steel heater hose?


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Old 04-04-10, 05:41 PM
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steel heater hose?

1999 Ford Taraus. Going to the heatercore is a half steel, half rubber line with metal fittings going from each. Why do they use steel? The steel part is rotting out and leaking. I am sure I can go to an autoparts store and buy new heater hoses for this application. But can't I just use regular rubber heater hose for everything? Like I've seen on every car up to this point? Thanks.
 
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Old 04-05-10, 03:24 PM
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No you cannot use plain rubber.....for two reasons....

1) if you look carefully and think logically about where the steel sections sit...it will be obvious that They were made up of steel for heat resistance , ....They sit directly above an exhaust manifold.

And #2) Have you ever tried to get the correct "Bend" from a piece of standard rubber heater hose without "Kinking " it????

With a few exceptions, (AKA ..Catalytic converters on a DIESEL?????) Things were designed and built the way they were for a reason.....Some painfully obvious...others....well....Not so much....But a reason nonetheless. Did you know that Antifreeze is highly Flammable?????.....Think about it for a minute...
 
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Old 04-06-10, 04:25 AM
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Years ago I went to replace the heater hoses on my 1990 jeep cherokee [same set up] None of the local parts store had hoses with metal in the middle so I went to the dealer. They brought out 4 short hoses and no metal. When I said 'that won't work' they informed me that you reuse the metal and clamp the new hoses to it.

..... so if the metal is rusted out, you may need to go to a junk yard or figure some way to replace the metal - maybe copper??


Flammable anti-freeze would that be before you mix it with water
 
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Old 04-06-10, 03:39 PM
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I know exactly what youre talking about. They expected you to reuse the steel. The steel sections were available as special order. Your hoses were "Clamped -On" so you replaced the rubber sections. Ford, for the longest time used "Crimp Barrels" over all of their rubber hoses, and you could replace the rubber by cutting off the crimp and clamping the new rubber to the steel.

As far as Flammable----Actually ----Before and after adding water.!!!!!

Strider------Im willing to bet that the rot hole is right near one of the mounting legs......If not, you can remove the assemmbly, cut the steel at the rot hole, and "Sleeve" the two pieces back together with plain sections of hose....If its leaking at a Mounting leg weld....you are kinda SOL.....unless you are handy with a welder , and there is enough RAW STEEL to patch.
 
 

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