So- radiator fluid is all over the garage floor…

The thing of it is...............time to start doing some service work yourself. You have a lift, get a good set of wrenches and sockets. Replace the hoses, there is plenty of help here. I found a large set of Blue Point tools at a local pawn shop for 75 Dollars. Get a couple of floor jacks at Costco, 99 Dollars each. Find a service manual and a parts book and dig into it. Your level of learning about your car will escalate quickly, and soon you will be surprised what you will tackle.

 

Look here as described, where the front heater cores tap off hot water.

 

I stuck a Marks a Lot into the hose fitting, and clamped it in there.......I'll get back to it...

 

A 1983 QV! They're the best.

Glad you got your leakage fixed. Welcome to the home mechanic club.

 

Understood on that... but i really, really advise going ahead and doing the one that's right next to it - or, have it taken care of soon at a shop. It's already swollen, and looks like it might go the way of the other sooner than later.

 

Those two hoses are twins. One misses the other when it gets replaced by itself and it ... calls to the remaining one to ... join it in the ever never land of zombie hoses.

 

I don’t understand why when the system was drained you did not replace both ?

 

The car has 11 40mm coolant hoses. AW Italian Car Parts in NJ sells a kit with all 11 hoses and 22 new clamps (clamps made in Sweden) for $168. Others probably do as well but I bought theirs.

One of the hoses is the 90 degree upper radiator hose. Don't bother trying to do this with SAE size hose - you need 40mm or else you will be fighting fitment unnecessarily. When you see how easily a 40mm hose slips onto the various pipes you will be glad you didn't buy SAE size hose. Also, to trim the hose you need a hose cutter - not a knife, saw, razor blade or box cutter. An $8.00 Harbor Freight hose cutter works like a charm and you will be glad you didn't mangle any of your brand new hose just trying to trim it to size.

I haven't seen one of these hoses blow like that so you have to believe that the others are weak as well. At a minimum, you should change the four up front (the two in your photos and the lower radiator hose as well as the 90 degree upper hose). Also, when your car was serviced at some point, the tech removed but never replaced the strap that holds those two pipes together to prevent vibration - could be why yours blew.

Changing those four hoses is easiest if you remove the battery hold down clamp and shift the battery forward. One of those pipes needs to be pulled forward to change the hoses and the battery becomes an obstacle if you don't move it. Start up front and get those four done. But don't cut the smaller hose running up to the heater. That is a real PITA and the hose is industrial strength anyway and should last a long long time. If you have to or want to remove it, work it off the tubing and reattach it with a new clamp. There isn't a lot of extra hose there for you to cut off an inch or two and then try to reattach it. You probably can but its not optimal to stretch it. Taking care of the front hoses should give you the confidence to tackle the more difficult ones in the rear. Two of the hoses can't be replaced without the water pump and water pump manifold being removed so factor that into your upcoming service plans. Otherwise you should be able to do 9 of the 11 hoses without too much drama in a weekend.

Ideally, borrow a pressure tester and pressurize the system to 15 lbs after you refill it. If any clamps need to be tightened more you will see that when the system is pressurized. Its better than chasing leaks after you thought you were all buttoned up. FWIW, the system should hold pressure for a long time (an hour) if you have no leaks. You might see an initial drop from 15 lbs to 14 or so but that is because you are compressing any air that is in the system. After the initial drop, the pressure should hold steady for, like I said, at least a half hour and probably longer.