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| Joined: | 03-12-2005 |
| Location: | Kingman, Arizona USA |
| Posts: | 532 |
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It's always prudent to check (and, usually, change) the thermostat when you have had a cooling system problem. The JH thermostat is a dual acting type and using the wrong type guarantees overheating. If the old one turns out to have been good, keep it for a spare in case the replacement fails.
Under normal conditions, the various coolant-carrying hoses have a four to eight year lifespan. Typical end of life indications are flex cracks near the ends, and/or seepage of coolant from the fabric that separates the inner and outer rubber layers. If you don't know how old your hoses are, it's prudent to budget for their replacement.
As for other things to look out for, the shop manual has a very long list of maintenance items that should be performed regularly. Going through the entire list is a good way to end up with a (nearly) trouble-free vehicle, though often at some expense. However, one may have to deal with the end result of decades of deferred maintenance, and with the fact that sometimes a repair in one area exposes previously unsuspected problems in others.