coolant hose clamp

[JJK]

After reading many threads about the problems of worm gear hose clamps, I bought spring constant tension clamps for my coolant lines. Apparently the Dorman spring clamps I bought from the local auto parts store are not that good, I would not recommend. I started the engine for the first time this week and after the first run I had small leaks at a few of the spring clamps. So I quickly doubled up and added the only thing at my disposal to stop the leaking, worm gear hose clamps. There have been no more leaks, but after four starts getting the engine up to temp, I have had to retighten all the worm gear clamps. Will this cycle ever stop so the clamps stay tight or should I replace them with constant tension t-bolt clamps? If I use t-bolt clamps, can I attach them without removing the hoses like I did with the worm gear clamps?
Thanks

[proeagles]

I've never had a problem with quality worm gear clamps. Perhaps they don't make them like they used to.

[edwardb]

Yes, T-bolt style clamps can be threaded all the way out and installed without taking the hose off. My experience is they provide more clamping force than regular worm drive clamps and can seal better in the process. I use them instead of worm drive clamps in most cases. I've had the best luck however with Gates PowerGrip heat shrink clamps. A little pricey, are one-time use, and you would have to take off the hose to install. But for me they've sealed when nothing else would. Plus they look good and never need to be re-tightened.

[JJK]

great, thank you

[rich grsc]

Yep, the Gates PowerGrip look & work great

[MPTech]

X3 on the Gates PowerGrip clamps. Look & work great!
If you need to remove & re-install for any reason, buy a good quality T-bolt style clamp.

[BrewCityCobra]

Looks like others have already responded but I, too, went with the T-bolt style. I purchased mine from McMaster and those had very strong clamping ability. Also, McMaster offers them in 316 stainless so they look good as well. Only tricky part was getting the right size for each location as I had to replace a few that I had ordered that were too big.

[MB750]

I know this thread has run its course, but I had something happen this weekend related to it that I feel warrants bumping.

I'm getting very close to go-karting, but I haven't tested the fan switch yet other than bypassing it to make the fan spin. Yesterday I fired it up, went through the gears a few times (the whole car is still on the stands), then let it idle for a while as the temp gauge crept up. Meanwhile I stood outside the garage door to mitigate carbon monoxide inhalation.

It got to around 95C (why do I have a Celsius gauge?), then the fan came on. Great! So, I shut her down and went back outside the garage. After about 10 seconds, I heard this POP sound, followed by a bunch of water dripping. Basically, one of my worm gear clamps wasn't holding well enough and let go. Boiling coolant completely showered the passenger side of the engine bay and cockpit, with a decent amount also hitting the drivers side.

Shortly after the dust settled I had a reality check. Had I been sitting in the drivers seat I'd be dealing with 3rd degree burns right now. I got lucky, and I ordered a bunch of T-bolt clamps to replace them all on the whole cooling system.