hotdawwg

Hey guys, I am running into a problem. I recently did my timing belt service about a month ago. 2 Weeks ago I was left stranded in Vegas as the Lower radiator hose had a hole cut through and we discovered that it was rubbing against the Power Steering bolt. I had my friend who lives in Vegas help me out and he replaced the hose with a new one and he trimmed 3/4 of an inch off it.


This is what it looked like after I drove the car home after picking it up from Vegas...

Fast forward today, I am cleaning my throttle body, I took a peak at my hose after driving it today when it was at full operating temp, I discovered that the hose has expanded and is now rubbing on the Power steering pump. Any day now it is going to burst and leave me stranded yet again...

I get that this is a horrible pic, but now I am just frustrated. I went ahead and ordered an OEM Lower Hose to swap this out, but can anyone chime in and help me with some info to make sure that this is the 3rd charm that will prevent me from being stranded?

dicer

So you probably need to trim some off the hose end that is holding it out so far.

hotdawwg

So the first replacement, we didn't. The second one, my buddy in Vegas, Cut 3/4" off of the hose and it is still doing this. Will a factory hose need to be trimmed, and should I also get a new Hose clamp? Dicer, thanks for your input! It's appreciated

TheMole

iTrader: (13)

Never happened until after your timing belt service? Using an OEM radiator? From my experience, some aftermarket hoses like gates are thicker than the oem hose.

jaaa

I bought gates hoses and didn't have to touch the one on the alternator side. The one on the other side had to be severely shortened because the bend is in the wrong spot and it is too long too.

hotdawwg

Yeah, I had picked up a gates hose when the timing belt was replaced. So now I am waiting for a factory hose to come. I noticed that the factory hose may have a sleeve to protect the hose.

jaaa

Are you sure your motor mounts aren't bad? If the motor moves around enough it can damage the coolant hoses. Had a friend with a mustang where the engine moved 5 inches to get at the coolant hoses.

hotdawwg

I would imagine that the motor mounts are ok for now. Prior to a month ago, before we changed the parts, I didn't have this problem

YODAONE

No doubt the parts store person who cross-referenced and sold the lower radiator hose informed you "it will fit just fine".

Countless postings on this forum where someone was sold a low cost substandard aftermarket part and it ends up costing a whole lot more...

The Lexus parts department service is top notch and I know their parts are quality.

I have 3 guys at McGrath Lexus Parts in Chicago who really know their stuff.

The math is what does it cost for a tow, loss of consortium and being stranded added to poor quality (non-OEM; AISIN, DENSO, etc) aftermarket components...vs purchasing from Lexus.

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

The aftermarket hose can fit if trimmed, most likely too long and/or not seated fully on the male connectors before having the clamps tightened. Even the OEM sometimes requires trimming, though usually much less.

hotdawwg

Thank you guys. I went ahead and replaced my hose for the third time. I trimmed about an inch off of the replacement hose. I even zip tied it to prevent it from ever rubbing on the power steering pump. Thanks for all your input guys! It's greatly appreciated

TheMole

iTrader: (13)

Just to confirm, this was the OEM hose that needed to be trimmed a bit?

hotdawwg

No I couldn't wait for the the OEM hose that I ordered, as the power steering boot cut right through the hose. So I went over to O'Reilly's and picked up a new Gates hose...

YODAONE

Lexus is pretty good about providing rubber parts that do not require trimming...

My question is whether anyone has purchased replacement Lexus OEM hoses and can advise Country manufactured; ie Japan, U.S.A. etc.

The original hoses are very durable, so Country where replacement parts produced would indicate if same level of quality.(Japan)

Also...request date codes on any rubber parts, be they OEM or aftermarket... (watch the blank stare on the face of the AutoZone or O'Reillys counterperson when you ask for this information....and next the obfuscation received from the store manager)

Makes no sense to buy 10 year old rubber parts.

Lexus can tell you when their parts were produced...

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

Rubber hoses and such don't need trimming on vehicles a couple model years old usually. However, as the cars age, rubber bushings and mounts that hold components in place, such as the bushes for the radiator, and the engine mounts, will fatigue and cause what they're holding to shift position slightly. Hence it is not uncommon for even oem rubber lines and hoses to occasionally require minor fitting, most often the radiator hoses as they are relatively short in length and in a confined space. This effect obviously varies car to car depending on how the vehicle has aged.