My son's Honda still has all of the original radiator and heater hoses (still feel firm, not spongy, but I figure they'll go at some point in time).

The radiator hoses look like a cinch to replace. I could see the ends of the heater hoses, but they are pretty much hidden under the throttle body.

I'd be interested in finding a parts diagram showing all of the coolant hoses that I should be replacing at this point. I would expect upper & lower radiator hoses, two heater hoses, and maybe a bypass hose, but never having replaced the hoses on a Honda, I'm not sure of which hoses I need,.

Also, do the Goodyear or Gates aftermarket molded hoses generally work or do i need to order Honda OEM parts?

The only other vehicle I replaced the complete set of hoses on was my old Nissan Hardbody and it needed 7 different hoses (most of which I got from Nissan)

 

The last time I looked at scheduled maintenance in my owners manual I did not see rad hoses listed as a maintenance. Just replace as needed ie oil soaked,leaking,swollen.

 

www.hondapartscheap.com

look under all the "water" categories

The two heater hoses will be the only tough ones as you will need to pry them off as they will be practically welded on due to intense heat and age. Cut a couple slits towards the firewall in the hose at the end with a razor and just pry them off. You may need to pull the throttle body to get to them so get a throttle body gasket just in case as it will likely tear when you remove the TB. The one that goes over to the water pipe will have clearance issues. You may have to pull the driver side axle to get to it.

It would be best to get Honda hoses as they will last longest, especially the heater hoses. You don't want to have to do those for a long time.

 

That sounds liek more of a PITA to do the heater hoses than I thought...

Good question though- what are people's thoughts on radiator/ heater hose replacement, do preventative maintenance or wait until they start showing signs of age?

 

I tend to lean toward preventative maintenance. Don't want the unexpected happening at an inopportune time.

Hoses are not that expensive and OEM hoses tend to last a long time.

If the distributor oil seal leaks, it will hasten the heater hose deterioration; so, check to see if the distributor is leaking.