Sweating Heater Hoses?

[Mark K.]

I was out in the garage on the weekend and noticed that my heater hoses were covered in a sticky/oily residue. I've never noticed this before and mentioned it to a few friends who have noticed the same thing on their cars. Does anyone know what is causing this?

[Mike M.]

Re: Sweating Heater Hoses?

high relative humidity. unavoidable if garage not heated in winter. mike

[Chuck S.]

Re: Sweating Heater Hoses?

Are you using an additive such as Mac`s #13???
I had a problem with my radiator hoses getting an oily like substance on the outside. I learned that using this additive in a vehicle which is not driven on a regular basis caused the condition. I flushed my cooling system added a 50 - 50 mixture of antifreze and distilled water and the problem went away.

[Mark K.]

Re: Sweating Heater Hoses?

Thanks guys...I have no idea if there are additives in the coolant as I just recently bought the car. I'm going to change the hoses and fluids anyway, so we'll see if that solves the problem.