I replaced my lower radiator hose a few months ago and have a very slow drip now. It has one of the big spring clamps on it (at the radiator, which is plastic). I'm just curious how tight I should get it. Is there a torque spec or just tighten it by feel?
I don't want to find out the hard way by crack the bottom neck of the radiator.
Spring clamp tension on hoses
Discussion in 'Volvo Forum' started by 86scotty, Sep 23, 2021.
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If it’s a silicone hose, might take a little while to seal up. If it’s a silicone clamp, which I’m sure it is, it has the inside liner that keeps it from cutting into the hose. I usually get them good and tight. That’s on a metal tube though. The inside liner makes them hard to tighten. Almost impossible to get them tight on small heater hoses. Once it’s tightened all the way, springs totally collapsed they really don’t have a constant tension effect anymore. I think a little permatex no.1 or no. 2 on the pipe would help a lot. Too late for that, unless you drain it. Maybe push clamp up against the flare if it isn’t already, and tighten it, along with a second clamp, either behind it, or on the flare itself, depending on what seems best.I recently had one snap in half on the bottom radiator hose. Right in the middle of the band. Best SS constant tension clamp made. Never saw that before. Maybe I had it too tight? Lol. Luckily I was on a fuel island and had a spare clamp. Try tightening it a little bit at a time, while it’s hot. They usually seep when cold. “Cold Leak” they call it. Very common when they first started using silicone hoses. Brand new mid 90s Trucks would seep for a while, after sitting for the weekend, had to top off the coolant. Eventually sealing up on their Own.
86scotty Thanks this. -
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This is often an incorrectly tightened type of clamp, it needs spring tension to do is job as constant tension.86scotty Thanks this. -
I'll post a pic of where mine is before I tighten it. Maybe I just got lucky til now and it's never been tight enough.
I really hate torquing down anything plastic though. Dang plastic radiators in everything nowadays.
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