Upper Rad. Hose Collapsed on LMM

[D_R_C]

Guys,keep your eyes on things under the hood.
I found my upper radiator hose collapsed in the straight area in between the 2 90`s about 6" long.
I used 5 H.D. black nylon ties wrapped around the hose to help support and keep the flow open until I get to a dealer.
I just hope I don`t have to hear from the dealer they cannot find any trouble codes directing them to there being a radiator hose problem.

[DmaxMaverick]

If the hose is collapsing, the cap is not venting properly. Sorry, no code for that....

[DieselMonk]

souds like there was / is a vacuum in there not pressure. a rad hose just doesn't collapse like that fer no reason.

[Kennedy]

As son as you warm it up it will pop back out. That or remove the cap. No cause for serious alarm. If it bothers you the cap can be replaced.

[D_R_C]

This is going to get interesting.
My dealer told me today the upper hose collapsing is normal.
Reason:
There is no spring inside to keep that from happening,so don`t worry about it,he says,it will open up when hot.
I`m 55 and been around the block several times with building engines and working on vehicles,so I`m not completely buying that this ok and normal.
And with the track record of this dealerships service dept, more research and feed back is much needed.

[DmaxMaverick]

Your dealer is somewhat right. It will not hurt anything, but it is not normal. Ask him what's the harm in replacing a $10 cap on a $50K truck? When you need cooling, I assure you the hose will not be collapsed. Still not normal, though. Worse case scenario is the hose will fail prematurely. How much premature is anyone's guess.

[D_R_C]

I`ve had it out with the owner a few times on my wifes Denali.
They stand strong on if there is no trouble codes then there is nothing they can do under warranty.
I know this sounds stupid,but I am dealing with very strange people at this dealership,they by far have the worse service dept I`ve delt with in my 55 years of life.
They want your business to buy real bad, but when it comes to repairing anything, good luck.
When we first bought the Denali it went back 2 days later with a check engine light it took three trips there before they got that issue fixed.
And it seems the same with all customers in the waiting room as well with multiple visits on the same issue.
Hey! Thanks for the feed back on the hose on my LMM,time to shop else where.

[D_R_C]

Well,I talked to 4 dealers service depts on the upper radiator hose being collapsed when engine is cold.
1st.
Asks me to leave the truck for a few days to see if they can duplicate the problem. I hung up on him.
2nd, and 3rd was shop formans.
Told me that this is normal it is a closed system and D-max has been like this since they first came out in 01, so don`t worry about it.
4th.
If there is not a check engine light on and/or a code there must not be a problem and with no code we would not know what to fix.
So keep on driving with no concerns.

I found that after the engine set overnight about 15 hrs and 50 degrees outside there was still pressure it seemed more of a vac pressure when I removed the cap.
Which I thought was not quite right, I told the dealers this as well,they said that was how the closed system worked even with a 15 lb cap.

I called Stant and talked to a enginner that would know these type systems obviously more that the dealers.
His suggestion was that the rad. cap is bad,it should release pressure as the eng. cools down and let the coolant equalize so that problem won`t happen.

So once again I had to spend money ($10) on something GM should be replacing under warranty,on my Denali ($125) for a new battery.
Both are new bought on 6-7-07,both have navigation issues not fixed yet,so in conclusion our next vehicles will not be GM.
Oh! And not one would give me a new rad. cap to have a happy customer.

[DmaxMaverick]

I hate to say it, but you are absolutely right. They don't deserve your business. Not to mention your hard earned cash.

I would demand satisfaction, but that's just me. I've been very fortunate with dealers. They seem to want my money and treat me well. Of all the dealers I've traded with, GM was not the worst, and seemed most interested in my satisfaction. New or used, it didn't matter. My current GMC dealer has treated me excellent, and I didn't by my truck from them. Mostly only warranty work. I recommend to a lot of people over an over.....Find a good dealer and stick with them. Even if some things cost a little more from them, they will return the favor in the end. If you can't send your wife (not the least bit mechanically inclined, or interested) to a dealer in your absence, find another dealer. It's hard to find one that stands on small town values, but once you do, keep it. I think you'll find this true of all brands. None are any better than the rest. The bottom line is the same for all of them. How they decide to get there is up to them.

[D_R_C]

You are right about the small town stuff,my problem is I live in a big city.
I bought my Ford from a dealer 210 miles from home Lake Havasu City,Ariz.and took it there for great customer service and repairs.
Unlike all the Ford dealers in my city I delt with,major butt heads,what got old was the break downs on the 6.0 and driving 420 miles round trip.
I was able to drive the truck there on 4 occasions but the last time it had to be towed,which done me in 5 times in less than 1 year.
I am running into the same circumstance with GMC here (even bigger major butt heads)except one Chevy dealer I like which won`t work on my vehicles for some stupid GMC-Chevy guidelines that GM makes them go by.
And I did demand some satisfaction all they did was laugh,and say if there is no codes then you don`t have any problems.
We like our GMC`s but very dissapointed in the Professional Grade ideas of customer service,which is none.

[killerbee]

Just replace the cap with one from Checker. Problem solved, and you get 6 months extra to live.