I recently had a hose clamp rust off on one of my other vehicles causing my engine to overheat while I was on the road. Luckily I walked away without having to pay a lot of money in repairs as it was only the clamp that needed to be replaced however, that got me thinking about the topic of how to properly maintain any vehicle or Jeep. And because this issue happened to be coolant related I figured what better thing to talk about than the cooling system in your Jeep.
Because engines run on very high temperatures its very important to have some type of cooling system to keep the engine running at proper temperature at all times. I won’t go into the specifics of how a cooling systems works however, it is important to note that when owning a vehicle you should replace your hoses every 3-5 years. A good hose should last 5 years but its not really specified for most manufacturers. So what can we do?
The best way to maintain any car is by having a trained processional inspect it or by simply doing it yourself. Here are somethings to look out for:
*Make sure the engine is cold*
- Visual inspection. You should always look for any irregularities such as tears, bulging, cracks, brittleness of any kind.
- We call this the “squeeze test” simply squeeze both radiator hoses. If either are firm, but not overly your hoses are in great condition. If they feel very hard, spongy or soft. This means its time for them to be replaced. Another thing to watch out for is soft areas of the hose. If found the hose should be replaced.
- Check the clamp connections. Like me you don’t want to be driving somewhere and randomly have a hose come undone. Especially if you are on a road trip or something.
Obviously its impossible to check for every issue however, It does pay to have your vehicle inspected because you may miss things your mechanic may not. And believe me it will save you money in the long run. And installing new radiator hoses is something anyone can do from their home.
Check out this video we made on how to replace them. Its for a Jeep Grand Cherokee WJ however the principles are the same.
