busting radiator hoses

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catfish2010

New Member
there's a guy i'm thinking about buying a 1992 prelude from, he said that he has already busted 3 radiator hoses, and he doesn't know what the problem is. my friends said that it might be a head gasket, but the seller said that one of his friends is a mechanic on imports, and the guy said that it doesn't sound like it's a head gasket. I was just sittin here thinkin, could it be something as simple as a broken thermostat?
 
sounds like something might be clogged in the coolant lines somewhere maybe, causing it to build up pressure and burst the hose.. :shrug2: .. that'd be my guess
 
sounds like something might be clogged in the coolant lines somewhere maybe, causing it to build up pressure and burst the hose

the guy said that he bought new hoses, so i don't see how that would be a problem
 
Well since the coolant flows inside the motor, as well as to the heater core in the cabin, and possibly other places, there's many places for a clog to develop. The most common 2 would be in the radiator, or in the motor itself (like the termostat getting stuck). If your getting it for a good price because it's not in full operating condition, sounds like it would be fairly easy to fix. Replacing the headgasket with a new one is probably good maintence for it anyway, especially if it's a virgin '92.
 
sounds semi reasonable. only if the chassis is rust free in the key points would i probably snatch it up.
 
Get a coolant system flush for starters. Sounds like there is a pesky air bubble in the cooling system though.
 
take it to a shop and get a compression and leak down test. save you money in the long run.
 
Now when you said they "burst" does that mean burst a hole in the hose or pushed it off its connection?

Sound like it could use a flush and check the clamps.
 
no matter wut it is finding the problem and fixing yourself is still cheap considering your gettin the car for only 1000..the most youll spend on it is 200 on parts if you have to replace a headgasket and you could do that by yourself withing 2 hours......
 
At my honda dealer it's $195. And they'll use they're new blend of coolant that lasts longer and withstands a broader range of temps. I'm due for one soon...
 
thats why I don't do stuff like that at honda. the diffrence in price from honda and say a jiffy-lube is significant.
 
What about the quality of the flush between honda and say jiffy-lube?

I'd love to just do it myself, but they have a special machine for it (or so I'm told)
 
I get a lot of my car work done at honda. It cost more but they do a good job and know the cars well. The first mechanic i took my car to didn't recognize the engine or anything on it. Least honda can spot any other problems. Plus they use their parts and fluids.
 
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