Radiator Problem

[Sonic]

Hi,

Just set off from picking up the girlfriend when the coolant warning light flashed up. Having replaced all hoses with samco hoses a month before and fixed a coolant leak with the additional coolant pump a week before this wasnt right!

Looked up and noticed steam pouring out from under the bonnet. Rapidly pulled over and switched off the engine. Looking under the bonnet it was obvious what the problem was - the hose going into the top of the radiator was off.

Luckily the guy that does all the work on my car lived 30 seconds round the corner from where i was, so on the phone to him and he was with me in 5 minutes with some tools.

He felt around the inside of the hose for a second and pulled out the following:



He fastened the hose onto the rest of the inlet that was still attached to the radiator, filled the coolant back up and i went on my way only 10 mins after pulling over. (RAC eat your heart out )

Now, the problem is temporarily fixed, but do i need a new radiator to make sure that the hose doesnt come off again?

Cheers!

Andy

[Bowlerwell]

That's not so good.
At least you have a temporary fix anyway.

Where did the pictured part break of from?

[Sonic]

It was pure chance that i had just pulled away and was seconds from someone with tools - i could just more likely been flying down around the bypass which would have been nasty!

The part above that snapped off was part of the inlet into the radiator that the hose clamps on to.

[bobyboucher]

Hi,

I have an idea about what causes the radiator end to broke off...
''...Having replaced all hoses with samco hoses...''

Those hoses are much stiffer than the oem ones so if your engine moves around a lot under power, the stress is transfered to the hose and then to the radiator ends wich doesn't move because it's bolted to the body... I suggest oem one to and from radiator or having all engine mounts replaced.

Good luck...!

[Acidburn]

Is it possible it could have been weak or the clamp over-tightened?

That part breaks easily which is annoying. Probably best to be a new radiator so you get the full section to clamp onto.

[Rusty]

I had this happen. Don't get a nissens one, they're rubbish. Get a Behr from GSF, special order at £120.

[veneto rs2]

Hi everybody

It seems like that ending parts of the radiators are going off due to age.....
Nothing else just old plastic that has been clamped to many times...
I once fixed the main one on top of the radiator with this metod:

Had a pipe ending worked/machined out of a piece of alluminium i made it a little bit longer had the side worked as a big screw and worked the remaining part on the radiator as another female screw gently with the proper size tool.
Got the two parts screwed together with a polymer bonding mastic between them and "voilà" the radiator was ok for another three years.
As far as my conceirn according to your picture you have plenty of plastic pipe left to do the job.

Stefano

P.S.
I quote that Nissens are simply s**t no good at all!

[Sonic]

Cheers guys.

Ill probably opt to get the behr one Andy Casey recommended, and restore my current one as a spare.

Andy, do you have a link to the one you mentioned, i cant seem to find it on the GSF website, or is it a phone call?

Cheers,

Andy