There are more hoses in a vehicle’s engine than most people realize. In addition to the coolant hoses, there are tiny little vacuum hoses. Some are hidden. Others are protected by plastic sleeves or covers.

On older vehicles a loose vacuum hose is sometimes easy to locate. You’ll hear air being sucked into or blown out of the loose hose. If you locate a vacuum hose that came loose, the fun part will be trying to figure out exactly to what it was attached.

Coolant hoses are HOT. One of the hoses comes directly from the engine. The temperature of the coolant inside the hose can be over 200 degrees.

WITH THE ENGINE OFF, you can inspect the coolant hoses. Grab the hose with your hand and squeeze it. Check to see if it’s cracked or brittle. If it feels extremely hot, there might be something wrong with the cooling system.

Along with the hoses you should carefully inspect the location where they attach to the radiator, engine, or other component of the cooling system. Check for drips and leaks.