Upper rad hose is hot and also swollen. Lower hose is cool to the touch. Car does not overheat and heat works great. Fan kicks on just like it should. Loosing very small amount of coolant but not from the overflow. I think it's the pressure in the upper hose and it's seeping out just a little bit. My guess is the thermostat but I just wanted a second opinion. Thanks in advance

1. new felpro mls head gasket with arp studs ----- 6k ago
2. new water pump "advance auto" ---- 13k ago
3. new thermostat "advance auto" ---- 7k ago

 

Replace the upper hose, may be worn out, [swollen].

If engine is not overheating but gets to operating temp. then the themostat is working.

The upper hose is supposed to get hot, [before rad] and the lower one a lot cooler, [after rad], sounds like it is working properly to me, other then the swollen upper hose and the leak. 94

 

Yeah I know the lower hose is suppossed to be a little cooler but this was hot/cold. I'll replace the hose and see if that solves my problem and go from there. Thanks

 

The other possibility is some kind of restriction in the rad or after it, although that would normally lead to overheating fairly quickly. 94