Lower Radiator Hose Spring??

I put about 30,000 miles on my car without the spring. Plenty of high rpm driving. Never had any indication that there was a problem with the coolant flow. Then I found a spring and put it in the lower hose & added another 10,000 + miles. Same results.

Just an opinion, but I'm thinking the hose material back in the day was NOT the same compound we have today in the hoses. And todays hoses are less likely to deform under a partial vacuum like they did 40 years ago.

Z. Ray

I run a spring in mine.

Goodyear claims to produce hoses that have a stiff enough inner fabric layer in the center that they don't require the spring any more. Since Ford used to supply them with the spring and my car is a concours restoration it goes with the territory. Marti sells the original style repro hoses as do most of the aftermarket Mustang suppliers, but you generally have to buy the spring separately.

It's unlikely that a modern hose with the stiffer composition will actually collapse, though theoretically possible.

Edited by - round2K on 09/04/2010 13:22:54

I just ordered a new lower hose and spring from

VA Mustang a few months ago. I didn't need the spring I ordered, b/c the new hose had one inside it already! Not sure if that's the norm, but now I have a spare spring laying around.

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Interesting......I don't really know where my hoses came from....I guess I'd better pinch the lower to see if there is already one in there...

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the springs I've seen are so flimsy I don't think you can tell if one is there except by looking inside the hose.

Z.