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Two Hose Clamps Not Always Better than One!
Lucky pre-trip find.Finishing up preventative & regular maintenance items in advance of our soon 4,000+ mile multi-state summer vacation and decided to also inspect the coolant hoses running to the dash evaporator and found a small coolant hose leak.The cause…. At some point in the past, someone placed two hose clamps over the copper plumbing when room for only one clamp existed. The second clamp was tightened half on and half off the end of the copper pipe and when torqued, it cut the hose.Fortunate the leak was small and the cut never expanded as it certainly would have left us on the side of the road, but has not in the near two years we have owned it.Solution was removing the bad section of hose, purchasing & using matching 3/4” copper tubing as a coupler, then replacing the 7/8” hose AND using lined clamps.Unfortunately replacement silicone hose in 7/8” was not available locally, yet NAPA heavy duty was available. -
4 Replies
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Good post Jeff for all of us to see.
AL
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Jeff
How about finding a shop to form a bead on the cooper tube to stop the hose from slipping and as well as not requiring 2 hose clamps. A radiator shop would have a bead forming tool.
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Thank you Al. I do try to share stuff.
Hish… The “factory” copper does have a slight rolled lip.
****BUT THAT NOW makes me wonder if the piece of residential 3/4″ copper that I had to use to make a custom size ( 2 1/2″ total length ) coupler must have rolled lips and two clamps? Will it move? Will it fail? This “custom” coupler I made does Not have a lip on each end.
AND because of extremely limited space, I am not able to use two hose clamps.
Used 3/4″ copper pipe to match the factory size copper and because no 3/4″ couplers were available from NAPA. Hose size is 7/8″
Hoping to head out on 4,000+ mile trip just after mother’s day.
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Good stuff Jeff
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