Clear Radiator Hoses - Honda Forum / Acura Forum

Mr GSR · 03-21-2005, 09:56 PM

I saw this in the latest edition of Honda Tuning, one of the guys had a Civic with clear radiator hoses. I figured I could do the same, and very cheaply. The total came to $33.00. Time spent 1-1 1/2 hours.

Heres what you need:
1. 5/16" Interior diameter clear hose (this came from the plumbing dept. at Lowe's, part # 22273). I got 2', this was a bit much, but extra is better than too little. This is totally clear tubing.
2. 1 1/4 ID vinyl tubing (this also came from Lowe's plumbing dept., part # 35768). I got 5' of this and had very little left over. This is clear tubung with a mesh of nylon to support the tubing.
3. Hose clamps for each line. I used a total of 4 1 1/2"-3/4" clamps. Get these at any car parts store or possibly at Lowe's
4. Antifreeze. Get any type you want, but I like the new Prestone LowTox. It's better for your dog when I pour it all over the ground!

5. Tube cutter or exacto-knife.

What to do:
1. Drain all your antifreeze out. There is a small petcock on the bottom of the radiator. Turn this and stuff will pour out, it's magic! You should put a pan under this!
2. Disconnect your radiator hoses. I did the low and high side coming from the radiator and the over-fill container hose.
3. Measure out your hoses. The big hoses (1 1/4" ID clear tube) make the high and low side from the radiator and the smaller one (5/16" ID clear hose)makes the over-fill hose. I did this by a kind of trial and error. The first hose I connected to one end, ran the hose to see how long I needed, then cut and fit the hose. Use the clamps that you bought to secure the hose in place.
4. Do this for the other big hose and the small over-fill hose.
5. Make sure all your connections are tight.
6. Fill with your antifreeze that you bought.
7. Admire at what you have made!

As for which hose to start with, I did the over-fill hose first as it was the easiest. The next easiest was the low side coming from the radiator with the upper hiose being last/hardest. The hose I used was very sturd and very hard to kink. I ran the car pretty hard to see if it would collapse and it did not. I did have a hose start to pinch, but I used the old Honda clamps to make this part more sturd/not pinch and it worked out fine. All in all, I think it looks very good for an hour/hour and a half of work and a very small amount of money!
It was getting dark as I was testing and getting all the air bubbles out, so I will post up pictures tomorrow.
EDIT: Here are the pictures!
http://www.msnusers.com/_Secure/0SgC...5057168898547]
http://www.msnusers.com/_Secure/0SwA...15057179413263

Jonathan

pandaboi · 03-21-2005, 10:06 PM

sounds nice. pics?

Mr GSR · 03-21-2005, 11:04 PM

Pic will be up tomorrow.... but yes there will be pics!

mike_sho · 03-22-2005, 05:18 AM

Interesting I was looking for a way to get a clear radiator hose awhile back. Yeah post pics. Also are these the same part #'s from the Honda Tuning article?

kommon_sense · 03-22-2005, 08:17 AM

I'd be curious to know if any of those hoses were intended to handle the heat and conditions in an engine bay.

Mr GSR · 03-22-2005, 10:15 AM

Here are the Pictures.
Kommon- As for the heat, I haven't noticed a problem. It's plumbing grade, so it will stand up to some heat, how much I'm still not sure. I will be keeping a close eye on it for a couple of weeks!
MikeSHO- I don't know if it's the same stuff/numbers, I saw it in a picture in Honda Tuning and copied it from there. The part numbers I gave were for the stuff I used and got from Lowe's/Advanced Auto.

http://www.msnusers.com/_Secure/0SgC...5057168898547]
http://www.msnusers.com/_Secure/0SwA...15057179413263

You can see in the pictures where I used the old clamps. The bend there for my car was to sharp for the hoses, so I had to do that to reinforce the shape. For a car with straighter hoses, this would work a LOT better, probably w/o the extra support.

94GeeSR · 03-22-2005, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GSRGreenSleeper

You can see in the pictures where I used the old clamps. The bend there for my car was to sharp for the hoses, so I had to do that to reinforce the shape. For a car with straighter hoses, this would work a LOT better, probably w/o the extra support.

Ya thats a nasty crimp in the hose thats what I'd watch closest. But over all I kinda like the look. With the different color anti-freeze out there its a relatively cheap ascetic look..

kommon_sense · 03-22-2005, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GSRGreenSleeper

Here are the Pictures.
Kommon- As for the heat, I haven't noticed a problem. It's plumbing grade, so it will stand up to some heat, how much I'm still not sure. I will be keeping a close eye on it for a couple of weeks!

Keep in mind that the average water heater in a home only goes up to about 135deg or so, while your thermostat in your engine doesn't even open until 165deg or so, so coolant will most likely be much hotter. Not saying that what you've done won't work, just be careful...

Mr GSR · 03-22-2005, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kommon_sense

Keep in mind that the average water heater in a home only goes up to about 135deg or so, while your thermostat in your engine doesn't even open until 165deg or so, so coolant will most likely be much hotter. Not saying that what you've done won't work, just be careful...

My home H2O heater is set at 165-175 degrees and I have this type of hosing on it.... But I se your point and I will be watching this very closely over the next bit.

94GeeSR- That is really just an illusion of the picture angle. When looking at it in person, the crimp isn't that bad. In actuallity, it is just barely distorted. I had to go out and recheck after looking at the pics myself. Thats how I know it's an optical illusion.

AccOrDZteCh · 03-24-2005, 12:15 AM

what is the pressure rating on that tubing? i hope it is at least 17psi and can handle the heat that it is taking.

Mr GSR · 03-24-2005, 10:38 AM

Well, I did this on Monday and it is now Thursday. The hoses have stood up to the heat and have not been expanding at all. So far, this has worked well, but the most I have driven is like 30 minutes at one time. I have gone and ran errands, which is a lot of 20 min driving 5 min cooling situtaions. I am going to be driving 250 miles Friday afternoon/ Saturday morining, so we'll see. I AM taking my old hoses and a gallon of water with me just in case! I hate waiting on AAA to bring you anything.....
As far as looks, everyone that has seen it in person has been asking how and saying it looks great. It seems to be a hit.

AccOrDZteCh · 03-24-2005, 10:49 AM

id put a new radiator cap on there to help pressurize the system and get a higher boiling point...hehe the standard caps dont last very long...then you will know for sure that the hoses will hold.

Mr GSR · 03-24-2005, 02:57 PM

I have never had a problem with the stock radiator cap with any of my Honda's...

Prelude1897 · 03-24-2005, 09:36 PM

I kinda like it...

95BXGS-R · 03-25-2005, 09:18 PM

I saw that civic in HT with those hoses. I thought it was pretty cool looking. The real test will be in the summer time when it's hot out as well. All in all I give it a

. I think I will try this myself.