I squeezed my lower hose the other day while changing coolant to see when thermostat was opening and it feels like there is a spring in there. Is there? It's the 3.7. I know some cars with an upper thermostat will have the upper hose contain a spring.

 

most vehicles do have a spring in the suction (lower) hose to prevent it from collapsing

 

I didn't notice a spring in the lower rad hose when I did my 180 t-stat last fall. I had the hose completely off the truck as the clamp was clocked in such a way that I had to really find a way to get the top bolt off. The clamp was right there. Took about an hour of trial and error to get it off. The clamp was stuck on the hose and I could' get it loose while under the truck. I clocked it differently so I can now get to the top bolt without the clamp being in the way.

 

Hmmm... Well i can definetly feel something in there, lol. I cant tell if its a bad hose or a spring. I already bought a new hose and i bought a OEM mopar thermostat online, ive been wanting to change that anyways.

 

You should never squeeze a radiator hose. They rot from the inside, so when you squeeze it you risk cracking the inside of the hose. Now the hose( if it cracked ) will have a weak spot that you can't see. So while you're driving down the road all bright eyed and bushy tailed with a hose that looks good on the outside... pop goes the weasel.