small coolant line/hose replacement

[G. White]

I figure it is about time to bulletproof the cooling system for the years to come. What have you guys used to replace the multiple small coolant lines/hoses on the engine. Will regular small diameter heater hose from parts store work or will I need to track down OEM style hoses? And, if I need OEM style hoses where can I get them? Thanks.

[A20A1]

I forget what I used, I might have used hydraulic fluid line since they are small in diameter and can withstand pressure. Not sure if it was okay with coolant but I didn't have any problems. I got it from Napa.

[w261w261]

I did these hoses a couple of years ago, but let someone else do the one that is the real bitch...the hose that comes out of the IACV and goes underneath the intake plumbing. It is so obscure that I didn't notice it when I did everything else, although I should have figured out that with a hose going *into* something, there should be a hose coming *out*, but I'm not that smart. Even my mechanic was swearing over that one.

The rest of the hoses aren't bad to install, but some have pre-formed (tight) curves in them and they aren't all the same diameter, and because of that you can't just grab some hose and start snipping. I ordered them all from the Honda dealer. Don't forget to get new clamps.

You have to take off some stuff to put the hoses on, so while it's off you might look at the heater hoses and shoot some lube in the heater control valve cable.

There's also a little hose down on the back of the engine that goes to a water manifold of some kind. Might want to take a look at it too.

PS: I tried to find the right page on Majestic Honda, but maybe couldn't. I hope that the hoses on the "radiator hoses" page aren't the ones you need, because they don't show as available. I did call my local Honda dealer (at 4:55pm - he wasn't all that happy), and he did say that a couple he looked at were showing available, but that I would have to come down and see for myself on their fiche. I may do that, because I've been thinking that I'm going to order a whole set and put it aside for the future, in case they go away for good. I know you can't just get some regular hose and use it, because some of the curves are too tight, and the hose wants to collapse. You need it pre-formed.

[G. White]

I did these hoses a couple of years ago, but let someone else do the one that is the real bitch...the hose that comes out of the IACV and goes underneath the intake plumbing. It is so obscure that I didn't notice it when I did everything else, although I should have figured out that with a hose going *into* something, there should be a hose coming *out*, but I'm not that smart. Even my mechanic was swearing over that one.

The rest of the hoses aren't bad to install, but some have pre-formed (tight) curves in them and they aren't all the same diameter, and because of that you can't just grab some hose and start snipping. I ordered them all from the Honda dealer. Don't forget to get new clamps.

You have to take off some stuff to put the hoses on, so while it's off you might look at the heater hoses and shoot some lube in the heater control valve cable.

There's also a little hose down on the back of the engine that goes to a water manifold of some kind. Might want to take a look at it too.

PS: I tried to find the right page on Majestic Honda, but maybe couldn't. I hope that the hoses on the "radiator hoses" page aren't the ones you need, because they don't show as available. I did call my local Honda dealer (at 4:55pm - he wasn't all that happy), and he did say that a couple he looked at were showing available, but that I would have to come down and see for myself on their fiche. I may do that, because I've been thinking that I'm going to order a whole set and put it aside for the future, in case they go away for good. I know you can't just get some regular hose and use it, because some of the curves are too tight, and the hose wants to collapse. You need it pre-formed.

Got it........thats what I thought. Some of the hoses need bends in them and rightfully so. If I knock this one out I should be good for the better part of the next 20 years. Thanks W

[russiankid]

Go to hondaautomotiveparts.com and order all those weird hoses. Then go to rockauto.com and order all the other normal hoses. Problem solved.

P.S. They are a bitch to change.

[DBMaster]

This is weird. I just received my hoses from Majestic today. I wanted to go ahead and replace the three main heater hoses. You can find them in the parts drop-down menu in the "water valve" section. I don't think the little hoses see a whole lot of pressure so I am leaving those alone. I have had minor failures in two of the larger (around 1") diameter hoses. A couple of the short pieces of 1" hose between the metal lines and the thermostat housing are a REAL bitch. I was having so much trouble trying to figure out which preformed hoses to buy from Rock Auto that I just broke down and spent $80 to get them from Majestic.

[russiankid]

This is weird. I just received my hoses from Majestic today. I wanted to go ahead and replace the three main heater hoses. You can find them in the parts drop-down menu in the "water valve" section. I don't think the little hoses see a whole lot of pressure so I am leaving those alone. I have had minor failures in two of the larger (around 1") diameter hoses. A couple of the short pieces of 1" hose between the metal lines and the thermostat housing are a REAL bitch. I was having so much trouble trying to figure out which preformed hoses to buy from Rock Auto that I just broke down and spent $80 to get them from Majestic.

The whole system sees the same amount of pressure, for the most part. I changed all the hoses under the intake just incase.

[DBMaster]

Probably best. Maybe that will be my next project. The only bad leak that happened was in the preformed hose that connects to the intake underneath the distributor. The reason it developed a leak was oil from a leaky distributor o-ring soaking the end of the hose. I cut off about 1" and put it back on. That was about three years ago. The rubber is just feeling mushy enough now that I want to go ahead and replace the large hoses.

