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Lost a coolant hose connection while running, help please

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Old 01-05-2011, 02:05 PM
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Default Lost a coolant hose connection while running, help please

One of the hoses connected to my throttle body popped off today while driving. I smelled the coolant and pulled off before I got any indication of the engine overheating, but when I popped the hood I could definitely hear what sounded like coolant boiling in the block still. I reattached the hose and started the engine up to see if it was going to overheat and the temperature indicator went above 210 in about a minute, so I shut the engine down again. Right now I'm preparing some DEXCOOL to replace the fluid that I lost and I'm hoping that that's the only thing that was causing the temperature to rise.

Does anyone have any suggestions or is there anything else I need to do/check now? Should I get my whole cooling system flushed? Thanks in advance.

Car is a 2001 WS6, if that makes any difference.
Old 01-06-2011, 09:28 AM
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You might get a coolant tester from an autoparts store to check the mix of coolant/water to make sure that's correct. If not, you'll need to adjust the mix or do a flush.
Old 01-06-2011, 10:37 AM
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If the car was running without any issues before, you should be fine after you're replaced the coolant at the proper mixture. I'd double check those hose fittings, though. I also think you're pretty lucky-most folks probably would've missed out on that one, I know I would have until it overheated...
Old 01-06-2011, 11:37 AM
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Is there something wrong with the hose? They just don't pop off on their own. If the hose was not split, etc. then an air bubble or something like that may have caused it to blow off. If so, you probably have a larger issue afoot.
Old 01-06-2011, 11:24 PM
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Sorry, I wasn't very clear with my original post, I did the TB bypass mod and the reducer from the 3/8" hose that connects to the radiator and the 1/4" from the coolant crossover is the piece that actually blew. I replaced the two hoses with one 3/8" hose and just got rid of the reducer in between, so that won't be an issue any longer. Thanks for the feedback guys, I think I'll just keep an eye on it for now and if I see/hear/smell anything funny I'll just get the coolant system flushed.
Old 01-08-2011, 09:35 AM
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You should be fine. Keep in mind that the cooling system is pressurized and it uses that pressure to keep the fluid from boiling. Any time the pressure is relieved suddenly at operating temperature, the fluid will boil. It also ended up with some air pockets in the system which can cause it to overheat. You should keep doing what you are doing, watch the levels, cycle it for a few times if necessary, but my guess is you won't have any trouble.




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