Radator Hose Clamps

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A lot of vehicles no longer have radiator drains, and the lower rad hose has to be disconnected to do a drain, Chev trucks being one example. In the case of Chev's the OEM spring type clamp is very robust. For those in this type of situation do you reuse the OEM clamp, or put on a screw clamp. What other makes have done away with radiator drain valves?
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I recently replaced the top hose on my Cadillac and threw out the oem clamps with the old hose. Not because they were bad, but because the back clamp was a PITA to grab with pliers. The screw type clamps are easier to work with, in case I ever have to remove the hose again.

This car also lacks a drain valve...I suspect most GM vehicles are similar. I plan to replace the lower hose/clamp with a screw clamp when I replace coolant next year.
 
Originally Posted by RyanY
I recently replaced the top hose on my Cadillac and threw out the oem clamps with the old hose. Not because they were bad, but because the back clamp was a PITA to grab with pliers. The screw type clamps are easier to work with, in case I ever have to remove the hose again.

This car also lacks a drain valve...I suspect most GM vehicles are similar. I plan to replace the lower hose/clamp with a screw clamp when I replace coolant next year.


I bought a pair of Knipex pliers Knipex Pliers made to remove constant tension hose clamps, those pliers are great.

They aren't cheap, but boy do they save time, and made reusing the OE clamps simple. I also found the OE clamps to be better than the worm clamps.
 
Originally Posted by dlundblad
Trav here is a huge fan of wormgear style clamps.







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News to me, you might want to double check that with him.
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Although the OE clamps are supposed to be the best type for providing even force/pressure around the fitting, I have never had any issues when replacing with the worm style clamp.
 
Originally Posted by Char Baby
Although the OE clamps are supposed to be the best type for providing even force/pressure around the fitting, I have never had any issues when replacing with the worm style clamp.


You should know better living in a cold area. Try a worm clamp on a plastic lower hose fitting like a Subaru, you will have fun and games all winter. Worm clamps with a steel liner and Belleville springs are fine but cost a fortune compared to a trusty spring clamp and they are big and *****.
 
I re-use the OEM spring clamps if they are in good condition.

Otherwise, I got tired of cold leaks with the cheap worm gear clamps, and only use Ideal Flex-Gear 47 light duty spring clamps that my local NAPA stocks behind the counter. Cold leaks no more. Just have to be careful on plastic connections. Torque is 50 in-lbs.

http://idealtridon.com/aftermarket/flex-gear/flex-gear-47/
 
Originally Posted by Snagglefoot
A lot of vehicles no longer have radiator drains, and the lower rad hose has to be disconnected to do a drain, Chev trucks being one example. In the case of Chev's the OEM spring type clamp is very robust. For those in this type of situation do you reuse the OEM clamp, or put on a screw clamp. What other makes have done away with radiator drain valves?
smile.gif


I used to hate the OEM spring clamps but over the years I have found them to be superior to the "aviation" style screw clamps. Now I keep them as long as I can.
 
The gm clamps are very good. Other brands not so much. Squeeze them once and they lose their tension. Ford ones are terrible for this and I will not reuse a ford clamp, its guaranteed to leak. Ford's get new screw clamps.
 
Those are sold under a few brand names, notice they have the steel liner and Belleville springs. Those are a decent clamp.
They require 50 lb-in to compress the springs, not the best thing for heater cores but fine for larger fittings.
 
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I have had to safety wire screw type hose clamps. I also used to put a double layer of electrical tape under them to prevent damage to the hose.
 
I always use whatever the car came with. I think it is too easy to damage the hose and or fitting with a worm clamp when it was designed for a spring clamp.
 
Originally Posted by Chris142
The gm clamps are very good. Other brands not so much. Squeeze them once and they lose their tension. Ford ones are terrible fo this and I will not reuse a ford clamp, its guaranteed to leak. Ford's get new screw clamps.

My '93 F150 (255k miles) still has the original spring clamps. Been squeezed many times!
 
Originally Posted by Snagglefoot
A lot of vehicles no longer have radiator drains, and the lower rad hose has to be disconnected to do a drain, Chev trucks being one example. In the case of Chev's the OEM spring type clamp is very robust. For those in this type of situation do you reuse the OEM clamp, or put on a screw clamp. What other makes have done away with radiator drain valves?
smile.gif



What's funny is the number of times my wife has ended up on the side of the road after a hose screw clamp allowed a radiator hose to come off on her Forester. Every week I check the oil, coolant, and screw clamps. Today coolant was low, dried coolant crust in front of top radiator hose, and a full 1.5 turns off the screw clamp. Easy to fix, but I have never checked or had issues with a spring clamp on a 15 year old Honda or 1.5 year old Toyota. But these screw clamps need tightening every month or two. The funny part, I keep a couple of gallons of coolant and distilled water in her car because it gets used in the side of the road at least once per year.
 
OEM constant tension hose clamps for me. The OEM hose clamps that come on new vehicles are engineered for that application. There is a lot of engineering goes into the typical Mubea type hose clamp.
 
I use the OEM clamps if they are in good condition, but have used the gear ones previously and have had 0 issues. I had the gear one on my lower rad hose of the Santa Fe when the OEM one lost its tension and the hose started leaking and it was fine from 300,000km to 535,000km when I scrapped the vehicle.
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