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Adding a fair amount of chrome to my 80's engine bay. I removed the upper radiator hose and replaced it with one of those Stainless coiled types with the end caps. All chrome. I had just finished up doing other detailing work like removing the chrome valve covers to clean them, etc. Well, in my haste or lack of attention, I installed the end caps backwards which chased the pipe clamps further away from the fitting both at the radiator and water inlet. I ran the engine to open the thermostat to check my work. Things heated up, coolant was flowing through. I shut the engine off. I inspected the fittings and noticed the pressure was slipping them off and POP! both went spraying coolant and steam all over my engine bay and right fender. I immediately cleaned up the paint first. That was fine. Than it was time to clean all the chrome back up again! I reinstalled the end caps correctly. Needless to say I had some fresh coolant, plenty of rags and my spare hose in the back as a precaution while I drove her around for a day to test things.
I was cleaning my engine once, and masked everything off, plastic + aluminum foil over the carb and distributor, started hosing off the engine and noticed that the valve cover breather hose unattached from the air cleaner cover was sitting there open side up just waiting for me to spray water into it!
SHEEET I do that kind of stuff all the time. lol when I started reading your story I thought you were gonna say you left a hose clamp under the valve cover! I love hot coolant allover my car, Glad you did'nt get burned!
From: San Diego - Deep Within The State of CONFUSION!
When I worked at the Dyno Shop, one of our guys wouldn't even run a car on the Dyno if it had those hoses on it. He always insisted upon changing them to standard hoses before running them.
A friend offered to tighten up all clamps after a rebuild of my 1971 351C Mach 1 - while I made the tea and toast.
I got back while the engine was warming up and by the time we finished chomping on the calories it was up to running temp.
I leaned over the engine to look at all the good work at just the same time as the top hose popped off due to Jason ( my best buddy ) having not fitted or tightened it properly.
The hot water caught my face ( not too bad ) but the scalding water soaked my left arm through my jumper which held the boiling water against my skin.
Within a few hours, I had a curtain of skin dangling off my left lower arm - so off to hospital !
They did the business but it was about 6 years till the scars went.
Jason now lives on South Africa - where big hungry lions roam - I hope............