how's your hose clamp
- Thread starter jlat
- Start date
On the worm clamps if you use them get good good quality ones. Most ones out today are junk cheap steel and poor manufacture quality. This was a problem even back when working for Pontiac Dealer. The ones I got were made in Germany and were great, just don't recall manufacturer now.
The trick to the worm clamp is make it snug ... Just snug then get engine to operating temperature ... Full 15 PSI. Then check for seepage and leaks. Snug up until seepage or leak stops. Then drive car normal and recheck. At six months recheck. Usually you will find some small seepage just tighten to get seepage to stop then 1/4 to 1/2 turn. You will be fine.
Too many techs don't do this especially after changing out hoses. The rubber has to heat cycle before it will be pliable enough to get a proper seal. Usually after R&R the worm clamps will be installed and way over torqued, as previously noted. This will warp, bend, (weaken) the barrel and you actually lose clamping pressure when done that way.
You can always see an improperly applied clamp. The cross section of the clamp will have a definitive arc and that clamp will leak or break eventually, never reuse any of those that are bent or warped. You can see the worm gear going in at an angle and not parallel, it's junk when it does that,... It was over torqued.
The spring clamps are a "fire and forget" type application, but they apply a higher net pressure over a smaller space. Factory uses them because of cost and can be used for multiple applications over multiple lines.
What ever you do for which ever you use... Make sure once you finish..., the clamps are not in a position making them hard to remove or adjust, and not setup to where it's going take a chunk out of your hand or forearm when you are in there working on something else.
The trick to the worm clamp is make it snug ... Just snug then get engine to operating temperature ... Full 15 PSI. Then check for seepage and leaks. Snug up until seepage or leak stops. Then drive car normal and recheck. At six months recheck. Usually you will find some small seepage just tighten to get seepage to stop then 1/4 to 1/2 turn. You will be fine.
Too many techs don't do this especially after changing out hoses. The rubber has to heat cycle before it will be pliable enough to get a proper seal. Usually after R&R the worm clamps will be installed and way over torqued, as previously noted. This will warp, bend, (weaken) the barrel and you actually lose clamping pressure when done that way.
You can always see an improperly applied clamp. The cross section of the clamp will have a definitive arc and that clamp will leak or break eventually, never reuse any of those that are bent or warped. You can see the worm gear going in at an angle and not parallel, it's junk when it does that,... It was over torqued.
The spring clamps are a "fire and forget" type application, but they apply a higher net pressure over a smaller space. Factory uses them because of cost and can be used for multiple applications over multiple lines.
What ever you do for which ever you use... Make sure once you finish..., the clamps are not in a position making them hard to remove or adjust, and not setup to where it's going take a chunk out of your hand or forearm when you are in there working on something else.
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Hmmm. German hose clamps. I'm familiar with the German STYLE of clamps. They're actually pretty darn good as the clamp doesn't have the screw thread holes stamped into it. The surface is embossed to accept the screw threads without scrubbing/slicing into the hose. Only two Euro clamps I can think of off-hand is Oetiker and Gemi. They make some good sh*t but I don't know if they're German companies. Can't recall if they're actually made in Germany, but they use them on some of the higher end Eurotrash cars. I've also seen Oetiker band clamps used on GM junk.
Some older cars used USA-made Wittek tower clamps, and unless you get the OLD SCHOOL version, not the repops, those likely aren't strong as the originals and may fail. IMO, original Witteks were decent clamps, but not designed for the abuse they received. They were "famous" for their aviation clamps. They got good contracts with GM, Ford, etc., and they fit and functioned as designed and unfortunately, just not the best option, except for maybe show car points.
Some older cars used USA-made Wittek tower clamps, and unless you get the OLD SCHOOL version, not the repops, those likely aren't strong as the originals and may fail. IMO, original Witteks were decent clamps, but not designed for the abuse they received. They were "famous" for their aviation clamps. They got good contracts with GM, Ford, etc., and they fit and functioned as designed and unfortunately, just not the best option, except for maybe show car points.
Oetiker? Maybe. They had like a circle with and arrow through it for a Logo that was stamped on the barrel. The actual worm gear was tight, didn't wobble around. I just remember they were made precise.
I think maybe NAPA was where I got them. I first saw them on a early Sixties Opel Coupe with a SBC 350. I remember going a couple places and had the counter men dig into it and find a source.
The tower clamps got cut off, never reused. Plus the way they were made the band as it wrapped around and tightened would have a dimple in it and set from the original adjustment. They got tossed
I think maybe NAPA was where I got them. I first saw them on a early Sixties Opel Coupe with a SBC 350. I remember going a couple places and had the counter men dig into it and find a source.
The tower clamps got cut off, never reused. Plus the way they were made the band as it wrapped around and tightened would have a dimple in it and set from the original adjustment. They got tossed
Exactly. There's actually a method to get them loose without much fanfare by using a screwdriver and hammer to lightly tap them open after substantial loosening, but most just used a hammer and whacked the top of the screw straight out without regard to the captured nut or tower. You could quickly bend or mushroom the fasteners turning them into garbage doing it like that. I've used them over on cars before, but replaced them if they were damaged. Not a big fan.
Oetiker clamps are more famous for their "eared" pinch clamps. They really are a one and done. On G-bodies, they used them mostly for PS pump return lines and A.I.R. hoses.
If most industries were like the Navy, they considered those Wittek tower clamps to basically be sacrificial and replaced them when a hose got replaced. Not intended for repeated use, although they were used more than once. We had some non-critical equipment low pressure hoses on the submarine that had tower hose clamps and the maintenance instructions said to remove and discard those clamps when removed during service. I replaced them every time. But I had removed some that I know that were "used".
I can see the tower clamps as beneficial during assembly as you use a nut runner with preset torque. I just cut them off or used a pair of side cutters.
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