Spring Hose Clamps vs. Screw Clamps

As one who has a cracked radiator neck at the moment. I wouldn't use the screw type on a plasitic radiator for fear of overtightning. If you do use them, it may be a good idea to lightly grease the hose side of the band to help equalise the load before they dig in.

My junk box is full of spring clamps I replaced over the years. I am rethinking that.

Kinda hard to overtighten a spring clamp...

I have a Ford 1.9L with one heater hose assembly that never leaked with spring clamps but always leaked immediately with screw clamps unless I first apply rubber cement to the metal pipes. It didn't matter what brand of heater hose I tried (dimensions differed slightly).

Spring clamps are superior.

It is my personal observation that since he OEMs have gone back to the Mobeus type clamps, weeping and temperature induced (cold shrinkage) leaking is much less frequent than when they were using the screw type clamps.

Approximately 10/9/03 22:52, Mark uttered for posterity:

I have a factory service manual that explicitly says to use only fresh spring clamps when working on the hoses, never use the screw type. There are screw types that can get tight without biting into the hose, but on most older ones I see the hose it all chewed up by the clamp.

When is your governor available - I'll pay for the trip!

Powell in Florida...

I think the pipe on one brass radiator cracked at the end from overtightening, but I'm not sure. I've also seen rubber protrude through the slots of smaller spring clamps for bypass and heater hoses by 1/2". Some people just don't have a good sense for torque.

The only thing with the spring clamps is that you are not supposed to reuse them. I've found that there are places where it is VERY hard to get to a spring clamp and once I manage to get them off I find it easier to use screw clamps. Usually that's a heater hose connection buried somewhere.

"AZGuy" wrote

You can re-use spring clamps on the cooling systems.

Ian

Where can you get new, replacement spring clamps?

I have not seen them in the stores, but then again, I've never looked.

Technically, a spring clamp puts a constant pressure on the hose as the hose material is compressed and flows away from the clip. A screw type clamp get's adjusted to a specific size, and when the hose squishes out from under it will in effect loosen. You have to re-tighten screw clamps periodically, in theory. In practice, they both work fine.

Brian