Hose clamps for coolant hoses

[g00sestepper]

Hi

I am planning on completing a full overhaul of the waterworks on my 2004 c4s and I am busy accumulating all parts required (water pump, lt tstat, entire hose replacements).

I have been looking into the hose clamp side of things and it seems like it could become quite an expensive job for them given how many looks to be required!

However, I have come across JCS hi-grip SS clamps being sold by someone else and wrapped up in their packaging (2 for 99p / $1) which is far far less than anywhere else (nearly double that for 1).

Has anyone come across these or used them before? They do have a British kite mark stamped on them so should be good. There are not many reviews online but of the ones I can see, they get a good write up.

In terms of sizes, does anyone know what the most and least required sizes and how many approx are required for a full hose change?

On the shelves (where they may have more in the storeroom), they currently have

12.5 to 19mm

19 to 25mm

28 to 40mm

38 to 53mm

Are these sufficient, or would further sizes be required?

Am I better just biting the bullet and paying for ABA Norma?

I am unsure of the band width which from researching I understand can be problematic when trying to get water tight... What is the width I should be looking for?

Also, what is the procedure once you have the hoses off? I have read some TSBs which seems to suggest cleaning the metal pipes with a scotch, dipping the new hose in water, and popping it on then tighten the clamp. I have read other places that suggest adhesives etc..... What is the best course of action from start to finish for this?

Thanks in advance.

[JFP in PA]

Hi

I am planning on completing a full overhaul of the waterworks on my 2004 c4s and I am busy accumulating all parts required (water pump, lt tstat, entire hose replacements).

I have been looking into the hose clamp side of things and it seems like it could become quite an expensive job for them given how many looks to be required!

However, I have come across JCS hi-grip SS clamps being sold by someone else and wrapped up in their packaging (2 for 99p / $1) which is far far less than anywhere else (nearly double that for 1).

Has anyone come across these or used them before? They do have a British kite mark stamped on them so should be good. There are not many reviews online but of the ones I can see, they get a good write up.

In terms of sizes, does anyone know what the most and least required sizes and how many approx are required for a full hose change?

On the shelves (where they may have more in the storeroom), they currently have

12.5 to 19mm

19 to 25mm

28 to 40mm

38 to 53mm

Are these sufficient, or would further sizes be required?

Am I better just biting the bullet and paying for ABA Norma?

I am unsure of the band width which from researching I understand can be problematic when trying to get water tight... What is the width I should be looking for?

Also, what is the procedure once you have the hoses off? I have read some TSBs which seems to suggest cleaning the metal pipes with a scotch, dipping the new hose in water, and popping it on then tighten the clamp. I have read other places that suggest adhesives etc..... What is the best course of action from start to finish for this?

Thanks in advance.

Stainless worm drives are an excellent alternative, and the sizes you mentioned should suit your needs. Your best bet for correct fitment is to take the old ones off and then go to the parts store to match them up with replacements. Clean all the fittings or surfaces with a Scotch Brite pad. No sealant of any kind is needed. You may also want to acquire a hose removal tool:

This is a $5 (US) tool you can find anywhere, including Amazon.com, and will make getting the old hoses off a snap.

[g00sestepper]

Hi

I am planning on completing a full overhaul of the waterworks on my 2004 c4s and I am busy accumulating all parts required (water pump, lt tstat, entire hose replacements).

I have been looking into the hose clamp side of things and it seems like it could become quite an expensive job for them given how many looks to be required!

However, I have come across JCS hi-grip SS clamps being sold by someone else and wrapped up in their packaging (2 for 99p / $1) which is far far less than anywhere else (nearly double that for 1).

Has anyone come across these or used them before? They do have a British kite mark stamped on them so should be good. There are not many reviews online but of the ones I can see, they get a good write up.

In terms of sizes, does anyone know what the most and least required sizes and how many approx are required for a full hose change?

On the shelves (where they may have more in the storeroom), they currently have

12.5 to 19mm

19 to 25mm

28 to 40mm

38 to 53mm

Are these sufficient, or would further sizes be required?

Am I better just biting the bullet and paying for ABA Norma?

I am unsure of the band width which from researching I understand can be problematic when trying to get water tight... What is the width I should be looking for?

Also, what is the procedure once you have the hoses off? I have read some TSBs which seems to suggest cleaning the metal pipes with a scotch, dipping the new hose in water, and popping it on then tighten the clamp. I have read other places that suggest adhesives etc..... What is the best course of action from start to finish for this?

Thanks in advance.

Stainless worm drives are an excellent alternative, and the sizes you mentioned should suit your needs. Your best bet for correct fitment is to take the old ones off and then go to the parts store to match them up with replacements. Clean all the fittings or surfaces with a Scotch Brite pad. No sealant of any kind is needed. You may also want to acquire a hose removal tool:

This is a $5 (US) tool you can find anywhere, including Amazon.com, and will make getting the old hoses off a snap.

Thanks for this John, I will do. A couple of my hoses are showing signs of wear I think..... There are some pink stains around the edges. They are squeezy and not brittle and seem ok..... As a rule of thumb, are they shot and need replacing if they leak at the edges? Or should they be removed and cleaned etc every so often to stop leaks?

There are worm clips on some of these already but they don't look to be the best of quality..... In the meantime before I start and drain the coolant etc / pressure test, should I replace the worm clips to see if it makes a difference first? (just managed to pick up a used blue point pressure testing tool for peanuts on flea bay - was going to vacuum test too with a uview airlift).

