[arkie6]

This weekend I also replaced the upper and lower radiator hoses and the hose from the upper radiator hose to the reservoir because these hoses have plastic fittings similar to the one that failed earlier. It turns out that I made a good decision because as soon as I tried to unclip the reservoir vent hose that runs along the top of the fan assembly, the plastic middle part of the vent hose broke with very little pressure applied and then the plastic nipple on the upper radiator hose broke off. The rubber hoses appeared to be in good shape, but the plastic parts of the hoses had significantly degraded. The upper radiator hose plastic fittings were the worst shape because they see the highest temperature water from the engine. The lower radiator hose that connects the radiator to the electric water pump wasn't in that bad of shape because the water is cooler by the time it reaches that hose. I got lucky and caught this before it failed on the road. My car is 10 years old with 110,000 miles. If you search the forums, you will see that this is a fairly common failure after the cars get some years and miles on them.