20 year old hoses

[Ro646a]

My 20 year old American Dream diesel pusher still has all the original cooling and hydraulic hoses. It has been stored indoors all its life and only has 30,000 miles on it, and is in excellent condition (still looks new). The hoses that I can see all look and feel good. Are they due to fail?

[Ken_C]

Ro646a wrote:
My 20 year old American Dream diesel pusher still has all the original cooling and hydraulic hoses. It has been stored indoors all its life and only has 30,000 miles on it, and is in excellent condition (still looks new). The hoses that I can see all look and feel good. Are they due to fail?

On our 2 prior coaches, the first we only owned for 4 years and I wasn't concerned about the hoses. Our second one we owned for 15 years and I changed all of the engine coolant hoses at approx 60K miles. Although they appeared OK, it was time to change the coolant so I bought new hoses at NAPA and changed them including the thermostat Never had an issue that left me at the side of the road needing to be towed.

[Matt_Colie]

Roland,

The coach is old and very nice, it has been stored inside and all, but let me tell you about the space suit problem....

After the Mercury and Gemini programs, the suits were obsoleted.
So, NASA offered them to museums with the case that they be kept in controlled cabinets. They were, but a couple of years ago, conservators and curators saw that they were coming apart and panicked. They believed that their "controlled atmosphere" just might not be. It was not that. Investigation revealed that the adhesives that they used were aging out. There was nothing that could be done. It turns out to be the case with most all elastomers (rubber stuff). If just ages out without any help from the outside at all.

This is true of lots of stuff like tires and belts and brake hoses and window seals. Trust me, with a coach the age of mine, it has taken a toll.

Matt

[winniman]

I realize my rv is different, but when I changed my rad, we decided to order a new cross over metal rad pipe, as it was pretty rusty. Only two in North America existed. It cost me almost $900 CDN to buy it, and it took almost a week to get here to Ontario. Im not saying yours has this unicorn of a rad pipe, but when they are almost 20 years old, the parts are not always readily available. A good assessment of the entire engine bay is always good preventive maintenance. Its not something you want to do on the side of the road. We also changed my tranny cooling lines and rad lines. Maybe they didn't all need done, and I could have gotten away with it. After a two month, 6000 mile trip, Im happy to report no problems.

[T18skyguy]

A beautiful rig for sure!!! I would change at least the radiator hoses. They go bad from the inside out. Looking and squeezing is not a reliable assessment.

[Chum_lee]

Wow! That rig looks, . . . . . reeeeallly nice!

Chum lee

[Ro646a]

Thank you all for your input.
The belts and all fluids(coolant, trans fluid, oil, hydraulic fluid) and every filter were last replaced in June, and my tires are one year old, so I'll rest a little easier with this info.

[Chum_lee]

Tom/Barb wrote:
Inspect, Inspect ---- and change as required.

all new hoses will set you back $3000 or more.

We commonly see 50 years on Equipment with no problem.

Agreed! But, inspect for what? Make sure your pressure cap is functional, if applicable. Flexible hoses, both coolant and hydraulic, typically fail from the inside out. So, you can't see the internal cracks in the hose when it's beginning to fail because the failure points are on the inside. (unless you can see physical damage on the outside) Internal cracks will eventually show themselves externally. When you inspect your hoses you should do it when they are hot and pressurized. Generally you will see bulging near the clamped portions at the ends, at flex points, or, at the swagged fittings for hydraulic hoses. Of course, leaks/seeping/precipitate of any kind should receive immediate attention. If tightening the clamp doesn't cure the leak, you should replace the hose. If the hose is bulging throughout its length when hot/pressurized, it's done no matter what it looks like.

At 30,000 miles and considering the age of your MH, it has been sitting cold/covered more than 99% of its life. If you are using factory recommended fluids and changing them regularly, chances are you are fine. If it makes you feel better, you can buy the hoses that run hot and carry them with you. Then you'll be prepared. IMO, you should buy OEM quality hoses if you decide to change them. This is not a place to save a buck on parts.

Chum lee

[ferndaleflyer]

A few years ago I had the radiator replaced on my Freightliner Chassis DP. About a month later a top radiator hose failed on a Sunday in the middle of nowhere. No help to be had so I had to abandon it, get a rental car, buy tools, hose and clamps and repair it myself which was no fun. It was hot and I at the time was 75 years old. They had not replaced the hoses while replacing the radiator.

[johnhicks]

Go ahead an change the radiator hoses, they should be about $50 each. For the heater hoses going up front, if you get into a jam you should have two shutoff valves at the engine. As for the hydraulic hoses running up front, that's a big job to replace but you should have them carefully inspected to be sure they're not rubbing on frame edges etc.

Also, if you haven't already done so, change the belts.

I sprung a leak in my 26-year-old top radiator hose last year and had it changed out at a CG in Montgomery. $45 for the hose and $200 for the service call and a couple of jugs of coolant. It would have been so much easier and cheaper to just do it in advance.

If you have an Oshkosh/Freightliner chassis, call Freightliner and give them the last four digits of your VIN and they can sell you the parts of give you the part numbers.

[Tom_Barb]

Inspect, Inspect ---- and change as required.

all new hoses will set you back $3000 or more.

We commonly see 50 years on Equipment with no problem.

[Big_Katuna]

I was at Freightliner Gaffney this summer for belts and valve lash on my 05.

Factory hoses. I asked them to check the hoses and advise and he told me they were fine. They squeeze them and check for cracks. If they’re still soft, flexible and no cracks leave them.

Buying replacements might not be a bad idea.

[Ro646a]

azdryheat wrote:
I'd change them. Plus you might need a coolant change.

I have kept up on all the fluid and filter changes. I'm just concerned about the hoses.

[azdryheat]

I'd change them. Plus you might need a coolant change.

[Oasisbob]

If you have a long road trip planned I would change them out. Do they feel stiff? They may be hard to find. Better to buy them while at home rather than on the road.