Radiator hose blew off
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2024
Posts: 205
Likes: 45
Radiator hose blew off
Had a fun afternoon on the way back from the shop. Radiator hose on the drive side blew off completely and quickly lost all coolant so pulled over. Reattached the hose and filled her back up with coolant but looks like it is running a little hotter than normal at idle - right around 215ish.
I've done some reading and it looks like when something like this happens, air can get in the radiator/coolant lines which may cause it to run hotter. Anything I can do to remedy this? Also, no idea how the hose came off - the radiator hasn't been touched for several years.
Lastly - looks like some faint smoke burning off near the radiator - assuming its excess coolant that spewed everywhere. Should I expect that until I clean it up?
I've done some reading and it looks like when something like this happens, air can get in the radiator/coolant lines which may cause it to run hotter. Anything I can do to remedy this? Also, no idea how the hose came off - the radiator hasn't been touched for several years.
Lastly - looks like some faint smoke burning off near the radiator - assuming its excess coolant that spewed everywhere. Should I expect that until I clean it up?
Instructor
Joined: Dec 2024
Posts: 125
Likes: 73
From: Alexandria VA
Did your car overheat when it blew the hose? Are your fans coming on? They're on a fuse. There are some easy to follow instructions on getting air out of you cooling system. You'll probably want to do that.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 19,422
Likes: 1,146
From: Dyer, IN
Had a fun afternoon on the way back from the shop. Radiator hose on the drive side blew off completely and quickly lost all coolant so pulled over. Reattached the hose and filled her back up with coolant but looks like it is running a little hotter than normal at idle - right around 215ish.
I've done some reading and it looks like when something like this happens, air can get in the radiator/coolant lines which may cause it to run hotter. Anything I can do to remedy this? Also, no idea how the hose came off - the radiator hasn't been touched for several years.
Lastly - looks like some faint smoke burning off near the radiator - assuming its excess coolant that spewed everywhere. Should I expect that until I clean it up?
I've done some reading and it looks like when something like this happens, air can get in the radiator/coolant lines which may cause it to run hotter. Anything I can do to remedy this? Also, no idea how the hose came off - the radiator hasn't been touched for several years.
Lastly - looks like some faint smoke burning off near the radiator - assuming its excess coolant that spewed everywhere. Should I expect that until I clean it up?
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...nt-system.html
A very unusual situation. What failed? Did the hose spit? Is the radiator cracked? Did it still have the factory spring clamp?
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2024
Posts: 205
Likes: 45
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...nt-system.html
A very unusual situation. What failed? Did the hose spit? Is the radiator cracked? Did it still have the factory spring clamp?
A very unusual situation. What failed? Did the hose spit? Is the radiator cracked? Did it still have the factory spring clamp?
nothing actually failed from what I can tell, looks like the clamp/hose popped off somehiw. Looks to be factory clamp, probably getting a new one just in case.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2024
Posts: 205
Likes: 45
definitely pegged the temp gauge so pretty sure it was overheating but i caught it pretty quickly I think once I realized what happened.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 19,422
Likes: 1,146
From: Dyer, IN
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2021
Posts: 2,555
Likes: 1,213
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2024
Posts: 205
Likes: 45
got it - thanks. Seems odd there would be a leak, wondering if there is some odd buildup of pressure that caused the hose to blow off on just a shitty clamp.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 19,422
Likes: 1,146
From: Dyer, IN
You are testing for weakness, not just for leaks.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2024
Posts: 205
Likes: 45
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 12,861
Likes: 4,664
Last edited by grinder11; Dec 13, 2024 at 09:39 AM.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2024
Posts: 205
Likes: 45
It could've been, and could currently still be, a bad thermostat. How old is your Tstat? Was your coolant at the proper level? I have had a factory spring clamp lose tension, but only slightly leak. So I replaced them all with conventional hose clamps. Never had a hose blow completely off. That is an extreme situation. I fear you have overheated the engine for whatever reason, and only noticed the high coolant temps after the hose blew off. I hope I am wrong. Just get a new hose, and possibly (I would definitely!) a new Tstat, unless you just recently replaced it. BTW, Amazon is great for some things, but it’not a great place to buy internal engine parts, among other things. I only buy C5 stuff from them if they're the only place I can find what I need.....
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2024
Posts: 205
Likes: 45
It could've been, and could currently still be, a bad thermostat. How old is your Tstat? Was your coolant at the proper level? I have had a factory spring clamp lose tension, but only slightly leak. So I replaced them all with conventional hose clamps. Never had a hose blow completely off. That is an extreme situation. I fear you have overheated the engine for whatever reason, and only noticed the high coolant temps after the hose blew off. I hope I am wrong. Just get a new hose, and possibly (I would definitely!) a new Tstat, unless you just recently replaced it. BTW, Amazon is great for some things, but its not a great place to buy internal engine parts, among other things. I only buy C5 stuff from them if they're the only place I can find what I need.....
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 19,422
Likes: 1,146
From: Dyer, IN
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2024
Posts: 205
Likes: 45
good to know. Only drove for maybe 2 mins before pulling over and shutting it down once I noticed the coolant flying everywhere. Initially thought someone in front hit a massive puddle but then realized it wasn’t raining 😀
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2024
Posts: 205
Likes: 45
It could've been, and could currently still be, a bad thermostat. How old is your Tstat? Was your coolant at the proper level? I have had a factory spring clamp lose tension, but only slightly leak. So I replaced them all with conventional hose clamps. Never had a hose blow completely off. That is an extreme situation. I fear you have overheated the engine for whatever reason, and only noticed the high coolant temps after the hose blew off. I hope I am wrong. Just get a new hose, and possibly (I would definitely!) a new Tstat, unless you just recently replaced it. BTW, Amazon is great for some things, but its not a great place to buy internal engine parts, among other things. I only buy C5 stuff from them if they're the only place I can find what I need.....