Radiator hoses
#1
#3
Something very wrong with something here.
Just did a "quicky" look at XK Unlimited, and a COMPLETE hose kit for your car is $67.
OR.
Top hose RH is $7, and LH $6.76.
Bottom hose, did not see, but here the last one I got a while back was $28.
Either your parts mob are just greedy, or dumb, dunno, but this pricing is what gives any car a bad name, and Jag cops a fair share as I read on here and elsewhere constantly.
Shop around, I do, and am NOT "online savvy", too old to learn too much, and i get by, but it really is not that hard me thinks.
Just did a "quicky" look at XK Unlimited, and a COMPLETE hose kit for your car is $67.
OR.
Top hose RH is $7, and LH $6.76.
Bottom hose, did not see, but here the last one I got a while back was $28.
Either your parts mob are just greedy, or dumb, dunno, but this pricing is what gives any car a bad name, and Jag cops a fair share as I read on here and elsewhere constantly.
Shop around, I do, and am NOT "online savvy", too old to learn too much, and i get by, but it really is not that hard me thinks.
#4
If you give yourself two days, and buy a complete set of hoses, and you have a decent 1/4 inch drive socket set with extension pieces and metric and imperial sizes, this change is quite doable. Do not rush it, take your time.
The top hoses from the thermostats to the rad are easy. The bottom hose from the rad bottom to the water pump is more difficult, but not too bad.
There are short hoses that connect the cross-pipe ends to the thermostat castings, and one in the centre from the cross pipe to the water pump. These three are somewhat of a pain, as all three have to be started together and pushed home. And there are belts and belt tensioners in the way. Soften the hoses in some boiling water, set them all up on the thermostats and water pump, and then with the help of a mate offer up the cross pipe and get the three all started and push them home. If needed, remove some belts to get better purchase, and renew the belts at the same time!
This then leaves mainly small hoses, they are mostly visible and easy to change. At the front there is a hose from the heater return to the rad outlet where it fixes to a small spigot on the main outlet. This is hard to see, but not too bad when you realise it is there. Good idea to change this one when the main bottom hose is off, before the new one goes on.
Finally this leaves the hoses to the heater. One goes from the back of A bank water rail to the water valve in the centre of the bulkhead. One goes from the water valve to the heater matrix inlet spigot, your driver's side and one from the heater outlet spigot to a water rail running down the inner 'fender' your driver's side. The latter two are hard to reach but it is quite doable with patience and a few cut knuckles! I say, give it a go!
Greg
The top hoses from the thermostats to the rad are easy. The bottom hose from the rad bottom to the water pump is more difficult, but not too bad.
There are short hoses that connect the cross-pipe ends to the thermostat castings, and one in the centre from the cross pipe to the water pump. These three are somewhat of a pain, as all three have to be started together and pushed home. And there are belts and belt tensioners in the way. Soften the hoses in some boiling water, set them all up on the thermostats and water pump, and then with the help of a mate offer up the cross pipe and get the three all started and push them home. If needed, remove some belts to get better purchase, and renew the belts at the same time!
This then leaves mainly small hoses, they are mostly visible and easy to change. At the front there is a hose from the heater return to the rad outlet where it fixes to a small spigot on the main outlet. This is hard to see, but not too bad when you realise it is there. Good idea to change this one when the main bottom hose is off, before the new one goes on.
Finally this leaves the hoses to the heater. One goes from the back of A bank water rail to the water valve in the centre of the bulkhead. One goes from the water valve to the heater matrix inlet spigot, your driver's side and one from the heater outlet spigot to a water rail running down the inner 'fender' your driver's side. The latter two are hard to reach but it is quite doable with patience and a few cut knuckles! I say, give it a go!
Greg
Last edited by Greg in France; 04-13-2013 at 05:44 AM.
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macdoesit (04-13-2013)
#5
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I'll just add a couple tidbits on DIY hose replacements....
The old hoses can be very hard to remove the the nipples and fittings. Excessive force, bending, twistings, prying, etc can damage the nipples....and all the monkeying around in tight quarters can lead to inadvertant damage to delicate wiring and parts in the same vicinity, as Daxter alluded to. Best to take a razor knife and make a couple slices in the end of the hose so that it comes off easily.
Um....make sure you have all the correct hoses for the job before you cut any of the old hoses
Sometimes the nipples/fittings are corroded. Clean off all this crusty stuff before installing your new hoses.
A spritzer of aerosol lubricant or silicone inside the ends of the new hoses will make them slide onto the fittings more more easily.
Before installing a new hose make sure the clamps are in good condition (not distorted) and are clean. Very frustrating trying to tighten a clamp in a confined area when rust/corrosion prevents smooth tightening of the screw.
