Just finished doing the head gaskets on my XKR 1999, the engine is running fine now. But was wanting to know is the upper radiator and the short elbow hose from the engine to the thermostat housing suppose to get hard when the engine is hot? The lower hose dosent get hard until the thermostat opens. I know they will get hard as the temperture increases but it just seem like its getting too hard and feel a hose might blow off. Only the upper hose expands/bulges none of the rest of them do. The cars has sat at idle for a few hours and I have driven the car for 10miles and it runs fine doesnt overheat.

I have done the correct bleeding procedure from the JTIS manual. The car will take about 50ml after it cools down.

When the head gasket went the engine overheated and was hoping the hose was maybe stretched and thats why its expands/bulges when its hot.

 

I think the upper hose bulge is a common problem, esp the short hose to the thermo housing. Did you replace with new or reuse the old ones? Mine were doing that until I replaced them last fall. The replacements from Uroparts had much thicker walls FWIW.

 

A dealer will recommend replacing the 3" hose anytime someone has coolant system work done. The last time I was in a dealer I got that recommendation even though it had been replaced within 10K miles which they knew or should have known since the previous work had been done there. Everyone has to make a living.

 

Yeah I just reused the old hoses, thats good to here though was thinking i was having a bigger problem. I'll get some new hoses on order.

When draining the radiator should I drain the block aswell? I haven't done this before, I know the manual mentions a block drain behind the starter motor but i noticed a socket head bolt the same as used on the supercherger bleed althougth a bit smaller on the other side of the block. Is this a block bleed aswell?