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View Full Version : Replacing The Coolant Hoses


Smithers
05-10-2008, 09:03 PM
This is what your hoses will look like when you get near 20,000 miles! Replace them!

Why did I do this? Well my Aprilia had more miles on the clock than most when I bought it. I could see some coolant leaking out a little just under the engine out of the fairing. This is bad news! So I removed the lower fairings and doubled up on the hose clamps for the time being. The fix worked but it wasn't right. So what better time to replace these hoses than now that I have it all apart. Here is what they looked like. They are completely bulbing out and showing a lot of fatigue. :o

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/aprilia/aprilia_hoses_b4.jpg

The junction of hoses on the right hand side was leaking right at the clamps. I just cranked them down temporarily and got in another 500 miles before my mishap. Next I yanked all the hoses off. The factory clamps that are compressed on I just used a Dremel tool to cut them off nice and quick. Job done:

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/aprilia/aprilia_nohose.jpg

Look how old and nasty these look! They just expand near the clamps really bad. I'm sure they wouldn't really explode on me but they just deform enough to leak occasionally, not cool.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/aprilia/aprilia_hoses.jpg

Smithers
05-10-2008, 09:12 PM
Since I had some time and was in a good mood I cleaned up my engine a bit and installed the new hoses. Ok they aren't NEW but from a fellow forum member that sold them to me for pennies on the dollar. They are under 5K miles so very close to new. All I know is that a new set of hoses is $150+ $$$$.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/aprilia/aprilia_hoses_after.jpg

Ahhhh nice and cleaned up and hose clamps TIGHT! MUCH better looking and I'll feel alot better out on my roadtrips.

Some of the clamps on the engine aren't easy to get to at all. The right side you won't have much problem with but the bastard collecter on the left hand side is a SOB. It's basically sandwhiched between the frame and the engine without any room to work. I have slim hands/fingers so I was able to menouver the hose from the radiator up and back onto the collector (that the solenoid plugs into) but it took me a good 15 minutes and a screwdriver.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/aprilia/aprilia_hoses_left.jpg