* long-nose pliers and/or multi-grips
* flat-head screwdriver, the longer the shaft, the better.
* sharp knife/box-cutter only IF you can't get the old hoses off.
Okay, after reviewing my old posts, I have decided that, although this is not a tricky job, it is an important one and thus worth sharing.
Brief history: last year I was happily circulating around Lakeside Raceway when suddenly the rear started to slide, and I consequently did an impromptu 360deg spin on the fastest corner of Lakeside.
Upon pulling into the pits, people said that white-ish smoke was coming out my rear, and that I reeked of coolant. I looked down at my dash and how shocked was I to see my temperature needle sit all the way to the right of the gauge!
Popped bonnet, opened radiator overflow/reservoir container .... empty.
Opened radiator cap .... empty.
...... WTF!......
Long story short, THIS is what happened:
Burst heater hose -
Due to the location of the CAS (Camshaft Angle Sensor) on NA8's being over the heater hose at the back of the engine, and the tendency of the CAS o-ring seal to leak over time (usually the engine has seen over 75,000km), engine oil drips onto the heater hose causing it to soften and eventually fail.
Changing the hose is straightforward, but a bit of a PITA because they virtually "seize" themselves onto the pipes.
- use the pliers/mutli-grips to release and pull the spring clips clear of clamping over the pipes
- use the flathead screwdriver to jam the head into the hose to lever it out whilst pulling and turning the hose loose
- if you have a long enough screwdriver (or something similar) get someone to stand on the driver-side and jam the screwdriver into the heater hose from the driver side and push it as you are pulling and turning the hose from the passenger side.
As a preventative measure, I cut the old hose in half, length-ways, placed it over the new hose, zip-tied it and thus it acts as a barrier/shield.
Although for the most part this is a blight on NA8's due to the CAS location, regardless of what model you have, if you think you have a leak at the back of the engine or have any suspicions/reservations, then please change your heater hose.
Don't forget that these hoses are subjected to the hottest coolant temperatures.
Cheers
Andrew
PS: by the way, that photo of the hose...., that is EXACTLY what it looked like upon inspection. I did not cut it, or pulled it apart in any way.
It well and truly exploded.
PPS: another tip for road and track, look at your temperature gauge often.
