Intro: Over the past few months, I've slowly been going through the cooling system on my 95 F355 and changing whatever parts or hoses that looked like they were past their prime. After reading what seems like endless information about the F355 Fans, Radiators, Coolant Hoses, etc... I figured I would replace the Fans, Fuses and Relays, as well as install some "GothShrouds" and change any hoses that looked like they were on their way out. I saw that our own Mr Dave Helms was selling a Bleeder Hose Kit for the F355, and through research, came to realize that these hoses can often be a weak point in the cooling system due to internal corrossion. I figured it couldnt hurt to order them, and swap them out just to be on the safe side. Product: The hoses arrived within a few days and just from opening the box and looking at them, you can tell the quality of Mr Helms hoses FAR EXCEEDS that of the stock, rubber hoses. I took them out to the garage last night to start the all important install. Let me just say, that although I do feel relatively comfortable working on the car myself, I am in no way, shape, or form, a mechanic. Install / Result: I went out to the garage and checked the hoses that needed to be changed. After a visual inspection, I have to say, i didnt see why the stock hoses needed replacing. They looked brand new, with no visible signs of wear or corrosion evident at all. However, as Mr Helms has told us in previous posts, theses hoses ARE wear points in the coolant system, and WILL GO BAD ON YOU! Well, I followed his instructions as best I could. It took me about 15 minutes to remove the tank cover, the middle tank, and the left hand hose that runs thru the fuel lines. I still could not see any visible corrosion on the stock hose that was removed, and thought as my car only has 16k miles, maybe it just hadn't "let go" yet. Just to humor myself, I cut the original hose open to see if, as Mr Helms claimed, the inside of the hose was corroded. HOLY FKN SH*T! The inside of the hose was almost fully sealed shut. Where there should have been about a half inch of clearence insdie the hose, there was MAYBE 1-2mm of open hose left. I mean this thing was on the verge of jsut being a solid piece of rubber, yet I would have NEVER EVER changed it had it not been for Mr Helms warning us of this impending disaster. Trust me, after seeing the inside of the hose yesterday, I'm positive this would have caused the car to overheat down the road as it continued to rot from the inside. I ran out of time last night and didnt get a chance to change the right side bleeder hose yet, but will be sure to do that tonight. I will also post pictures and a quick step by step on how to do the swap later tonight after I finish up. I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND anyone with an F355 who has not replaced these very important bleeder hoses do so ASAP with the set of hoses from Scuderia Rampante. The install is pretty easy and straightforward. Just take your time and be careful. I would also like to thank Mr Helms for helping me out with the install every step of the way. He truely is a class act and a gentlemen. We are all very lucky to have his knowledge and expertise on the forum. Thank You Very Much Dave! Petey PS I'll post pix of everything tonight
+1 on replacing the bleeder hoses. Mine looked perfect on the outside, but once removed I could barely even blow through it. Nearly sealed shut!
Did you "bleed" the coolant system after the swap? Or did you just run the heater when you started the car? If you did "bleed" the sytem... would you mind telling me where the "Bleeder Screw" is? I'm not really sure where to look...
My engine is coming out tomorrow. Would love to see pics of what you did. On the diagram below, which lines are the ones in question? Image Unavailable, Please Login
The bleeder screw is on top of the thermostat cover....to the right of the power steering resevoir. p.s. I'm not really sure you would need to bleed the system for just these hoses as they are above the main system. I took mine off and reinstalled them (to shorten them) with no re bleeding and no issues.
There may not be a part number as these are univeral hoses.....they are the 1/2 " (x 14" long) hoses (two of them ) that are at the front of the coolant resevoir....in your diagram see the clamp # 7....this clamp tightens the hoses on. I used universal fuel injection hose as recommended and supplied by the F dealer. When I checked my 14 year old hoses they were clear.....but I changed them anyways to be on the safe side . I also changed all my hoses (Thank You, Ricambi) with the silicone hose kit during my engine out a few mos ago. This kit however does not include these small hoses but I think they cost me $2.00 each from the F dealer. p.s. for $4.00 you change these hoses out every year if your concerned.
Oh those lines. I checked them as well a couple of months ago and they were clear. Maybe its just the American cars that are clogging up.
When you say that they are clogging up, what is clogging them? Is there some type of build up or is the rubber in the hoses expanding and filling up the inside or what? Thanks
I'm very sorry for the delay gentlemen... I've been totally swamped over the last few days, but I will post the pix as soon as I get home tonight. The hoses seemed like they were deteriorating from the INSIDE. Almost like the rubber started to become like jelly... The old hoses were almost completely clogged, but you would have never known from just looking at them. Even when I removed the old hoses, they looked fine if u just looked at them from the side. I only cut them open because I was curious to see if they really were on their way out. It was when you slice them open that you see how clogged they really get. The right side hose (the longer of the 2) was a little harder to do because it drops down under the expansion tank, but as long as you do it while the engine is cold, its no sweat. Just take your time and be careful not to drop any washers, nuts, clamps, etc into the valley of the engine bay as you don't want to lose anything in there, esp as it might end up in the cam belt cover and that would be the end of your engine. Pix to follow tonight... sorry for the wait guys. And again, I'd like to thank Mr Helms personally for walking me through the install step by step. I'm sure I annoyed you to know end. Thanks for everything. You are the best!! Petey
