1990 M30 B35 lower radiator hose issue

[ahlem]

I'm doing some PM and replacing four coolant hoses. The lower radiator hose is giving me some trouble. The hose buckles slightly and the kink where it buckles hits the radiator fan. There is a plastic saddle that has broken due to old age that appears to pull the hose away from the fan. It needs to move back about 1/4" or 6mm. The lower hose is rather close to the water pump pulley and the belt that is on it.
Has anyone had to shorten the hose to make it fit properly? I hesitate to do that until after I get a replacement for the plastic saddle.

[632 Regal]

Without the plastic safety clamp the hose should not want to go into bad areas. You need to get the hose right without the safety clamp first. If the hose is buckling it is either too long or something has moved or it is the wrong hose. My guess without looking is it may just be too long on one end or the other.. or both ends.

How you like that weather up there? I don't miss it at all.

[ahlem]

I'm thinking the hose is too long. Last e30 I did, one hose was an inch too long.
I ordered the clamp from blunttech and will wait to cut the hose until I can do the last part of the project at one time.

[632 Regal]

They don tend to make them too short... keep us posted.

[ahlem]

Well, I have three hoses with the same part number and all three are slightly different in how they are shaped. The original hose, a hose from a BMW parts supplier and a Napa hose. The Napa hose fits around everything the best. The one from the BMW parts supplier had the kinks. I could probably get it to work.

[632 Regal]

So what you do?

[ahlem]

I used the Napa hose with the shiny new plastic hose clamp to keep the hose away from the moving parts, Seems to work just fine.