Hey guys, I was wondering if you would be able to help me with this little problem I got. background info: machine has about 2100hrs on it and coolant was leaking from the thermostate housing and the hose connecting the thermostate housing to the water pump was in poor condition. so i resealed the thermostate housing ok and was able to replace the coolant hose as well. I'm now finding that during the cold nights coolant is leaking from the water pump end of the coolant hose. i checked the hose clamps and they were snug but def not super tight, so i tightened them up more and hoped problem solved. next time i went to the machine day or 2 later coolant was still leaking out of that hose connection. when the machine runs and it gets hot there is no leaking at all and the coolant that has leaked out dries right up and you wouldn't know there was a problem. When I installed the hose i put white grease on the inside to help it slide on each side easier. i got the thermostate side on ok and i have the water pump side on far enough that the hose clamp is clearing the little hump in the metal hose the rubber hose goes on to. there seemed to be a bit of a kink in the hose(in addition to the manufactored bend) when i installed it and i tried to get it out as much as i could. (used hose pick tool going around and around to help slide the hose on and pliers to squeeze the hose at the kink to try and get it to slide down more. What i'm thinking is/has happened is because there is a bit of the kink left its somehow creating a void on that metal lip and when its cold the hose contracts bit allowing the coolant to bypass and leak out and when the hose gets warm it becomes conforming and seals against the metal lip allowing no coolant to leak out. My question, I'm wondering if i could take a heat gun and heat the hose up to try and get it to slide down any further removing the slight kink to hopefully stope this overnight leaking. will applying heat to the hose cause any damage to it? Thanks for your help and sorry for the long post. here is a pic of the hose I'm refering to...
If it's a silicone hose, cold leaks are a common problem. They make hose clamps with springs under the screw that will keep the hose tight when it cools. A heat gun won't hurt the hose cause they go up to over 200 degrees in operation. I hope that the white lithium grease won't break down the hose; I've never tried it on a hose, I use spray silicone lube, or soapy water. The soap washes off and doesn't leave the hose slick inside. We had a store here that started using grease to make up hydraulic hoses, the ends would pop off when they were pressurised. Good luck