'89 525 Which coolant hose likely to fail first?

[Gene in NC]

'89 525 Which coolant hose likely to fail first?

Practical life of hoses on car driven by elderly woman? Wholesale replace or based on crack/flexibility exam?

[eaglecomm]

If you are unsure about the hoses.. it would be better insurance to replace them all. Its good insurance because if any of the hoses go in the future, you will also loose money on replacing coolant and time spent ordering and waiting for the hose to come in. Plus any damage the leaking coolant does before you catch it.. and you can usually get free shipping if you order them all at once versus regular shipping one at a time when they fail. You 'may' be able to look at the hoses and tell their age, but I have had leaks in what I thought were 'newer' hoses. So I say replace them all at the same time if you don't know the history of when they were done last. Then you only have to dump the coolant once. And alternative is to get a loaner coolant pressure tester (Advance Auto on Glenwood has one) and pump up the system cold and start squeezing some hoses and see if you see any cracks or issues or leaks. Just my 2cents.

[Gene in NC]

IMHO it is Water pump to Thermostat housing. R & I for every t belt change, max heat and pressure. Mine crumbled.

[eaglecomm]

Not sure about the 525, but for the 540, the T-stat housing can now be found in metal instead of plastic. If that is true for the 525, I highly suggest getting it in metal. My plastic one looked perfect, no stress cracks or anything.. but was leaking somehow (even had a new o-ring). Exchanged it for the metal one.. all is perfect. Good luck.

[Gene in NC]

Only of interest to m20 owners but that thermo housing is metal.

[Tiger]

The big hose is always the first to fail. Change them out.. it is cheap.... clamps too!

[Gene in NC]

Need proof? A Zone $10.99 Prob same on E30.

Recall 70-80s Ford Electronic ignition component. Common failure? Blister pack at Walmart.