Heater hose replacement - tips?

[GheeBhow]

Hello all,

My 1098 heater hose burst the other day (irritatingly I was going to replace it a couple of months ago and figured it would last a bit longer...) so I'll be replacing it soon. Is there anything special I should watch out for as I'm doing it?

And rather than a tap at the bottom of the radiator, there's a nut - presumably because it's cheaper to fit a nut than a proper tap on more recent radiators (it was replaced around 6 years ago). Am I right in thinking that it is indeed a drain point, rather than something else?

Thanks for any advice any of you can give.
Neil

[bmcecosse]

Don't touch the tap/nut/plug on the rad - it may be 'solid' and could wreck the rad when you try to remove it. Just swap the hoses - no need to drain out any more than will come out when you undo the heater hoses.

[mike.perry]

Try not to flood the parcel shelf/carpets when disconnecting the hoses from the heater.

[chickenjohn]

Might be easier to remove the heater before disconnecting the hoses. That's how I did the job last year. Disconnect the hoses from the engine end first, remove the heater and disconnect from the heater end.

1/2 inch heater hose is available from motor factors. Get some new jubilee hose clips as well if the old ones are rusty!

[bmcecosse]

Just blow through the hoses to clear the water before disconnecting - a bowl could be handy though to catch drips......

[GheeBhow]

That's all brilliant advice - thanks very much. I've actually got the silicone pipes - I bought a complete set to replace the radiator hoses, but thought the heater ones would last a bit longer - they did, by about a month!

[DaisyMayFozz]

the law of sod for you there

like BMC says just blow through the pipes before, to get all of the water out. a old washing up bowl is useful.

[simmitc]

The silicone hoses are a doddle to fit - they slide through the bulkhead easily, and slip onto the nozzles beautifully.

For best access, undo the screws at each end of the parcel shelf and drop it to the floor - much easier to get to the clips and pipes, no need to remove the whole shelf.

[GheeBhow]

I've done it!

You were right about the silicone pipes - they went in and on very easily - I could only do it by dropping the parcel shelf though because the original installation had the jubille clip screw head pointing up, making it impossible to undo it with either screwdriver or spanner. The only bit I had trouble with was the two small screws & bolts which go just under the ignition - one of the hidden bolts was too far towards the middle to hold with my fingers while undoing the screw. But I got there in the end. Will fill it back up again tomorrow and test it...

Thanks again all,
Neil