Thread: SOS Urgent help please

Originally Posted by Disco Steve

cheers, what can cause radiator lines to split?

Where the end of the hose is cut to length, the fabric plies are exposed. Water can find it's way into the plies and will lead to rotting of some fabric, notably cotton and nylon.

The inner layer of the old hose looked like it had been failing. The outer layer was fine except for where it had split. Steve Take the bits in when you get it looked at. Radiator places can test the caps. Thats how I found my cap would pop at 4psi and then leek down to 0. The Defender TD5 should be 20psi.

It would also be worth chemical testing once it's all back together again and bled.

i will be taking it in next week(will have to tow it) to get new hoses, $90 for top hose and rebled/fill then pressure/chemical tested and a new cap just to be safe still hoping to be just a faulty hose

Originally Posted by Disco Steve

would any mechanic be able to test a cap?

No, the generic radiator tester gear doesnt always work with the new caps and header tank setups.

Originally Posted by dobbo

age

bad fitment

crud in the system

could be anything but I'd say age and the extreme climate you guy have down there (very hot summers and very cold winters) I'd change all the hoses and keep the old ones as spares

dont forget overheating, neglect, overpressure from sticking caps (or failing heads/gaskets letting combustion pressure in) chemical damage, mechanical damage, poor construction and my personal favorite over tightening of the clamps.

Originally Posted by Disco Steve

can putting a "seal up" through cause any damage?

Yep it can especially with some of the newer coolants with the exotic chemistry. tho egg whites and cracked pepper still seem to work ok...