so here is the deal. my top radiator hose is getting hot as it should, but the bottom one stays significantly cooler. i just did t-belt, waterpump, t-stat, and all the belts. the car is not overheating, but i am concerned that this will be a problem in the future. arent both hoses suppose to be hot. i even chnaged the tstat twice in case the first one was stuck.

also, i recently flushed the system like 700miles ago, as well as the heatercore becasue i wasnt getting heat, and the coolant has already turned like marronish-brown. i put the pink stuff in, and i dont see any oil in the coolant. any suggestions????

1997 1.8t/quattro AT

 

well, if its not overheating, then the cooling system must be functioning.

But if the coolant is changing color, maybe you want to flush it again just to make sure the system is clean of anything you freed up from cleaning out the heater core. It shouldn't change color or consistancy at all.

 

but is it normal for the bottom hose to be colder than the top one once the car is completely warmed up??

 

Since the radiator transfers heat from the coolant to the air, and hot coolant flows in thru the upper hose, why wouldnt cooler coolant flow out the lower?

 

yes.