Chuckinnj

How long do the coolant hoses "normally" last on these cars? I am going to do a timing belt/water pump and I wonder if I should change ALL the coolant hoses since the system will be drained.
The car is a 97 with over 225k miles..... They appear to be in decent condition for their age.
The bypass hose looks like a ****** to change.
Any thoughts?

LeX2K

The upper rad hose usually goes first, the coolant bypass is unpredictable but they do tend to fail. You could go ahead and replace the upper and lower radiator hose as a set, the rest I would leave alone unless you see signs of leakage.

The bypass hose is not that hard to replace.

mitmaks

Our 96 has 186K miles on it and still factory hoses. As long as they're not bulging, cracking, no dry rot they should be fine.

OceanView

I've wondered myself.
I'm on my original set with 334K miles on them.
They are still soft and I see no signs of hardness.
Probably a good preventative measure.

artbuc

I read many Lexus/Toyota forums on a regular basis and I have never heard of a by-pass hose failure. To the contrary, most people, including myself, have replaced it while there for other reasons, eg VC gasket replacement, and found the original hose to be in near perfect condition.

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

Definitely replace the bypass hose.

BDSL

My hoses had no issue on my 97 ES300 which had 280k miles.
We have snow and salt on the road during winter (Toronto).

LeX2K

I have not seen one outright fail, but leaks definitely yes.

Chuckinnj

Thanks for all the suggestions! I am going to change ALL the coolant hoses as a preventive measure just because the "Red Juice" will be drained while doing a TB/Pump and at $30 a gallon for anti freeze, I think I will be proactive and spend the extra money (~$100) and time on this "hoopty project" and have peace of mind while my son uses it at college.
Any suggestions on doing a bypass hose change?

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

Get the factory part, and you'll probably need a new Intake Plenum gasket.

artbuc

+1. By-pass hose has a slight bend and tight fit. OEM is the only way to go.