How tight should radiator hose clamps be? I replaced the upper and lower hoses on my Windstar a little over 6 months ago. Last month the upper hose started to weep a bit at the engine side. A couple of turns of the clamp screw cured that. Now, the lower hose on the radiator side is starting to leak. Do I really have to torque the crud out of the clamps? The clamps were replaced with new ones when the hoses were replaced.