engine hoses, nylon/wire silicon/epdm

[mdidomenico]

i'm changing out all the hoses on my engine since they were all original and crackly.  I'll admit i'm a little dense when it comes to which hose to buy.  i know i need >=200f temp range, i'm not sure how much the pressure rating matters, i believe these are all pretty low pressure connections (i could be wrong though). 

is nylon reinforced the same/more/less desirable then wire reinforced?  should i be looking at silicon vs epdm?

i'd like to pick up the same hose for all my connections.  so far it looks like i need 5/8" 7/8" and some 3/8".  defender doesn't seem to carry 3/8" in the trident 250 line.  i'm still looking around though, not even sure if 250 is minimum or overkill.

[Roland Gendreau]

I obtained my replacement engine cooling hoses from Jamestown Distributors/
I used Shieldflex II hose which is wire reinforced hose.  I ended up with some left over as they sell it in 6 foot lengths.

[KWKloeber]

I'm wondering your thinking why you want to go with silicone or otherwise, over say Shieldsflex? 
Are you replacing exhaust hose, or just water hose?
I always lean toward Shieldflex 250 series.
You want wire where there's a chance of hot hose kinking at a bend or on suction a suction line (like on the inlet hose to the coolant pump.)

If you need to make a short bend it's good to use corrugated hose instead of non-wire but that pertains mostly to large diameter applications like exhausts.

[mdidomenico]

I'm wondering your thinking why you want to go with silicone or otherwise, over say Shieldsflex? 
Are you replacing exhaust hose, or just water hose?

i have no preference for silicon vs epdm.  i also have no point of reference either (newbie).  it's like choosing to go with bronze vs marelon seacocks.  same kind of thing.

i do have to replace my exhaust hose too.  pretty much all hoses everywhere.

i use trident #144 for my bilge lines.  right now i'm leaning towards trident #134 for all the engine hoses.  nothing mandates trident, but hey why not

i am trying to stay away from wire wound wherever i can, if possible.  i've never been able to get it to cut cleanly and it always seems to rust and breakdown.  (or at least every wire wound hose i pulled out of the boat was a rusted mess).

[Stu Jackson]

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i am trying to stay away from wire wound wherever i can, if possible.  i've never been able to get it to cut cleanly and it always seems to rust and breakdown.  (or at least every wire wound hose i pulled out of the boat was a rusted mess).

The trick is cutting the wire cleanly when you cut the hose.

Have you considered that the "rusted mess" you saw was actually good news?  It was a "telltale" telling you to replace the hoses.

I've used wire reinforced hose on my two hose replacements over the years.  Never had difficulty with the 7/8" hose, and there's not much of it.  Order some online if you can't find it locally.

There's a link in the 101 Topics on exhaust hose replacement.

[Ron Hill]

mdid : See my answer to your 7/8" to 1" hose post.    because All applications do NOT need a wire reinforced hose!!

A thought