Warning, Replace your cooling system hoses ASAP

[erikv11]

...it will force all of your coolant out of the car within seconds, less than 1 minute later, your car motor WILL overheat and blow the head gasket. This will either send your car to the junk yard, or ...

rspi, this strikes me as just too alarmist. Yes, its a good idea to replace hoses periodically, and thanks for the list of hoses - very useful. But if a coolant hose breaks you are unlikely to have blown head gasket and a junked car "less than 1 minute later". Capitalized WARNING and ASAP in the title like there is some newly discovered imminent danger? Please.

Oh, and look - you have a new video. Maybe I'm too cynical but I'm feeling manipulated.

I thought one simple rule here was, no caps in post titles?

[xjflexer]

RSPI is exactly right. When i purchased my 855R with a blown headgasket about four years ago, I made the quick diagnosis that the lower hose coming off of the expansion tank with dust tape wrapped around it was the cause of coolant loss, overheating, and inevitably a blown headgasket.

Also, about 1 year ago, I had a heater hose explode on me under heavy boost. When I say explode, I mean it let go with such force that I had coolant coming out of the left REAR wheel when I pulled over, not to mention my engine was soaked in coolant. Fortunately I caught this extremely quick, and the car did not overheat this time. I replaced EVERY hose under the hood that time.

[rspi]

Capitalized WARNING and ASAP in the title like there is some newly discovered imminent danger? Please.

Oh, and look - you have a new video. Maybe I'm too cynical but I'm feeling manipulated.

Manipulated??? LOL, not like I have a parts store that I can profit from. Most people that have these old dusty cars have no ownership experience, this is their first car. They have no idea that they need to replace hoses before they leak or change the timing belt.

Man, I'm just trying to help people out a little. I will put all the money that you have on the fact that blown head gasket from overheated cars are the #1 cause of people loosing their older cars. And yes I do believe it is a warning to people. Just as the importance of doing your timing belt is.

You know as well as I do that if you don't give someone a WARNING, they will play it down. I tell people all the time, my brother included, to replace their timing belt. What happened 3 months later, you got it, a broke timing belt. Tell the guy at the gas station, please don't touch my car, the dog doesn't like it. Seconds later we are both counting his digits.

The video is for the people that need a show and tell detailed explanation. Helps them learn better and saves me time. I can make a video and respond to people over and over again without typing a book. Hmmm, maybe I'll do a video about why I warn people and make video's so I don't feel the need to type this long message again. LOL

[mfagus]

Good response Robert!

Mark

[erikv11]

Robert, it's no secret that you quietly solicit donations on your DIY page. And that's fine with me, you put in way more time and effort into your advice-giving than anyone else on this site, but how can you in one breath deny that the videos are a form of advertising while in another urge viewers to like and share them?

No offense but, when I see no text and an 18 (or even 6) minute video, I just ignore it and move to the next post. The videos are great for what they are, but not for exchanging information quickly. In the body of a thread they add little - I'm repeatedly wishing you would post them as an external link so that I can more quickly see what is actually in the thread. The opening image adds nothing. Especially when so many of the threads you post in now include at least one of your videos, it is cluttering up the forum.

Oops, getting off topic ...

[rspi]

Quietly? I have no secret. If you go to my website there is a page for donations, per request of many. Unfortunately I don't have the luxury of going out and getting a job like most people do. I help many with the information and knowledge that I have from the countless hours that I have spent learning from forums and people like you. Several people requested I make the videos, so when I have time I do. There are a lot of situations that the video will tell a lot more than I am willing or able to type at the time. Also, I send out parts and money to people that I have never met, especially those that take the time to help me with my auto issues. I never send out request for people to send me money unless they are asking me to go and purchase parts for them. And I sure don't make people feel as if they are obligated to send me any money for my help or assistance.

As for embedding the videos, some of the moderators here have actually fixed the video links to display the way they do. Be my guest and skip right by them. They are here to help those that need them.

[cn90]

I have to defend for rspi, he is right. Many people (newbies) buy this old car and not aware of this particular issue (burst hoses), then they are basically done for the day LOL. So, sounding a bit alarmist is fine when it comes to blown head gasket.

Also, Robert, like any of us, needs money to feed himself too, so a bit of youtube video here and there does not hurt anyone. If one likes it, watch it; if one does not like it, skip it.
Also, a bit CAPITAL letters here and there is fine too.

For rspi's critics, my advice is to avoid the minutiae; focus on bigger pictures, go and smell the roses.

[mfagus]

well said cn90, well said!


Mark

[erikv11]

... my advice is to avoid the minutiae ...

ah yes, a classic line

Sure, Robert helps a lot of people here, I just get rubbed the wrong way when people want to have their cake ("I'm not advertising") and eat it too ("of course I'm advertising"). But hey, to each his own!

[osman]

Failed cooling system hoses and overheating/head gasket damage is one of the most common reasons for cars ending up at the salvage yard. These cars definitely have a weak link in the heater core/hoses part of the system because I have done a number of heater core replacements and more often than not here in central Texas, the old "heater-core bypass". IMO the coolant reservoir and cap also tend to fail. The rule of thumb with rad hoses and system has always been when you do one component or hose you do all of them, otherwise the pressure will find the weak spots and bust them. I have personally seen it happen, someone trying to save money and only doing one hose or component then the increased pressure from the new parts cause the old ones to fail within a couple of weeks. When you do your radiator or water pump or heater core or coolant reservoir--do all of your hoses too. simple. I have watched one of rspis videos, cant remember what for, but I definitely didnt feel like I was being hit up for donations. I always appreciate anyone who has the patience to film or take pics in the middle of what are mostly greasy, ardous tasks. Often while I am doing one of the myriad jobs on these I think I couldnt imagine having to stop and take clear , properly lit pics while smearing my dirty fingers across my smartphone in some dark dirty corner of my car. Not to mention hours of uploading and writing just for the benefit of others. When I finish working on my car, I often dont even feel like putting my tools away in their proper places, I just want to shower, eat, drink a beer and play with my dogs. So to all content posters: Respect!