I'm new to this site. Have a '93 240 wagon. 126K miles. Thermostat works, but compensator board apparently does not.

The radiator and hoses are apparently original. Mechanic says the car is in good shape, but cannot guarantee the radiator and hoses. The hoses are not showing signs of dry rot or cracking, but are 20 years old. He recommends I change the radiator and hoses, as well as the heater hoses.

Question: should I change them all now (~$700), do some diagnostics, or wait for signs of a problem?

 

As soon as you can afford to. If the mechanic thinks they might be original you are surely on borrowed time.
If you wait too long you will end up blowing a hose someplace and it's usually late at night and far from home. There might be towing involved and possibly engine damage if you don't catch it fast enough. Doing the hoses now is cheap compared to that nightmare.

$700 for just the two radiator hoses and the two heater hoses ?? If that's with the compensator board, how much for just parts and labor on the hoses
Where are you located ??

Can't you do the radiator hoses yourself ?? Same with the heater hoses.

 

The $700 is for the radiator, radiator hoses, and heater hoses.

Are you suggesting that I could just replace the radiator hoses now?

 

I have no way to judge the condition of the parts so I can't really give you any guidance on that one.

If the hoses appear to be original I would surely do them just to be safe as the cost vs possible breakdown aren't worth it.

On the radiator, I'd have to see it to know what shape it's in.

Is this a shop you trust, have done business with before ?? The estimate just seems a bit high.
Do you or do you have a neighbor, friend, co-worker who could do them for you and save you some $$$.

You should add a location to your profile. Might have someone in your area who would be willing to swing by and take a look at it and give a second opinion.

 

Damn $700 bucks..........?

Radiator: $125 to 155 new

hoses: 20 dollars for both

new coolant: 14 dollars

Total: $190 to 225 for parts and fluid.....$475 in labor???????????????? YOUR CRAZY

Do it yourself....piece of cake.....really.....piece of cake...

What you need:
Adjustable wrench for transmission lines to radiator...or a set of wrenches that have 10mm to 17mm sizes
10MM SOCKET $ RACHET
FLAT HEAD SCREW DRIVER
10MM OPEN END WRENCH...for removing fan bolts....
big and wide plastic container for catching fluid....BID AND WIDE AND LONG...FOR SPILLS

1) put container under lower rad hose....
2)undo the lower rad hose clamp with flat head screw driver...pull and let it drain...
3) undo expansion tank hoses...two of them....
4) undo transmission lines from radiator....back them up...use a rag for little spill...
5) undo top radiator hose clamp on radiator side, not engine side....
6) 10mm wrench....go to right fender and undo the fan bolts...4 of them...a little tight and slide off the fan....
7) take off the black plastic shroud covering the radiator.....
8) 10mm socket/wrench...undo the radiator support bracket bolts...NOTE...DON'T LOOSE THE LITTLE SPACERS UNDER THESE BRACKETS....PULL OUT RADIATOR.....
9) undo top rad hose but use a little container for the little coolant left in there...

REVERSE THE PROCESS FOR NEW RAD AND HOSES....SAVE A BUNDLE...OR AT LEAST GO TO ANOTHER MECHANIC....SHOP AROUND....I WOULD NOT PAY MORE THAN 300 PARTS AND LABOR....

ORDER HERE....FCPEURO.COM OR IPDUSA.COM OR Autozone....hoses are universal there though....but work fine and they are 9 dollars each...

 

Does that job come with a con...

Well, I have made it a habit of squeezing radiator hoses any time I'm under someone's hood. I opened the hood on a Ford F250 HD truck the other night and the hose made some cracking noises when I squeezed it. Past time to change that hose. If the hoses are hard, deformed, leaking, pinched or over 10 years old, have them replaced ASAP. The most it should cost to replace all of the coolant hoses is $300 in my opinion. That will save you thousands on a blown head gasket if a hoses blows and you try to make it to point "B" (people never make it, not sure why they try).

 

OK, I get that I need to replace the radiator hoses ASAP.

Is the radiator as urgent? Or does it just make sense to not duplicate labor charges? What about the heater hoses?

Does anyone have any recommendations for another mechanic in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill, NC area?

I'd love to be able to do the work myself, but I haven't worked on a car in decades and now is not a good time for me to take this on.

 

Replace all coolant hoses.

Not sure about mechanics in your area.

 

$700 is outrageously high!
If the car has good coolant change history I wouldn't sweat those hoses unless they are swollen or cracked. Also examine the heater valve, that's more prone to just let go...

 

on the heater hoses: yes change them along with the rad hoses

on the radiator: do this second if want to tackle repairs/maintenance by steps/time frames...

Good coolant and good hoses is a bit more peace of mind and you can do the radiator later....


YOU CAN DO THE HOSES YOURSELF OR ASK A FRIEND AND HE/SHE CAN ASK FOR ADVICE HERE...A QUICK WRITE UP AND WERE TO GET PARTS IS A PIECE OF CAKE....

 

Thanks for your responses. They've been very helpful!