Community Forums

DRBARBER001 · 05-04-2011, 07:09 PM

How long does one go on with the original rad. Hoses on a cat c-7 d pusher ?

ga traveler · 05-05-2011, 01:09 PM

I believe I was told by cummings 7 years. The best thing to do (although it can get messy) is check at least yearly for worn are soft spots.

GaryKD · 05-05-2011, 03:40 PM

Hi DRBARBER001,
Welcome to iRV2. It depends on when the coolant change is required. To be efficient it would be best to do both at the same time. I check my hoses/clamps during annual maintenance. My next coolant change will be when the coach is 10-11 years old. I will change the rubber parts at that time.

I keep several spare hoses in case there is a problem. My Cummins setup has only the really short (8" hoses) connecting the solid piping.

DRBARBER001 · 05-05-2011, 06:19 PM

Whats the thinking on how long before replacing coolant hoses on a cat c7

DRBARBER001 · 05-05-2011, 06:25 PM

OURS IS A 2004 NEWMAR NORTHERN STAR--- REAR RAD & NEAR IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE LET ALONE GRAB, Iam THINKING ABOUT REMOVING & BOILING THE RAD & REPLACING ALL HOSES, ANY THOUGHTS ?

JimM68 · 05-05-2011, 08:20 PM

On an 04, I'd think you are doing something that doesn't need to be done for another half decade.

RV Wizard · 05-06-2011, 02:52 AM

I change mine every other time I do the coolant maintenance.

Hooligan · 05-07-2011, 08:38 PM

Don't know Cat's recommendations, but Gates has this info on belts and hoses. They recommend 4 years for coolant hoses.
http://www.gates.com/index.cfm?location_id=1023
hope this helps...

DRBARBER001 · 05-08-2011, 07:53 AM

Well after living on a dirt road for 6yrs & the fact that it is running a bit warmer, it just seems it mit save some problems on the road in the future, seeing we are fulltime

DRBARBER001 · 05-11-2011, 06:38 PM

When do uall change your coolant hoses, by time or miles ?

Hipshot · 05-11-2011, 06:43 PM

On my cars and pickups I have allways changed the belts and hoses at 50,000 miles and kept the old ones as spares. I am new to motor homes and would also like to know when ya'll change them.

Gary RVRoamer · 05-15-2011, 03:06 PM

Mine are 7+ years old and still looking great. I have no plans to change them now.

Wanabee FTer · 05-15-2011, 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary RVRoamer

Mine are 7+ years old and still looking great. I have no plans to change them now.

Age and mileage may vary. A good way to tell is to grab a large diameter hose (when cool) and squeeze it. If it feels soft and squishy or hard and crunchy they are ready to replace.

chasfm11 · 05-16-2011, 08:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wanabee FTer

Age and mileage may vary. A good way to tell is to grab a large diameter hose (when cool) and squeeze it. If it feels soft and squishy or hard and crunchy they are ready to replace.

It is harder to squeeze the large MH hoses but I agree with this method. Call me foolish but I prefer to change the hoses around 5 years. If we used the vehicle more, I probably would have gone longer.

Since I do my own work, It cost me about $200 to change all of the hoses. Most of them I bought locally (and they were cheaper) but a couple of the large ones I ordered from Freightliner and they were more expensive. I did a coolant change at the same time.

By contrast, I paid a "professional" shop to change just my coolant and they charged me $450 and used 2 gallons of coolant (it was on the bill) in a 10 gallon system. I used 5 gallons of coolant and all distilled water, replaced all of the hoses and clamps and still didn't spend as much as the professionals charged. One of my main motivations was for doing it this way was to go to an extended life coolant. With new hoses, I can just test the coolant and add to it as needed.