1, soft and hot is ok, = not over pressurized
2, stall test needed, rolled up newspaper, will it stop the fan when up to temp (search)
3, pic of pipe, could be vacuum leak, could be LPG ??
will post a pic of the pipe tomorrow and also try the stall test then. I do believe its part of the original cooling system as there are 2 rubber hoses running into 2 black metal ones, Im concerned I have damaged the water pump though from the cold start when it was frozen and I realised the previous owner neglected to put coolant in. Thanks though, lets see what tomorrow brings lol