96 Nissan Sentra... Would this kind of radiator hose cause overheating?

I have been struggling with an overheating problem with my 96 Sentra
with 1.6 liter engine. It has 120 k miles and has been a reliable and
well running automobile, until this problem.

I have been doing quite a few things to isolate the problem including
having radiator checked out at a shop, changing the thermostat,
checking the operation of the electric fans (they both work), and
changing out the water pump. Today I checked out the lower hose from
the radiator and after removing it I noticed that it was not
reinforced. I bought this car used so some things were installed by
the previous owner. I know that because the lower hose is the
suction side of the water pump, it should be reinforced. Could this
be the source of my problem?

I noticed that the pipe feeding the water pump (to which the lower
radiator hose was attached) had rusty colored water in it (as did the
exit part of the lower radiator hose). Would this indicate a reduced
flow of radiator fluid? I would appreciate thoughts on this matter.

Al Kondo

On Wed, 12 Jan 2005 16:34:46 -0600, Al Kondo > wrote:

>I have been struggling with an overheating problem with my 96 Sentra
>with 1.6 liter engine. It has 120 k miles and has been a reliable and
>well running automobile, until this problem.
>
>I have been doing quite a few things to isolate the problem including
>having radiator checked out at a shop, changing the thermostat,
>checking the operation of the electric fans (they both work), and
>changing out the water pump.

you just said right here you had the water pump replaced

> Today I checked out the lower hose from
>the radiator and after removing it I noticed that it was not
>reinforced. I bought this car used so some things were installed by
>the previous owner. I know that because the lower hose is the
>suction side of the water pump, it should be reinforced. Could this
>be the source of my problem?

maybe
I would go to auto parts store, get correct part, and install correct
hose. Doesn't take too long to do it on a cool engine.

>I noticed that the pipe feeding the water pump (to which the lower
>radiator hose was attached) had rusty colored water in it (as did the
>exit part of the lower radiator hose). Would this indicate a reduced
>flow of radiator fluid? I would appreciate thoughts on this matter.

rust and scale in your coolant, could be restricting the flow of
coolant through your radiator core.

I have a thermoscan infrared thermometer, and if you had one also, you
could scan your hot engine for *cool spots* in your radiator core
indicating areas where it might be clogged.

>Al Kondo

I would replace the lower radiator hose with the correct part, then do
a coolant system flush and refill. Then I would see if the problem
was corrected. In fact, I might do 2 flushes before the refill. But
that might turn out to not be enough if things are clogged too much.

Rust in your hose means your coolant has lost its anticorrosion
inhibitors. Time to replace the coolant if nothing else.

Lg