1997 Volvo 850 GLT Radiator Hoses Preventative Maintenance?

[WhatAmIDoing]

The plastic bits have been fine for me. The rubber hoses started to turn into a squishy brittle substance that I wouldn't call rubber.

At how many miles

320k, almost entirely highway.

[abscate]

Well done, squeezing every bit of service life out of those. That’s Extreme run to fail model !



Neil and I are with envy

[hausmeister]

Heater hose lines, the ones that go between the fire wall to the heater core?

Yes. I'd recommend to get the do88 silicone lines and reuse the original hardlines. requires some DIY work, but it is not hard.
I only ever inspected them visually since it is hard to get to, but when I replaced the heater core I also did the lines and the rubber was crispy when touched. Not sure if they would have lasted much longer.

I only recently saw that do88 now has the whole cooling hoses available as silicone, also worth a thought... pricey though.

[moses3]

Heater hose lines, the ones that go between the fire wall to the heater core?

Yes. I'd recommend to get the do88 silicone lines and reuse the original hardlines. requires some DIY work, but it is not hard.
I only ever inspected them visually since it is hard to get to, but when I replaced the heater core I also did the lines and the rubber was crispy when touched. Not sure if they would have lasted much longer.

I only recently saw that do88 now has the whole cooling hoses available as silicone, also worth a thought... pricey though.

What about the plastic firewall connection? Replace it?

[scot850]

There are those who do away with the plastic firewall connector as it gets brittle and can break when replacing the pipes. There will be info somewhere on this. The one thing is to make sure the pipes passing through the firewall do not rub on the firewall where they pass through.

Neil.

[hausmeister]

What about the plastic firewall connection? Replace it?

I'd say check and replace if needed. Probably would have broken during my dis/reassembly if it was brittle I'd guess. Wasn't too gentle. Don't think it is a common issue.