Water Leak Is Back!

[JasonA]

My water leak that I thought I fixed is back. There's a short section of rubber hose just aft of the water pump (actually connects to the rear of the thermostat housing) that appears to be degraded at the rear connection. I cinched the clamp down real hard before our Thanksgiving trip, and it stayed dry, but the hose appears to be slightly fraying on the end, so I think I'm going to need to replace it.

Does anyone HAPPEN to know the I.D. of this hose? Both the heater hoses are the red/green silicone or high-pressure type hoses, and I'd like to replace this rubber section of hose with the same silicone hose that the heater hoses are. What is the reasoning behind making this one hose rubber...but the other heater hoses silicone? It's a bummer to have to drain the whole system (by disconnecting the lower hose, since I know I can't access the radiator drain) just to replace this one hose, but in the long run, that's the solution.

And then, in addition, there's an orangish-oily drip from one of the bolts of the black engine/transmission "brace plate" that hugs the front exhaust pipe. It's the consistency of a diluted oil, and it's got an orangish hue, so I'm thinking that it might be a bit of "coolant wash" from the leak...dripping down the engine block maybe and depositing a grimey drip on the garage floor. It's only about a half-teaspoon of liquid over a few days, so the leak certainly ain't much, but I'm a perfectionist when it comes to these things, so I've gotta address it. If it were oil, I'd probably let it go, but I worry about coolant leaks.

Thanks,