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Any tips on clamping coolent hoses?


daverclasper

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Hi. I have the basic repro hoses that have lasted a good few years, though can be difficult to get a good seal. The rubber is thinner than original I recon, and also not a soft/pliable.

Without changing to more expensive poly?, or dearer jubilee clips/fasteners, are there any tips.

I have heard of winding electrical tape around the stubs?, for example.

Cheers, Dave

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If the surface of the metal the hoses clamp onto is smooth there shouldnt be any sealing problem even with repro hoses. However the quality of hose clips varies a lot and decides how much squeezing force can be applied. You want Mikalor or maybe even the original double wire type....

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1 hour ago, Pete Lewis said:

by design the rolled /raised rim on the casting/tube/connector should seal the leak

... as long as it's in decent shape. The usual problem is that your 50 year old alloy thermostat housing has a surface that resembles some of the roads round here - more pothole than surface - with the added joy of a coating of loose corrosion products. Sort that out and the hoses shouldn't need much effort from the jubilee clip.

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23 hours ago, daverclasper said:

Without changing to more expensive poly?, or dearer jubilee clips/fasteners, are there any tips.

For doubtful connections the metal surface can be cleaned/keyed with any handy abrasive paper then a decent smear of Blue Hyalomar all round before refitting the hose. Worm drive clamps (i.e. Jubilee) tend, when tight, may tend to pull slightly out of round so too tight can be counterproductive. Firm for sure but not necessarily gorilla tight.

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After having a couple of fuel hose leaks I changed to Mikalor clamps which solved the problem. I'm gradually changing the coolant hose clamps as Mikalor are soooo much better than most jubllee clamps. They have a smaller diameter range and maintain a uniform pressure. Fit and forget! 

Iain 

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Mikalor clamps for me too.

Re the item the hose fits onto like thermostat housings I've emery paper'd the surface then using a Dremel with a small grinder tool cleaned out any corroded pits in the surface the smeared JB weld over the surface let it dry/cure well then emery paper the surface smooth, worked well on the Spit & Vitesse, it's lasted without any break out of the corrosion over 20 years. The JB Weld when sanded smooths stays off grey and it's hard to differentiate from the parent metal.

we have also done a mates E Type water pump housing the same and its still OK.

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48 minutes ago, JohnD said:

prefer to use self-amalgamating silicone tape, a single wrap around the nozzle.

Just googled it, what a good solution! 

I can see Peter's idea working on corroded casting mating faces but the tape seems a quick and easy solution for leaky hoses. 

Iain 

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there is a problem with painted or shiny surfaces in the hose wont grip the fitting 

we had a lot of experience with this on some of the many metal tubes on a truck  under presssure the hose gets pushed off we had to change the paint and 

double the bellmouth on the tubes   and  a as a supplement to early life leaks  added a anti leak pellet (dog T) in every bottom pipe 

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I had a devil of a job sealing my rad hoses as the tube ends are not perfectly round. They do have 'sausage swages' on the tube ends but it took the Mikalor clamps to seal properly. I'll definitely buy a roll of the tape as a handy alternative. 

Iain 

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Yes they can be a problem and you dont see the leaks because under pressure the coolant flashes off directly to steam. The early warning I notice is that the radiator overflow pipe is empty even though the bottle has got plenty in it.

I do wonder if the hoses will stick to any self amalgamating tape on the connections though... 

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2 hours ago, johny said:

Yes they can be a problem and you dont see the leaks because under pressure the coolant flashes off directly to steam. The early warning I notice is that the radiator overflow pipe is empty even though the bottle has got plenty in it.

I do wonder if the hoses will stick to any self amalgamating tape on the connections though... 

Yes, they do.    And that IS the point!

If the hose needed to come off, then the tape may be peeled out of the hose end with needle nose pliers.

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