What's so special about an Upper Radiator Hose???

Good question. It has been discussed on the IFSJA forum that the radiator hose could be installed backwards without the owner being aware of the problem. Someone also mentioned that certain brands of hoses are actually shaped differently and some fit better than others. Being of limited budget, I wasn't about to drive all over town and buy five or six different brands to compare, especially at around $10 each!

Before you do ANYTHING to your cooling system,

be sure to clean up all spills and

THROW AWAY any rags/towels/etc that have

come in contact with antifreeze.

Keep your pets out of the garage or away from your work area.

Even the "pet-safe" antifreeze can be dangerous.

Treat this stuff like poison, because that's what it is.

A surprisingly small amount can kill a pet or cause severe liver damage.

Now that we all know that....

What I did do was purchase 2 hoses for a 1988 Grand Wagoneer from Advance Auto Parts. They weren't labeled with a manufacturer name, but did say "Made In USA". I was going to replace my current hose which had wear marks where it rested on the horizontally mounted AC compressor. The second hose was to be a spare.

I discovered that the hose can indeed be installed "backwards". And with an easy modification, it even fits better!

A quick glance at the Factory Parts manual shows the "OEM" way to install the hose:

The end on the right side of the picture has a bend closer to the end of the hose.

The end connected to the radiator has a longer straight run before it bends.

    Drain enough coolant so that none will spill from the upper radiator hose connection. There will still be coolant in the hose. Place a 5 gallon bucket below the hose, just inside the frame rails and just behind the radiator. Disconnect the radiator end and carefully lower it, directing the coolant to the bucket below. This should get rid up most of the coolant in the hose. Remove the hose. You will have a small bit of coolant in the thermostat housing. You can leave it if you want. I used a turkey baster (dedicated to

garage duty!) to suck up the coolant so it wouldn't spill on the manifold and make a mess of things.

Shown below is the hose installed correctly according to Jeep.

The problem is that the hose can sag, rubbing on the AC compressor and causing a failure when you can least afford it, such as taking the wife to work, driving to the airport, etc.

Here is the hose installed "backwards". Check out that clearance!

This is the OEM installation, again, for comparison:

This looks great except that the "reversed" hose now sticks up too high!

The solution is to cut the hose at the "new" thermostat end.

I cut off 1.5 inches from the "long" end.

With the modified hose installed "backwards, we now have

no rubbing on the York compressor and good hood clearance.

Note that the hose is now aproximately the same height as the air cleaner behind it.

Refill and check your coolant system and you're all set!