Speaking of clamps, give some thought ahead of time to the orientation of the screws for easiest access, now and in the future. Sometimes just flipping the clamp over makes all the difference in easing the job along.
One last note....
On a V12 make sure you know how to properly bleed the cooling system. You can't just fill up and drive away!
Cheers
DD
The old hoses can be very hard to remove the the nipples and fittings. Excessive force, bending, twistings, prying, etc can damage the nipples....and all the monkeying around in tight quarters can lead to inadvertant damage to delicate wiring and parts in the same vicinity, as Daxter alluded to. Best to take a razor knife and make a couple slices in the end of the hose so that it comes off easily.
Um....make sure you have all the correct hoses for the job before you cut any of the old hoses
Sometimes the nipples/fittings are corroded. Clean off all this crusty stuff before installing your new hoses.
A spritzer of aerosol lubricant or silicone inside the ends of the new hoses will make them slide onto the fittings more more easily.
Before installing a new hose make sure the clamps are in good condition (not distorted) and are clean. Very frustrating trying to tighten a clamp in a confined area when rust/corrosion prevents smooth tightening of the screw.
Speaking of clamps, give some thought ahead of time to the orientation of the screws for easiest access, now and in the future. Sometimes just flipping the clamp over makes all the difference in easing the job along.
One last note....
On a V12 make sure you know how to properly bleed the cooling system. You can't just fill up and drive away!
Cheers
DD
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macdoesit (04-13-2013)
#6
I will chime in here having just changed my hoses this week.
I ordered the 16 piece hose set from XKS Unlimited in San Luis Obispo CA, $67. They are only 120 miles from me so shipping was pretty quick. The set comes with all of the hoses you need, pre-shaped, and they are all tagged with the part number which you can reference to the on line catalog pics of the cooling system, very helpful. I also took a few pics for reference since I was going to remove all of the hoses at once and not change them one at a time.
Doug, Grant and Greg all made excellent points about socket sets, CLAMP ORIENTATION (important), lube, heating in water etc. I used a small sharp razor type knife and made a small, 1/16", chamfer on the hard to reach hoses and a light coating of silicone grease on all of them to help slide them into position. The heater hoses that connect at the firewall look impossible, but, went on way easier than I expected. The chamfer, grease and the fact that they are pre shaped actually made it very easy. Don't let them scare you!
I had my radiator out which made things easier and I also replaced all of the belts and the thermostats while I was in there.
I removed all of the foam while I was at it and added a trans cooler.
I was surprised that none of the guys mentioned having a box of band aids, or in my case, a roll of paper towels and some electrical tape, on hand for the blood letting. Maybe that's just a given. You will also want your favorite 80+ proof beverage handy for the end of the day. Perhaps that goes without saying also.
It's a job like any other on these cars, take your time, watch out for sharp edges and the wiring and when you're done you'll have the satisfaction of doing it yourself. I enjoyed it.
Terry
I ordered the 16 piece hose set from XKS Unlimited in San Luis Obispo CA, $67. They are only 120 miles from me so shipping was pretty quick. The set comes with all of the hoses you need, pre-shaped, and they are all tagged with the part number which you can reference to the on line catalog pics of the cooling system, very helpful. I also took a few pics for reference since I was going to remove all of the hoses at once and not change them one at a time.
Doug, Grant and Greg all made excellent points about socket sets, CLAMP ORIENTATION (important), lube, heating in water etc. I used a small sharp razor type knife and made a small, 1/16", chamfer on the hard to reach hoses and a light coating of silicone grease on all of them to help slide them into position. The heater hoses that connect at the firewall look impossible, but, went on way easier than I expected. The chamfer, grease and the fact that they are pre shaped actually made it very easy. Don't let them scare you!
I had my radiator out which made things easier and I also replaced all of the belts and the thermostats while I was in there.
I removed all of the foam while I was at it and added a trans cooler.
I was surprised that none of the guys mentioned having a box of band aids, or in my case, a roll of paper towels and some electrical tape, on hand for the blood letting. Maybe that's just a given. You will also want your favorite 80+ proof beverage handy for the end of the day. Perhaps that goes without saying also.
It's a job like any other on these cars, take your time, watch out for sharp edges and the wiring and when you're done you'll have the satisfaction of doing it yourself. I enjoyed it.
Terry
The following users liked this post:
macdoesit (04-13-2013)
#7
I will chime in here having just changed my hoses this week.
I ordered the 16 piece hose set from XKS Unlimited in San Luis Obispo CA, $67. They are only 120 miles from me so shipping was pretty quick. The set comes with all of the hoses you need, pre-shaped, and they are all tagged with the part number which you can reference to the on line catalog pics of the cooling system, very helpful. I also took a few pics for reference since I was going to remove all of the hoses at once and not change them one at a time.
