Should the upper-right radiator hose be collapsed at room temperature?

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Topless
Posts: 48
Joined: Mon Apr 20, 2020 12:03 pm
Your car is a: 1979 Fiat 124 Spider 2000

Should the upper-right radiator hose be collapsed at room temperature?

Post by Topless »

I noticed this today on my '79. I'm referring to the hose that runs from the thermostat to the coolant outlet. Is it normal for it to collapse when cooled?
toyfiats
Posts: 313
Joined: Thu Dec 04, 2008 9:24 pm
Your car is a: 1981 Fiat Spider
Location: Concord, CA

Re: Should the upper-right radiator hose be collapsed at room temperature?

Post by toyfiats »

No. It's not normal for any of the hoses to be collapsed at any time.
18Fiatsandcounting
Posts: 3798
Joined: Fri Mar 15, 2019 11:23 pm
Your car is a: 1969 and 1971 124 spiders
Location: San Francisco Bay Area

Re: Should the upper-right radiator hose be collapsed at room temperature?

Post by 18Fiatsandcounting »

As toyfiats mentioned, no, it's not normal. The cause is likely a bad radiator cap, or the wrong one. When working properly, this cap can release coolant into the overflow tank as the engine warms up, but then the cap should allow coolant to return back to the engine from the overflow tank when the engine cools down. That second part doesn't seem to be working, so the hoses collapse due to the vacuum upon cool-down.

The good news is that it means your coolant system is air tight.

-Bryan
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