Will spring clamps on lower radiator hose eventually stop leaking?

[TheLastWord]

For applications that don't need replacement often, I use these:

POWERGRIP SB Shrink Clamp,1/2 in. min. dia. (32915) | Zoro

Order Zoro Select Shrink Clamp, 1/2 in. min. dia., 32915 at Zoro.com. Great prices & free shipping on orders over $50 when you sign in or sign up for an account.

www.zoro.com

A link from a previous thread, my post:

"I have them on my LT1 96 Roadmaster wagon. Love them. Clean look, useful in tight places, no projections, no knuckle scrapping, conform to irregular shapes and grooved used hoses, no leaks after at least 10 years. Very nice with the restrictor and the tee on the heater hoses. Great with silicone hoses. Easy install, no special tool needed to remove."

 

[SC Maintenance]

Nothing I said was meant to be personal and I do not doubt you. I'm 65 and don't rebuild carburetors anymore. Today's world is NOT the world in which I grew up. I don't think spring type hose clamps existed back then, nor did Google or smartphones or the internet, but I digress. No one who can keep a 57 case tractor going is a mechanical slouch, but sometimes the newer stuff IS better, like fuel injection over carburetion. It is my OPINION that manufacturers now DO NOT use spring clamps because they're better; they use spring clamps because they're CHEAPER and FASTER on an assembly line. Nowhere else but in the OCD world of BITOG would we even be having this conversation over such minutia. 19 responses discussing why a hose leak?!?! Chris 142, may you live long and prosper sir!

I am guessing your Case Tractor is a 530? Spent lots of time working on those as a kid. My dad still has one. Has a 580 also.

The OEM's do likely use them because there cheaper, but they are actually better. A screw clamp by definition has a flat spot where the screw is, so its not even tension around all 360 degrees of hose. They also pull from one side which can bite and deform the hose and cause uneven pressure as well. Still, a quality screw clamp will work - you just have to buy a good quality made in USA stainless one from Tridon or similar, not the jobber crap from the hardware store, and its likely it will need a retorque on a new hose.

 

[Trav]

20+ years at a radiator shop I never had a problem with worm clamps.

Just going by your location you are not likely to, but put the same vehicle with a plastic neck in an area that sees cold winter and it will be a totally different story. I use Hylomar on every plastic nipple even with a new hose and clamp, rust seriously can weaken the clamps in the salt belt, if its clean then reuse but any rust toss it.

 

[Donald]

I would not use WD-40 as a lubricant for the hose. Spit would be my first choice as a hose lubricant.

 

[Donald]

Old spring clamps loose tension with age, the only way to make sure they seal 100% is to us a new OE hose and a new clamp. Putting a coating of a sealer on the nipple right before putting the hose on will help seal it. You can also use a constant tension clamp.
These are a couple that will work.

Valco Hylomar Universal Blue Gasket Sealer With Nozzle 71283 RTC3347, 100g Tube | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Valco Hylomar Universal Blue Gasket Sealer With Nozzle 71283 RTC3347, 100g Tube at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Permatex® High Tack® Gasket Sealant, 4 OZ - Permatex

www.permatex.com

Napa has the clamps just take your old one for the correct size. These are not standard screw clamps, they have a liner and use Belleville spring washers to maintain tension.

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/BK_7051509

$13.00 for a hose clamp? Wow. I thought hose clamps were $2 to $3.

 

[Donald]

Old spring clamps loose tension with age, the only way to make sure they seal 100% is to us a new OE hose and a new clamp. Putting a coating of a sealer on the nipple right before putting the hose on will help seal it. You can also use a constant tension clamp.
These are a couple that will work.

Valco Hylomar Universal Blue Gasket Sealer With Nozzle 71283 RTC3347, 100g Tube | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Valco Hylomar Universal Blue Gasket Sealer With Nozzle 71283 RTC3347, 100g Tube at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Permatex® High Tack® Gasket Sealant, 4 OZ - Permatex

www.permatex.com

Napa has the clamps just take your old one for the correct size. These are not standard screw clamps, they have a liner and use Belleville spring washers to maintain tension.

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/BK_7051509

The problem I see when I have tried to buy some of these is the local stores do not carry and mostly will refuse to order one (includes if you try and order online yourself) as they come in a box of 10 I think.

 

[twouvakind]

Use silicone grease when applying a new hose, not WD-40, which contains kerosene. Over time petroleum-based liquids will attack the plastic nipple and the neoprene hose.

This, dries without a trace.

 

[zzyzzx]

I would use a second OEM style spring clamp before I would use worm type. I would use a worm type as a second choice on a metal outlet, but not a plastic one. I have used some more then 20 year old OEM style spring clamps and they worked just fine on aftermarket hoses.

 

[paulo57509]

Just going by your location you are not likely to, but put the same vehicle with a plastic neck in an area that sees cold winter and it will be a totally different story. I use Hylomar on every plastic nipple even with a new hose and clamp, rust seriously can weaken the clamps in the salt belt, if its clean then reuse but any rust toss it.

I don't remember where I got it, but I have a John Deere FOS (Fundamentals of Service) engine training manual that states to use some kind of sealer on all hose nipples.

This reference isn't the only place that I recall seeing such instruction.