[Dr_Snooz]

You will end up changing all those little bypass hoses. All you get to choose is whether that will be at home in the driveway or on the side of the road...

Napa used to offer a kit including all of them for about $100, but I can't find it anymore. It's worth a call to see if they still have it.

Consider replacement a good opportunity to throw away all of Honda's irritating hose clamps.

The hose that snakes down behind the alternator is a hard one. With a little flexibility and persistence, you can get the hose on without removing anything, but you'll need a very long socket extension to tighten the hose clamp. It's doable. The one that snakes down behind the throttle body is the most difficult and you'll need to remove the throttle body to get to it. If you've never had it off, you'll probably end up spending a lot of time removing the one paper gasket from it that I've ever seen on any Honda ever. I spent a good two hours with a gasket scraper and gasket cleaner getting it off. I coated the new one with RTV sealant to keep it from sticking again.

Good luck!

[LX-incredible]

El Mirage? Phoenix area? I've replaced the hoses before and they're pretty easy except the one that goes under the pcv and the one that attaches under the manifold, near the water pump. It's quite annoying, but doable. I didn't need to remove the TB.
On my other car I'm removing all of that bullshit. It's for deicing and is unnecessary in our climate. You will need to run lines to the cold idle valve on the back of the manifold, otherwise you will be stuck in high idle after warmup... Or you could spend at least $50 in hoses from honda and another $15-20 in clamps.

[Jacques]

Old thread I know but this may be worth a view. Just for fun at least.
https://youtu.be/dCeqOkYdE-I

[Dr_Snooz]

Well, you managed not to swear (as much as I would) so I have to give you credit. I'm surprised he re-used the OE clamps though. Those damn things are the work of the devil. Especially those cursed double-ring clamps. Those things get diked off and thrown out and do well not to have a meeting with the 10-lb sledge before they go. How I hate those things. Just throwing out the OE clamps makes the job 90% easier.

Okay, maybe 45%. But still.

[gp02a0083]

Trick to those stock clamps is to take a normal set of pliers and grind out a spot for the center tab. They make pliers for this but its much cheaper just to modify a tool

[Jacques]

^ Very true. I wish I had a shop! Still I made it after several hours of work. I got my silicone hose from a good place. I like it and it bends pretty good before it kinks! Now I have some blue rice in my rice ride!

[derolph]

I figure it is about time to bulletproof the cooling system for the years to come. What have you guys used to replace the multiple small coolant lines/hoses on the engine. Will regular small diameter heater hose from parts store work or will I need to track down OEM style hoses?

In the last few years, I've used generic hose from local auto parts stores and not had problems from doing so. At this point, I have no idea where to get OEM-shaped hose.

I usually replace the OEM spring clamps with screw clamps. Using a socket on them is easier than using a screw driver.

[Jacques]

Here is a link to the hose I used to replace mine. Can bend those few 90 degrees without a kink. I also used it for the larger heater hoses etc. See my video.
Silicone Heater Hose, 0.3125" ID, 0.6325 OD, 0.160 Wall - Flex Technologies

Video link is just above a few clicks.

[Jacques]

Shaped hoses are still available, but the descriptions are hard to understand. This to that, and that to this etc. The hose I did not replace because I had it changed prior was a shaped hose, yet lacked the original true shape. Still worked with a bit of a twist. I watched the guy I hired to replace that one. That one that goes from the Electronic Idle Control Valve to the coolant manifold pipe would work fine with the hose I used and gave the link to above. BTW I did switch around the one worm clamp from the other side of that valve so it could be tightened from above. DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN any clamps on silicone hose. Especially the worm clamps. The outer hose is very soft and you will ruin it! They say spring and T-Clamps are best to not screw up the hoses because of the smoothness against the hose compared to a worm clamp that has all those cut outs for the worm screw.

On another note a mechanic told me the other day that junk yards around here don't even want these old Accords anymore. He had one that had to go as scrap steel only! Frickin' sad!

Here is a test drive prior to fixing the vacuum leaks on both Idle Control Valves.

https://youtu.be/gHsNif2srMA
Gonna need volume on this one. She runs much better now.

[Dr_Snooz]

They make worm clamps that don't cut. They look like this:



My Bimmer was full of them.

[rebuild]

They make worm clamps that don't cut. They look like this:



My Bimmer was full of them.

are those all stainless - not just the band? where can find?

[Dr_Snooz]

Not sure where to find them. I just searched for "non-cutting hose clamps" and grabbed a pic. You can find an old Bimmer at the junkyard and strip them from that. If you want to buy them retail, they are pricey.

FWIW, I find the Chinese clamps that you buy off the rack in packs 5 or so in most parts stores to be worse than crap. They are too short and strip out before getting tight enough. I went in to O'Reilly's and complained and they sold me some from the back that seem to work well. We'll see how long that lasts, but for now, they are decent if you want to try that.

[Jacques]

are those all stainless - not just the band? where can find?

Gates makes them. Easy to find. You may need to order them. Here is a link. Silicone Hose Clamps | Gates Corporation

Anyway the main thing is to not over-tighten the clamps!