in the water probably didn't do the hoses any good and may well have shortened their life.
Rarely changed a hose that wasn't burst unless it felt weak.
I've seen hoses 'balloon' which is a bit of a clue all is not well.
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