At 02:32 PM 02/09/2000 EST, you wrote:
>Ken's post, alluding to roadside problems with hoses, made me wonder about
>mine.  My 86 Vanagon has no apparent problems with coolant hoses, but should
>I replace them preventatively?  I have no records that they've ever been
>changed.

See my post of a few minutes ago re: what else to replace. Periodic
cleaning is all that is required until the visible signs of deterioration
are noted. Cracking, bulging, coorosion, etc. A yearly inspection and
cleaning with proper coolant maintenance could see them last another 10
years.

If you want to be prudent, buy a set of hoses now. Rub them with glycerin.
Takes very very little to rub a thin surface film on them. Pull a glycerin
treated rag through the insides with a wire. Then powder them with talc and
store in paper bags inside the house. They will come out in 5 or 7 years
like new when you need them. Just rinse them off and install. Don't put
them in the garage loft, where the summer heat and winter cold will make
them junk in a few years. Store them in the house, upper closet shelf,
pantry, etc.

>Doug Demarest
>Minneapolis, MN
>
>
T.P. Stephens aka Doktor Tim
San Juan Island, WA