I recently had the same symptoms, coolant spraying everywhere, twice 
within a month.  The hose coming off the front of the cylinders going 
to the distribution pipe had rotted on the underside and split. $70 to 
the dealer for a new hose, an hour or so trying to fit it on the 
distribution pipe(easy to touch, hard to tighten a hose clamp on) and 
I was on my way.  Less than a month later, same symptoms-other side. 
Hose between the thermostat housing and the pipe blew. $50 (to a 
different dealer)  a couple of hours later and I'm on my way.  Mine's 
an automatic, I think the combination of heat and crud/oil slinging 
off the torque converter did them in.  So far the plastic distribution  
pipe is OK (knock wood).

I've also had to replace both radiator hoses, one of the long plastic 
pipes(CAN be done without removing gas tank, the water pump.  This is 
a 1990 van, this ain't supposed to happen on a six year old car!

Dan Fuller
'90 Carat
'63 Ragtop
'95 BMW 318IC