The two rubber rings were just rub protectors for the hose, like the rings used on the 3/4" hose leading to the coolant recovery tank along the right fender well. My car didn't have the rings anyway, so I didn't install them.

Hose clamps are used for all three connections. The large hose runs vertically down past the back of the head on the driver's side and there is a PVC heat sleeve on about 6 inches of the hose in that area. It wasn't on the factory replacement hose, so I had to cut the old hose in order to slide it off. It was fairly brittle and I had to use lubricant to slide it in place on the new hose.

In order to access the hose clamps, I had to remove the cowling at the bottom of the windshield on the driver's side (just as if you were going to change the air filters). A 1/4" drive with a 12" extension works well to get to the hose clamp bolts. There was minimal coolant loss when I pulled the hoses off. I did knock loose a few vacuum lines from that yellow 3-in-1 connector at the firewall, but they slipped right back on. The factory hose was $67. It took a few hours. Overall, not a bad job. I plan to do the hoses on the passenger side next.

Maybe I should order them now and put them in the truck, so the hoses will never blow.

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1993 400E, 256,000 miles (totaled)
1994 E420, 200,000+ miles
1995 E420, 201,000 miles