There seem to be a decent number of older GV (87 - 93) owners on the site. Maybe I'm asking the wrong question.
1. I'm curious, have any of you replaced your cooling system hoses as regular maintenance?
1a. If yes and an ORED chassis w/3208T, then do you still have the invoice from repair shop or hose parts list?
2. Have any of you had a hose fail? If so, which one was it and were you able to shut everything down before real damage occurred?
My dilemma is I know I need to replace my coolant and thought it might be smart to do everything I can (hoses, belts, etc) at the same time. However, I can't have my coach sitting in front of my house overnight so there's no way for me to pull hoses, take them somewhere in hopes of finding an appropriate cross, and if not in stock wait for a shipment. I've literally spent hours searching for crosses and while I may have found some, given the age of the information there's no guarantee. At this point, unless someone has known, good PNs from Gates or wherever, I'm thinking I may just change the coolant and wait until the next coolant change or replace as the hoses fail.
No, mine are silicone and should last forever I hope. You should see how much the stuff costs PER INCH. If you scrub them a little and they are blue then they are silicone based.
Benjie,
On my '92 U-280, most of the coolant hose is steel with short segments of corded rubber attached by screw or spring clamps. I keep spare tubing and check for leaks, but haven't had to replace any in 8 years. The long heater hoses are subject for concern, but the service guys at MOT and FOT just check them for cracks and/or bulges and pronounce them good to go. I also wonder about the hydraulinc hoses but none have been replaced so far.
You might consider replacing your coolant with an "ELC" (extended life coolant) like Final Charge. Once that is done, you don't have to worry about using test strips and additives to the coolant. It is good for 3 years or 150,000 miles before adding an "extender", which makes the coolant good for another 3 years.