Doug, Grant and Greg all made excellent points about socket sets, CLAMP ORIENTATION (important), lube, heating in water etc. I used a small sharp razor type knife and made a small, 1/16", chamfer on the hard to reach hoses and a light coating of silicone grease on all of them to help slide them into position. The heater hoses that connect at the firewall look impossible, but, went on way easier than I expected. The chamfer, grease and the fact that they are pre shaped actually made it very easy. Don't let them scare you!
I had my radiator out which made things easier and I also replaced all of the belts and the thermostats while I was in there.
I removed all of the foam while I was at it and added a trans cooler.
I was surprised that none of the guys mentioned having a box of band aids, or in my case, a roll of paper towels and some electrical tape, on hand for the blood letting. Maybe that's just a given. You will also want your favorite 80+ proof beverage handy for the end of the day. Perhaps that goes without saying also.
It's a job like any other on these cars, take your time, watch out for sharp edges and the wiring and when you're done you'll have the satisfaction of doing it yourself. I enjoyed it.
Terry
I ordered the 16 piece hose set from XKS Unlimited in San Luis Obispo CA, $67. They are only 120 miles from me so shipping was pretty quick. The set comes with all of the hoses you need, pre-shaped, and they are all tagged with the part number which you can reference to the on line catalog pics of the cooling system, very helpful. I also took a few pics for reference since I was going to remove all of the hoses at once and not change them one at a time.
Doug, Grant and Greg all made excellent points about socket sets, CLAMP ORIENTATION (important), lube, heating in water etc. I used a small sharp razor type knife and made a small, 1/16", chamfer on the hard to reach hoses and a light coating of silicone grease on all of them to help slide them into position. The heater hoses that connect at the firewall look impossible, but, went on way easier than I expected. The chamfer, grease and the fact that they are pre shaped actually made it very easy. Don't let them scare you!
I had my radiator out which made things easier and I also replaced all of the belts and the thermostats while I was in there.
I removed all of the foam while I was at it and added a trans cooler.
I was surprised that none of the guys mentioned having a box of band aids, or in my case, a roll of paper towels and some electrical tape, on hand for the blood letting. Maybe that's just a given. You will also want your favorite 80+ proof beverage handy for the end of the day. Perhaps that goes without saying also.
It's a job like any other on these cars, take your time, watch out for sharp edges and the wiring and when you're done you'll have the satisfaction of doing it yourself. I enjoyed it.
Terry
Is there a site I can log on that shows diagram of hose placement?
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#8
I'll just add a couple tidbits on DIY hose replacements....
The old hoses can be very hard to remove the the nipples and fittings. Excessive force, bending, twistings, prying, etc can damage the nipples....and all the monkeying around in tight quarters can lead to inadvertant damage to delicate wiring and parts in the same vicinity, as Daxter alluded to. Best to take a razor knife and make a couple slices in the end of the hose so that it comes off easily.
Um....make sure you have all the correct hoses for the job before you cut any of the old hoses
Sometimes the nipples/fittings are corroded. Clean off all this crusty stuff before installing your new hoses.
A spritzer of aerosol lubricant or silicone inside the ends of the new hoses will make them slide onto the fittings more more easily.
Before installing a new hose make sure the clamps are in good condition (not distorted) and are clean. Very frustrating trying to tighten a clamp in a confined area when rust/corrosion prevents smooth tightening of the screw.
Speaking of clamps, give some thought ahead of time to the orientation of the screws for easiest access, now and in the future. Sometimes just flipping the clamp over makes all the difference in easing the job along.
One last note....
On a V12 make sure you know how to properly bleed the cooling system. You can't just fill up and drive away!
Cheers
DD
The old hoses can be very hard to remove the the nipples and fittings. Excessive force, bending, twistings, prying, etc can damage the nipples....and all the monkeying around in tight quarters can lead to inadvertant damage to delicate wiring and parts in the same vicinity, as Daxter alluded to. Best to take a razor knife and make a couple slices in the end of the hose so that it comes off easily.
Um....make sure you have all the correct hoses for the job before you cut any of the old hoses
Sometimes the nipples/fittings are corroded. Clean off all this crusty stuff before installing your new hoses.
A spritzer of aerosol lubricant or silicone inside the ends of the new hoses will make them slide onto the fittings more more easily.
Before installing a new hose make sure the clamps are in good condition (not distorted) and are clean. Very frustrating trying to tighten a clamp in a confined area when rust/corrosion prevents smooth tightening of the screw.
Speaking of clamps, give some thought ahead of time to the orientation of the screws for easiest access, now and in the future. Sometimes just flipping the clamp over makes all the difference in easing the job along.
One last note....
