Replace radiator and heater hoses ? Options

[Pyrotechnic]

I have a 1998 GT Convertible with 109K on it. It's due for a cooling system flush and fill, and I noticed that all the coolant hoses look original to the car. Now the radiator hoses are no big deal, but it appears that there are bunch of smaller molded hoses for the heater core, oil cooler, throttle body etc. Adding this all up gets quite expensive. This is a lot tougher than other cars where you can just buy a few feet of bulk hose for a few dollars and cut it to fit. The cooling system appears to be in great shape and the car has never had overheating issues.

How long are these hoses good for? The hoses look good on the outside and are soft to the touch like new hose. My instinct tells me that 16 years is way overdue for replacement, but with the cost involved I want to make sure I don't spend a bunch of cash replacing hoses that are perfectly fine.

This post has been edited by Pyrotechnic: Feb 27, 2014 - 12:40 PM

[Pyrotechnic]

Thanks everyone. I do not plan to remove any hoses, and the radiator seems to be fine; the passages look clean and clear looking through the cap opening. I want to do a drain, flush, and fill to get the coolant of questionable age out and some fresh stuff back in.

I do have a problem with a stuck open thermostat however. Last night I was on the highway going about 65MPH and the outside temperature was around 35F. The whole time on the highway, the temperature gauge was BELOW the cold mark as if the engine wasn't even running. The heater was barely working, where normally it gets uncomfortably hot on the maximum setting. Once I got off the highway, the temperature started to climb and once I parked at home and sat still for a minute the temperature gauge read normal and I had heat again. The car also seems to take FOREVER to produce any heat when in cold whether.

I really would like to do preventive maintenance and replace every single coolant hose, but adding up a thermostat, radiator cap, gaskets, radiator hoses, heather hoses, misc coolant hoses, and good hose clamps it's going to cost me about $110 plus coolant, and that's rock auto pricing.

If I just buy the thermostat, gaskets, and radiator cap I am looking at $20 plus coolant. To make a long story short, money is really tight for me right now and the car is also needing rear tires. I'm thinking that if I fix the thermostat issue and get some fresh coolant in there, that would be at least one piece of the puzzle done and the car would be better off than it is today. When I have the money later on, I can drain the coolant, fit the new hoses, and pour the good coolant back in.