Cavalier Starting in the 1980s. the Cavalier made a name for itself by offering an affordable 2 and 4 door compact.
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Collapsed radiator hose

Old Feb 13, 2014 | 2:41 PM
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Default Collapsed radiator hose

RE: 1991 Chevy Cavalier 2.2 wagon. This morning when I checked the coolant level in the radiator, I noticed the hose from near the top of the radiator down to the engine, was collapsed. It was like if you hold a balloon to your mouth and suck in, taking the air from the it, causing it to flatten. Of course the hose doesn't get that flat, but it goes from the usual size to about 1/2 the normal size.

When it collapses it isn't round, but is depressed on each side. When the car runs for awhile the hose opens to normal. The nearest garage is a little more than a mile from here. I drove to that garage and by the time I got there, the hose was back to normal. When I told the two mechanics there what happened they both said they had never heard of that before.

I went to another garage and one of the mechanics told me he had seen that before and explained what he thought the problem was. I don't want to say because I don't want to influence anyone who may answer.

I drove home and in about an hour checked the hose, and it was collapsed again. Both sides caved in. The hose is warm when the car is running and the temperature gauge stays in the normal range.

Any ideas? Ever heard of this before?
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Old Feb 13, 2014 | 3:54 PM
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I would think is "collapsing" because its cold.. you might try a new radiator cap and a thermostat change...if the hoses are more than 5 years old I would consider changing them along with the fluid...
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Old Feb 13, 2014 | 11:05 PM
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Originally Posted by JWR4
I went to another garage and one of the mechanics told me he had seen that before and explained what he thought the problem was. I don't want to say because I don't want to influence anyone who may answer.


Any ideas? Ever heard of this before?
Google has a lot of ideas.


Let me google that for you
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