On a V12 make sure you know how to properly bleed the cooling system. You can't just fill up and drive away!
Cheers
DD
Glad you said that,I would have just filled it up with 50/50 premix coolant
#9
Try the XKS Unlimited on line catalog, the cooling system parts pictures are pretty good. If you don't have all of your hoses removed already you should be able to change like for like.
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macdoesit (04-13-2013)
#10
I bought a complete URO kit for my car for 87 dollars when i replaced the water pump. The hardest is probably the heater core hoses or the really short one coming off the top of the water pump. You basically need the tools to remove the clamps and possibly a few to get stuff out of your way.
I don't think flex hose is a good option for the large main hose
My uro kit includes the air balance pipe hoses and they were thinner and so needed a spring inside to reinforce.
id just get them all. Silicone is cool but I couldn't find any that were black
I don't think flex hose is a good option for the large main hose
My uro kit includes the air balance pipe hoses and they were thinner and so needed a spring inside to reinforce.
id just get them all. Silicone is cool but I couldn't find any that were black
#11
#13
Silicone Coolant Hoses
I replaced 80% of my hoses last fall, after buying the complete Silicone Hose kit listed on E-Bay. -I did buy the blue ones, and find they aren't terrible to look at, don't mind them at all. -The are nice and flexible, and have felt them after the engine was running for awhile, all seems good.
Just my Opinion.
Just my Opinion.
#15
I replaced 80% of my hoses last fall, after buying the complete Silicone Hose kit listed on E-Bay. -I did buy the blue ones, and find they aren't terrible to look at, don't mind them at all. -The are nice and flexible, and have felt them after the engine was running for awhile, all seems good.
Just my Opinion.
Just my Opinion.
How have those blue silicone hoses held up since the install?
#16
you US guys get cheap hoses!
A full set of X300 water hoses cost me NZD$1000, all genuine Jag. Having said that, one was made in UK, 1 in Poland, 2 in France, I in italy. So much for "Genuine"
My mechanic said to avoid silicone ones, he has seen them burst after one or two years, usually when the engine revs when kicking down to overtake - sudden surge in pressure bursts pipes, you don't realise, you keep the foot down, and the cylinder head cooks pretty quickly..
A full set of X300 water hoses cost me NZD$1000, all genuine Jag. Having said that, one was made in UK, 1 in Poland, 2 in France, I in italy. So much for "Genuine"
My mechanic said to avoid silicone ones, he has seen them burst after one or two years, usually when the engine revs when kicking down to overtake - sudden surge in pressure bursts pipes, you don't realise, you keep the foot down, and the cylinder head cooks pretty quickly..
#17
you US guys get cheap hoses!
A full set of X300 water hoses cost me NZD$1000, all genuine Jag. Having said that, one was made in UK, 1 in Poland, 2 in France, I in italy. So much for "Genuine"
My mechanic said to avoid silicone ones, he has seen them burst after one or two years, usually when the engine revs when kicking down to overtake - sudden surge in pressure bursts pipes, you don't realise, you keep the foot down, and the cylinder head cooks pretty quickly..
A full set of X300 water hoses cost me NZD$1000, all genuine Jag. Having said that, one was made in UK, 1 in Poland, 2 in France, I in italy. So much for "Genuine"
My mechanic said to avoid silicone ones, he has seen them burst after one or two years, usually when the engine revs when kicking down to overtake - sudden surge in pressure bursts pipes, you don't realise, you keep the foot down, and the cylinder head cooks pretty quickly..
Silicone hoses are constructed in very much the same was as epdm except silicone doesn't oxidize like rubber does, and it can stand higher temperatures. Depending the manufacturer it can be softer to some degree, so check larger connections to see if they need support springs.
#18
you US guys get cheap hoses!
A full set of X300 water hoses cost me NZD$1000, all genuine Jag. Having said that, one was made in UK, 1 in Poland, 2 in France, I in italy. So much for "Genuine"
My mechanic said to avoid silicone ones, he has seen them burst after one or two years, usually when the engine revs when kicking down to overtake - sudden surge in pressure bursts pipes, you don't realise, you keep the foot down, and the cylinder head cooks pretty quickly..
A full set of X300 water hoses cost me NZD$1000, all genuine Jag. Having said that, one was made in UK, 1 in Poland, 2 in France, I in italy. So much for "Genuine"
My mechanic said to avoid silicone ones, he has seen them burst after one or two years, usually when the engine revs when kicking down to overtake - sudden surge in pressure bursts pipes, you don't realise, you keep the foot down, and the cylinder head cooks pretty quickly..
Just because it says Jag,Mercedes,Harley,Lear does not mean you have to accept the shaft. That is how these people get rich, they figure you own a Jag you have money and ask no questions. If you have money to throw away do it.
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