Also, this may be a stupid question but does the airlift work with a compressor (I.e. Shop air) that blows rather than sucks ..... And the fact that it blows past the t pipe draws the air out of system creating a vacuum? I have a small compressor for car tyres that goes to 250psi and runs off cig lighter socket. If the above is correct, would this do the job do you think?

When I changed the oil a few weeks ago, the clips weren't on that tight (and the expansion tank was slowly going down prior to this date but hasn't since) so I tightened them up.... Could it be that they are cheapies and so have worked themselves loose?

Cheers

[JFP in PA]

Hi

I am planning on completing a full overhaul of the waterworks on my 2004 c4s and I am busy accumulating all parts required (water pump, lt tstat, entire hose replacements).

I have been looking into the hose clamp side of things and it seems like it could become quite an expensive job for them given how many looks to be required!

However, I have come across JCS hi-grip SS clamps being sold by someone else and wrapped up in their packaging (2 for 99p / $1) which is far far less than anywhere else (nearly double that for 1).

Has anyone come across these or used them before? They do have a British kite mark stamped on them so should be good. There are not many reviews online but of the ones I can see, they get a good write up.

In terms of sizes, does anyone know what the most and least required sizes and how many approx are required for a full hose change?

On the shelves (where they may have more in the storeroom), they currently have

12.5 to 19mm

19 to 25mm

28 to 40mm

38 to 53mm

Are these sufficient, or would further sizes be required?

Am I better just biting the bullet and paying for ABA Norma?

I am unsure of the band width which from researching I understand can be problematic when trying to get water tight... What is the width I should be looking for?

Also, what is the procedure once you have the hoses off? I have read some TSBs which seems to suggest cleaning the metal pipes with a scotch, dipping the new hose in water, and popping it on then tighten the clamp. I have read other places that suggest adhesives etc..... What is the best course of action from start to finish for this?

Thanks in advance.

Stainless worm drives are an excellent alternative, and the sizes you mentioned should suit your needs. Your best bet for correct fitment is to take the old ones off and then go to the parts store to match them up with replacements. Clean all the fittings or surfaces with a Scotch Brite pad. No sealant of any kind is needed. You may also want to acquire a hose removal tool:

This is a $5 (US) tool you can find anywhere, including Amazon.com, and will make getting the old hoses off a snap.

Thanks for this John, I will do. A couple of my hoses are showing signs of wear I think..... There are some pink stains around the edges. They are squeezy and not brittle and seem ok..... As a rule of thumb, are they shot and need replacing if they leak at the edges? Or should they be removed and cleaned etc every so often to stop leaks?

There are worm clips on some of these already but they don't look to be the best of quality..... In the meantime before I start and drain the coolant etc / pressure test, should I replace the worm clips to see if it makes a difference first? (just managed to pick up a used blue point pressure testing tool for peanuts on flea bay - was going to vacuum test too with a uview airlift).

Also, this may be a stupid question but does the airlift work with a compressor (I.e. Shop air) that blows rather than sucks ..... And the fact that it blows past the t pipe draws the air out of system creating a vacuum? I have a small compressor for car tyres that goes to 250psi and runs off cig lighter socket. If the above is correct, would this do the job do you think?

When I changed the oil a few weeks ago, the clips weren't on that tight (and the expansion tank was slowly going down prior to this date but hasn't since) so I tightened them up.... Could it be that they are cheapies and so have worked themselves loose?

Cheers

New stainless worm clamps are cheap, doing the job a second time because an old clamp failed just doesn't make economic sense. When we take one apart, it always gets all new clamps. Old clamps tend to start to fail slowly, causing slow and hard to find leaks. Around the shop, we have a well worn adage: "Do it right, and you only do it once."

The Uview works off of air flow and pressure across a device that uses the airflow to create vacuum. Just about any decent air compressor can pull a healthy vacuum with a Uview unit.

[Dennis Nicholls]

I've found that fresh coolant is a pretty good lubricant to slide the new rubber hoses into place.

Every hose clamp is called out by part number in the PET. I'm not sure how to cross-reference part number to size. For me I prefer to use the spring clamps as opposed to the screw clamps whenever possible. Also in the rust-free western US hose clamps last "forever".

I've run the AirLift with my very old 1HP 14 gallon tank compressor. I had to make two "passes" as the tank ran empty. It got to around "20" on the first pass, then close the valve, disconnect the supply hose, let the tank build up pressure again. The second pass easily got it up to the required "25".

If you are old like me, it's how a carburetor works to suck in gas (petrol). It's also how a flute works.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kl6R4Ui9blc

Edited May 23, 2014 by Dennis Nicholls

[Dharn55]

I have replaced almost all the spring hose clamps on my car with worm drive. however there is a vast quality difference in worm drive hose clamps. I now use ABA hose clamps, you can get them on eBay, Amazon and many other sources. They have rolled edges and the perferations don't go through to the hose. You do need to be careful as to the size used as they don't have the range of the cheap ones you will find at most hardware stores, Home Depot, etc. I learned this the hard way when i tried to tighten down one clamp beyond its range. then i was unable to get a good vacuum with my Uview and evn hold a low vacuum. It was tough to find which clamp was leaking. Finally found the leak with a stethascope.

The cheap clamps have sharp edges and tghe perferations go through the clamps and can cut into the hoses.

[Paul Grainger]

g00sestepper - I replaced most of my hoses last year when I had my engine out. None of them were leaking but they were 10 years old and some of them felt a bit 'soft'. Personally - like Dennis in the post above - I dislike worm-drive hose clamps. The main benefit of spring clamps is the fact that they apply constant pressure, this accomodates any variance or slight change in the hose outer diameter as it ages or with temperature change. I think that this is a big advantage!

Paul G

Edited May 30, 2014 by Paul Grainger