Stiff radiator hoses

[Lemay88]

Bonjour Viper family'


I'm starting a new thread with an old post, sorry.
About a month ago, I changed my rad for a recore. I started it for the first time yesterday and came with this situation.
To bring you up to date, I filled the system by the pressure bottle and made sure my fasia bottle is half full.
Now,here's my concern.
I started the car and let it warm and get to temperature. I got scared at first because the temp gauge went up faster than usual but I remembered that it was probably reading hot air instead of coolant. When the thermostat opened up, temperature went down very fast to normal temp.
Also, when the thermostat opened up, the coolant bottle level dropped so I added coolant to keep it full and closed the bottle after.
Checked the heater hoses and both of them were hot so everything was going great. Re-fill everything up and let it sit for the night.
Re-started it this morning and while I let the temperature gauge go up I tried squeezing the upper radiator hose...wow, it was hot and hard/stiff as hell, like some pressure was built up inside (checked the lower one and it was the same). I opened the pressure bottle and COLD coolant pucked out of it, now I know pressure is in the system. I turned off the car (scared of blowing a head gasket). While the engine was cooling down, pressure in the system went down a little bit after and hoses were easy to squeeze again.
Let it cool down a bit and re-started it and same thing happened.
Now, since the radiator cap is handling the pressure in the system, I went and bought a new one (thinking it was my problem). Well, same thing happened, both rad hoses were stiff.
Let it cool again (pretty easy when you live in Canada in March...lol) and tried letting it run without a rad cap, hoses did not get stiff. (I would say normal, since pressure cannot build up).
I haven't tried it since, scared of breaking something with the pressure in the system.

Now, I am wondering if it is normal (the stiff hoses). I never really checked how stiff were my rad hoses before, so I can compare a before and after.
Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Ben
1997, R/T10, all stock and red

[Goatman]

These cars can be a pain in the ass to burp. I would suggest massaging the top and bottom radiator hoses in an alternating patter to see if your coolant reservoir bubbles. If it does and the level drops in the reservoir, you have air in the system. Repeat this over and over until the system stops bubbling in the reservoir, adding fluid as the level drops. Be mindful not to over fill it. Start your Viper, run it a while watching temps. Let cool, check reservoir and repeat if necessary.

[dave6666]

The reason Gen 2 cars are a pain in the ass to burp is that they don't require burping at all. People add a step that isn't needed. Of course that will complicate the process lol.

The system is designed to be self purging of air if the system is properly maintained.

Key items:

* cap on surge tank in proper working condition

* hose to overflow tank in proper working condition

* same hose, but add a small clamp at the connection to the surge tank as it can leak there and the entire self purging of air process stops if that hose leaks there.

* proper level in overflow tank at all times, with it overfilled to compensate for air purging after a fluid change or other maintenance.

That's it. I've done full system drains on many cars and never once burped one. A completely unnecessary step.


Oh. Your hose is hard? Doesn't slo poke have a cure for that?

[Lemay88]

Like I said, all tanks are at their normal operating level. All hoses going from/to the different bottles are not clogged nor "loose".
I tried it again today and same thing happened, hoses got stiff when the engine warmed up...but found something else.
Temperature went up, and up past regular fan cycle!!!??...got a little scared again and plugged in my reader to find out that my coolant temp sensor is bad. Reading from the gauge and reader ETC do not match so I don't think I got warm enough for the thermostat to open (overheating gets me a lil nervous).
Ordered a new one from the dealer, it should come in at the beginning of next week.
Dave, I'll try it like you said, engine cold and without emptying the system.

Can the pressure in the system become high enough to break a head gasket??
Or something else will give up before an head gasket??

Ben

[Lemay88]

Maybe an important detail...hoses get stiff before thermostat opens up...

[MH60M]

Bad Water Pump.

My lines got stiff and the car overheated past the fans in 8min.

Pull the hoses off the heater core and extend them into a bucket. Fire the car up, and see if it pumps coolant. If less than a beers worth of fluid dribbles out...its not pumping.

[Goatman]

The reason Gen 2 cars are a pain in the ass to burp is that they don't require burping at all. People add a step that isn't needed. Of course that will complicate the process lol.

The system is designed to be self purging of air if the system is properly maintained.

Key items:

* cap on surge tank in proper working condition

* hose to overflow tank in proper working condition

* same hose, but add a small clamp at the connection to the surge tank as it can leak there and the entire self purging of air process stops if that hose leaks there.

* proper level in overflow tank at all times, with it overfilled to compensate for air purging after a fluid change or other maintenance.

That's it. I've done full system drains on many cars and never once burped one. A completely unnecessary step.


Oh. Your hose is hard? Doesn't slo poke have a cure for that?

Good to know Dave!

[Lemay88]

Haven't try to flow from the heater hose but found something.
The lower hose that goes into to pressure tank DO NOT get hot. All other hoses get hot but not this one.
The hose I'm taking about goes from the bottom of the water pump to the bottom of the pressure tank...it does not get hot.
Anybody knows what this hose does??

Thanks
Ben

[GTS Dean]

That's the #5 hose that will gravity flow to the inlet of the W.P. It also allows for thermal expansion from the engine/heater system. I don't think there's much flow in that hose.

[Lemay88]

So it is normal that is does not get hot as fats as the other ones, if not at all.
So the only hose that sends pressure to the pressure tank is the small hose from the top of the right end side of the rad to the pressure bottle??
Thanks for the graph

[SlowPoke McGee]

The reason Gen 2 cars are a pain in the ass to burp is that they don't require burping at all. People add a step that isn't needed. Of course that will complicate the process lol.

The system is designed to be self purging of air if the system is properly maintained.

Key items:

* cap on surge tank in proper working condition

* hose to overflow tank in proper working condition

* same hose, but add a small clamp at the connection to the surge tank as it can leak there and the entire self purging of air process stops if that hose leaks there.

* proper level in overflow tank at all times, with it overfilled to compensate for air purging after a fluid change or other maintenance.

That's it. I've done full system drains on many cars and never once burped one. A completely unnecessary step.


Oh. Your hose is hard? Doesn't slo poke have a cure for that?

Reminds me of a story my buddy told me when he was 18 and the nurse had to examine his "hose". He got a stiff hose and she grabbed it like a mouse and gave it a good smack. Problem solved. No more stiff hose!