Hi,
Yesterday (on a 40 C day) the engine temp gauge on our 1990 TP Magna told me to pull over immediately. After the engine had cooled down, I looked under the hood and saw that one of the radiator hoses had split and sprayed water and coolant around the engine bay.

The hose is the one that goes from the bottom of the radiator to the engine, and the split is right next to the clamp.

Is this a fairly easy/cheap fix? Some bloke said where the hose connects to the engine is a bit tricky, with some sensitive parts that could be problem.

Also, I understand the radiator has to be drained before replacing the bottom hose; is there a coolant reservoir on TP Magnas, or do I just make sure to mix equal parts water and coolant and add it straight into the radiator? It's probably a good idea to replace the radiator cap with a new one, isn't it, since it's most likely the original 1990 one.

Cheers :)

Super cheap should have the bottom hose in stock as would any other automotive retail place (Autobarn, Repco, Bursons)
Just tell them exactly what car it is for and it should set you back less then $20 or near abouts.
Get new clamps too.
Should take about an hour or so to replace

and they also sell pre-mixed coolant for under $10 alot easier then trying to mix and work it out yaself

and they also sell pre-mixed coolant for under $10 alot easier then trying to mix and work it out yaself
Yeah thats at 33% ratio.
usually the cheaper stuff is like you said $10 a bottle and better stuff like $16-$20 a bottle, So i find it cheaper to just buy 5L of concentrate (usually $35) which makes 15L in the end

Thanks for that.

Could the water pump be a problem in these 1990 Magnas? The hose attaches to the water pump, I think, and I was told that could be the tricky part.

Thanks for that.

Could the water pump be a problem in these 1990 Magnas? The hose attaches to the water pump, I think, and I was told that could be the tricky part.

The pipe where the hose attaches to the water pump could be corroded. You'll find out when you take the hose off. If it is badly corroded and pieces break off when you take the hose off, it is still no big deal because a new water pump is not hugely expensive. Chances are it will be fine anyway.

The bottom end of the hose where it attaches to the radiator is harder to get at. You will probably need to access it from underneath the car by taking off the plastic splash tray/ stone shield.

I just replaced the hoses on both my TPs recently. It is about a half-hour job. Five minutes for the hose itself, the rest for jacking up, removing and replacing the splash tray and refilling the system.

Do youself a favour and replace the upper hose too. It is probably a similar age to the one that burst and the steam going through it will have weakened it. From supercheap I think both hoses together only cost about $26 - $28.

Thank you :)

and they also sell pre-mixed coolant for under $10 alot easier then trying to mix and work it out yaself

DO NOT USE PREMIX under any circumstances!!!!

Premix is no better than salty water, if you do some searches on the net you will see tests where some cast and alloy has been placed in a beaker and then checked weeks later, some of the pre mixes had no alloy left at all!

Use a concentrate, AC Delco is great, as is valvoline or castrol. In general you would use approx 30% coolant to 70% water

While you are at it, change the other hoses as they may also be about to go, should be able to get all hoses for about 85 bucks

might be an idea to replace all the rad/heater hoses while your at it
did em all on my TP, cost me under $100 for all new hoses (Mackay Rubber), thermostat, clamps, cap & castrol anti-freeze, anti-boil concentrate - i ran a 50/50 mixture - was just over 3L of coolant for memory
took me around 2 hours to replace everything! that way ill never have to worry about splitting hoses anytime soon!