Over time, car radiator hoses age. As they age, a variety of issues can arise signaling to the car owner that it is time to replace the radiator hose. Radiator hose can sustain irreparable damage, which will also result in the need to replace the radiator. It can be necessary to replace the radiator hose to prevent multiple future breakdowns.

Old radiator hoses can develop cracks and pinholes.

The radiator hose is made of rubber. Almost all rubber ages and weakens due to many reasons. As the rubber in your radiator hose weakens, it becomes susceptible to decay and failure. The constant heating up and cooling down of the radiator hose cause the same stress on the material as bending a piece of wire back and forth in the same area on the wire. It will eventually break. In the care of your car radiator, the break is a crack along a tube that drains the coolant from the top to the bottom of the radiator. Under pressure, a great deal of coolant can be lost very quickly.

Pinholes are created by the oxidation of the metal in the radiator.

Everyone is familiar with rust that forms on unprotected iron. This is oxidation. Oxidation is corrosion that erodes the amount of metal available. As time passes, more and more of the metal oxidizes until small openings or pinholes start to appear. The high pressure inside the hot cooling system of the car will spray coolant through these tiny pores as you drive. Stop leaks and other home remedies can slow the leaks for a while. The only real permanent fix is to replace the radiator. 

A badly clogged radiator hose can need replacement. 

Radiator hose can get clogged or blocked in two or three ways. Debris from inside hoses or the water pump can break loose and lodge in the radiator core. The accumulation of this material over a few years will reduce the cooling efficiency of the car radiator. Likewise, small amounts of oxidation residue can join the party and increase the chances of the car overheating. If a stop leak is added to this mix, flushing the radiator and cooling system will probably not produce effective results. A radiator hose replacement is the only sure option.

Damage to the front end of a vehicle often results in radiator problems.

If a collision of any type creates significant movement of the car’s front-end materials, the radiator hose will be affected. The older radiator hose can even be damaged by the jolt of the impact. In older cars, the radiator may be forced back onto the metal blades of the cooling fan. This can create immediate and extensive radiator & radiator hose damage. In newer cars, the radiator is cooled by an electric fan that will have little effect on the radiator hose. However, pieces of the material from the front of the car can still impact the radiator hose. The crash can bend or crack the unit. Any of these types of issues can be enough to force the need for a radiator hose replacement.