BlakeFL

I noticed over the weekend when trying to change my parking light bulbs that the upper radiator hose was about to come off. The hose is very soft and had backed off the radiator quite a bit. Should I go with a OEM hose and new clamps or get something like a Gates and try to reuse the existing clamps?

Arsenii

Hello,

OEM hoses are not expensive enough to justify the royal headache you are about to trap yourself into with aftermarket stuff in my opinion, so I would get OEM hoses and clamps for peace of mind. Whatever you do though, never use the cheap worm gear hose clamps, they dig into the rubber, causing permanent damage and causing leaks over time.

P.S. Could be just me, but I have never seen those hoses turn into jelly like what you described, don't get me wrong, I know they fail from time to time, but it's quite abnormal nonetheless. What coolant are you running?

Hope this helps and best of luck!

BlakeFL

I am not sure what coolant is being used but my plan was to replace both hoses and change the fluid. The previous owner kept up with some of the maintenance items but brake fluid and coolant I don't remember being on his list. I'll check the dealer to see how much fluid costs. The Valvoline/Zerex red looked to be the most cost effective on RockAuto.

Oro

Gates is the OE maker of hoses and belts for many international automakers. You are sacrificing nothing in quality using them if they are more readily available or cheaper. I can’t recall what clamp type is there, but if it’s Mubea type (spring), it’s perfectly re-usable unlike an Oetiker (pinch) type clamp. IIRC, it’s a Mubea type and completely reusable.

With enough time, miles, and heat any hose will soften like you describe and I don’t know how old your car is but do see you are in Florida. Examine the upper radiator inlet pipe. They can also soften up; I’ve seen that on one ES300 as well as GS once they hit 20 years or so and enough miles.

LeX2K

What a given OEM makes for Toyota is not necessarily the same as aftermarket. Toyota demands a specific spec Gates etc. can make the part to whatever spec they want. Why do you think OEM KYB in a Toyota rides completely different vs. KYB aftermarket.

Agreed on the clamps they can be reused indefinitely.

Oro

Gate offers parts to OE spec. They state that flatly. Gates is an OE hose/belt maker for Honda, Mercedes and others. They may in fact be also for Toyota given their massive presence in Japan.

We are a) talking about Gates, and b) talking about a coolant hose, not an ABS valve body or replacement ECU.

Suggesting a Gates coolant hose won’t work on a Lexus is quite a bit like saying a Continental tire won’t work on a Lexus because Michelin were OEM.

LeX2K

Every aftermarket brand says meets or exceeds OEM specifications.

chuyrobles

If car has over 150K I would replace the following as preventive maintenance unless they’ve been replaced:
hoses, thermostat, radiator cap, belt, coolant, and idler/tensioner pulley bearings. At 200K, I replace radiator and water pump if I intend to keep the vehicle, or pass it to a family member. I usually get Bando/Gates/Dayco for hoses and belts. Aisin for thermostat and water pump. CSC/TYC for radiator.

For coolant, you don’t need the overpriced Toyota coolant. Universal green coolant (Prestone, SuperTech) is just as effective. This I’ve done on all my vehicles at 100K. Just do a flush with distilled water to remove as much as the old coolant as possible.

Oro

I do appreciate your common-sense approach, but the Green is a very bad idea. It will damage heat-intensive areas in Toyota/lexus systems. I’ve had to replace heater cores and radiators that had been switched from Toyota coolant to Green and then run a long time. It will soften and degrade the plastics in the Toyota systems.

In the old days when Red was rare and pricey, this switch was common and you could get away with it a long while. As cars aged, the mistake showed up. Nowadays Red or aftermarket spec substitutes are cheap enough it is not a big deal. But putting “green” IAT coolant in a system that has run OAT/HOAT/PHOAT a long time is a very bad idea.

If you have a strong aversion to a make-specific coolant (who doesn’t?), look at Peak 10x. it is an AMAM blend that will work anywhere - IAT, OAT, HOAT, PHOAT, etc. I have slowly switched a fleet (8 cars) to it with flushes and it’s great, widely available and cheap.

chuyrobles

I would like to see documentation on those claims. All the vehicles I maintain are running on the green stuff. The most mileage is the 07 ES350 with 300K. The only cooling issue it has ever had is when the oem radiator started leaking at 80K. Replaced with a TYC radiator and have replaced the coolant four times since then, all with SuperTech green antifreeze. My Tacoma is next; it has 212K, running on green stuff since 100K. Neither vehicle, nor any of the others I maintain and are running with the green stuff, have ever had cooling/heating issues, other than the oem radiator noted above. I must say you have falsely applied cause/effect to your damaged components.