What are Radiator Hoses?

Have you ever noticed while watching a game that athletes look like they’re literally letting out steam? That’s not just them trying to look macho. Though it’s pretty macho, if you ask me. That’s them actually cooling down, so their bodies can continue performing at a high level. Well, your engine essentially does the same. It uses the radiator hoses to help cool down, so it can keep going. So, let’s dive into the cooling system, which is where your radiator and radiator hoses live. Your engine needs to cool down to keep from overheating and making a mess of things. Simple enough, right? It uses coolant to do so. The coolant – that’s a liquid, if you’re new here – flows around the hot parts of your vehicle, absorbing heat, so the motor doesn’t overheat. The coolant then floats on down to radiator town, where the radiator cools down the liquid. Cooled down and ready to go, the coolant returns to the motor to absorb more heat, and the process goes around and around. That’s where the radiator hoses come in, and your cooling system has two of them. The upper radiator hose serves to clamp the motor together with the radiator. It takes all that coolant that’s removed heat from the engine and feeds it to the radiator to get cooled down. The lower radiator hose carries the coolant back to the motor. Together, the two radiator hoses allow the cooling system to work properly, with the coolant flowing back and forth happily. Radiator hoses are made of a highly durable rubber, but if you’ve ever had a garden, you know that a hose doesn’t last forever. Wear and tear on the hose can cause the rubber to wear down, grow brittle, crack, or even rip. And when that happens, it’s time to replace the hose.

How urgent is an Upper Radiator Hose replacement?

If you like gambling, then go to Vegas. Gambling serves you no purpose with your radiator hoses, because a) you can’t win any money, and b) drive long enough, and you’ll cause catastrophic engine damage. So, you’ll actually end up losing money.

Do the smart thing and get your radiator hose replaced as soon as possible.