VR6 Cooling System Refresh (aka coolant pipes are swelling, coolant is leaking)

[doridori]

In the latest round of things to begin breaking on my VR6, i now need to do a refresh of some of the cooling components on the engine including various hoses, crack pipe, radiator and the oil cooler.

So far, i've picked these items:

- Radiator (Aluminium one from eBay probably)
- Crack pipe (not sure aluminium or plastic)
- Oil Cooler and Seal
- Coolant hoses from engine to Oil Cooler (Rubber or Silicon?)
- ... probably a few other hoses that i've yet to figure out

For the Coolant hoses i see complete silicon kits on ebay for like $80 from China.

Has anybody used these before or should i just go with the oem rubber type items?

Anybody got suggestions on where i should get these as well? (hopefully not ECS unless i really have to)

Thanks

[HaydEn]

There's $100~ hose kits on ebay.

Plastic crackpipe is usually good for 150,000km's. Or get a metal one.

[doridori]

@HaydEn yeah that's what i mean, i see a bunch of those silicon hose kits from ebay. Have you had any experience with those or know of someone who has?

Just that they are so much cheaper than the rubber type replacement ones you can get from the main vw online stores...

Ah ok, plastic crack pipe may be fine then as the car only does 10-12,000 kms per year

thanks!

[HaydEn]

I've got $130~ set off an Australian seller on ebay. Plain black, 5 ply, good looking material. Have not used so cannot actually verify usage however

[doridori]

another thing with those kits is that i don't know which specific replacement part they include.

trying to match it out with assemble diagrams but some look quite ambiguous...

hopefully someone here has used them and can comment on it?

[BurgundyMk3]

I'm using the kit your talking about. Fitment is a little off but I haven't had any real issues yet

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[doridori]

oh cool, what type of fitment issues did you encounter, anything major?

Also which kit did you get?

[BurgundyMk3]

Top radiator hose was a bit tight and it the little bit of the house that goes to the throttle body is stighly too short

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[zllewellyn]

I also fitted one of the eBay spec aluminium rads in my VR6, had to cut off two 'mounts' on the base, and redrill a mounting hole in the rad support panel. Other than that the stock pipes fit perfectly! And it seems to cool reallg well!

[doridori]

Yeah gonna get a worley aluminum one from eBay. All aluminum too so can be fixed interest the future if needed!

Just trying to hunt down these hoses now....