2006 NC Coolant Expansion Tank Replacement inc' Hoses

[malyou]

I'm replacing the plastic tank with an aluminium one including all the connecting hoses. Two of these hoses connect the tank to the radiator. Before removing the tank I'm trying to find out if, once the tank is removed, the two hose connections at the radiator end are readily accessible for disconnection and reconnection purposes?

[Red_Bullet]

Yes, the swap is straight forward, I used a large clean syringe and attached tube to empty the existing expansion tank first, stored the coolant in a clean bottle to be reused.

[malyou]

Thank you for your reply and advice. Did you replace the hoses as well? I'm particularly interested in the accessibility of the connections at the radiator end?

[malyou]

Have answered my own question. Replaced the coolant tank and its 3 connecting hoses using screw hose clamps instead of re-using the spring ones which from experience can lose tension. Drained the cooling system (coolant stored for re-use) and removed the battery/battery tray and air filter/housing to gain access to the upper and lower hose connections. Accessing the lower radiator connection for removing/reinstalling the hose and clamp is difficult - need the right tools and a bit of patience! As noted in another post, I was able to clean the white powdery stuff from beneath the battery box which otherwise I wouldn't have seen.