Exploding hoses

[jeremy25]

While my 87 325 was idling today the bypass hose expoded. It had been idling for about 15 minutes when this happened. Anyone know what is going on?

Thanks

[silversled]

gotta be one of 2 things...either you have a major cooling system issue (which seems not the cause, if it just happened, thermostats don't lock like that and cause hoses to burst without warning). Here's what happend to me, maybe it'll help. Is this this top most hose that runs through the manifold and up into the thermostat housing, right past the distributer cap? The hose closest to the fan blade? Mine wasn't secured to the loop on the cylinder or block or whatever and, with time, had expanded just enough for the belt driven cooling fan to gently erode enough it away, with no warning from either the fan nor the hose until one day the hose expanded enough to actually allow the fan to 'shave' it enough until it (the hose) burst. Looked like Old Faithful according to my wife who was, unforunate enough, actually driving the car in the Rio Grande Valley in New Mexico in July at that time....that was one hot tamale let me assure you...good luck

[jeremy25]

It's the bypass hose. It connects the thermostat housing to the water pump. Thanks anyways.

[silversled]

then, I guess that answers the question then right? either the hose is shot or the thermostat is stuck...but question is...why wouldn't that be noticed on dash indicators? seems too mysterious to me....not that hard....gotta look at it figure it out....

[silversled]

at any rate...I would say that to totally do the whole thing yourself: hoses, clamps, coolant, shop rags, analysis and labor, not to mention unforeseen parts...a new/rebuilt water pump is like $60, the entire cost should be less than $200. The bitch is taking all the stuff off to get to it and then put it all back together again correctly: (the real trick (anybody can take em apart) is to put all back together correctly. I would suspect an indy would want $500 to do this (after all is said and done), if you are lucky and a dealer would want somewhere around $1200 to do this....so that's my opinion...let me know how this turns.

[silversled]

but, if you are going into the engine that deeply you should, for sure, replace the timing belt....you are right there and the damn belt only costs like $12 and you have to take the old one off anyway...seriously...

[marti5]

If its the original hose 22yrs old, I would say it had had enough.