Lower Radiator Hose Clamp stripped...

[TheBlue'Burban]

So now that I got my work truck back, I haven't been driving the Burb as much, and since it has been sitting for a week or so, I noticed a small puddle of coolant underneath. I crawled under and saw a drip stream coming off the lower radiator hose and the lower (crankshaft pulley?) I wiped it off, started it up to an idle, and then shut it back down, looked again, and there was the stream again. The overflow reservoir was empty, but just barely. Took about a quart of coolant to fill back to cold fill line.

I got a socket in to the hose clamp on the upper side of the lower radiator hose (attached to the block) and got about half a turn before I noticed that the clamp is stripped out.

Being a plumber by trade, I have the mechanical aptitude to probably fix this myself, but not having any real mechanical practice... thought I should ask your advice before I made a fool of myself. This is a bit of a tricky spot to get into... how hard is it to take the fan shroud off for more room to work. It looks like there are two bolts on either side of the shroud, and another holding the upper radiator hose on. Does it come apart in the middle so that I can take the upper half off without having to remove the lower?

With that added space, I should be able to slip a new clamp on and have it ready to tighten up after I take the old one off. How much pressure is on the system? Should I expect it to spurt out once the clamp is loose?
I rent a townhouse and am hoping to do this out front in the parking lot... figured I should get a catch pan and some coolant to replace any that leaks out.

Also, while I was looking, It seems as if there should be a clamp on the plastic air inlet where it attaches to the air cleaner cover. There is also a small crack in the inlet at the first rib... would that mess with the air/fuel mixture and make it run a bit rough?

I didn't see any intake or air cleaner stuff in the LMC catalog... so I figured I might ask around here.

Thanks guys!

 

[GTME94]

I don't know about the fan shroud so I can't help you there. If you take off the radiator cap first there won't be any pressure in the system, just gravity on the fluid.

Do you think you can somehow get the old clamp off without removing the hose? Not sure what type of clamp you have but those with a worm gear and often be opened enough that they come apart, then you could slip it around the hose and then tighten it up without taking the hose off. That would save you from draining the coolant. But you'd have to get the old one off somehow.

 

[jux]

Ok, yeah, the fan comes apart in half, it's easy to get to all the screws, I think you named all of them. Once that is off it shouldn't be hard to either snip the old one off after tightening a new one right before or after it. Maybe you could use some medium to heavy duty cutters to snip the whole screw housing off the clamp. Or use pliers/channel locks to unscrew it.

You can epoxy the crack in the reservoir. That's what I did and it has held up for many years. There should be a small clamp on the reservoir hose.

 

[austinado16]

If you can get to that existing clamp enough to tighten it, then you've got enough room to loosen the clamp and slide it further down the hose, where you can completely loosen it, and slide the band out of the worm gear. Then spread the clamp open and take it off the hose. Open the new clamp the same way, slide it over the hose, stick the band back into the worm gear housing and snug it up. Slide it back up the hose and into position, and tighten. You're not going to loose any coolant, and you'll be doing this on a cold engine, so there won't be any pressure built up. Leave the radiator cap on, so as to significantly reduce any "gravity feed" past the lose hose while you're swapping clamps.

Regarding the air intake hose; air "before" the throttle body is not an "air leak." It's air entering the engine after the throttle plates that would be considered a leak. So your little crack is a non-issue, and no hose clamp is needed where the plastic intake duct mates with the air filter housing. If you don't like that crack, a judicious amount of black RTV silicone would make it disappear.....applied from inside so as not to look like a *** of goop applied by a 3 year old.

 

[TheBlue'Burban]

Thanks guys, you certainly much quicker with responses than I imagined... shoot, I could practically be doing roadside assistance with this site!

I will try it tonight if I get a chance to work on it before dark. Another question I just thought of, should I get a specific radiator hose clamp, or would a regular "hardware store" worm gear hose clamp do the trick? It seems like the existing one might have some more aggressive threads than the whole bucket full of Fernco Caps and such that I have on my plumbing truck right now.

 

[jux]

Regular ones will do fine.

 

[TheBlue'Burban]

So the fan shroud is in two pieces... but it's stapled together. I got a socket in there and got the old one loose, a new one in place, and tightened up.... only to over tighten and strip the replacement out.... still leaks a little after it has been sitting for a while... not too bad. I have been keeping an eye on the coolant cold level.... went down about a quart in two weeks of running around.

I filled it back up to the cold level... and now when I am running it, there is a leak coming from the radiator side of the lower hose, and a little from the relief valve in the radiator cap... as well as some from the upper part of the lower hose. did i overfill it, even though it is at the "cold fill" level at cold? Temps are running around 180 (in 50 degree and below weather).... could my temp gauge be bad? it doesnt smell hot...

It does send out some white smoke at start up- and for a while before it warms up... but after maybe 15 minutes of running, and then the rest of the day, no smoke.

I just don't wanna keep running it if there is something major wrong... it seems to be fine, but don't wanna trash anything.

 

[RetroC10Sport]

White smoke - unless it's pouring out and fogging everything up - is normal on cold days.

 

[austinado16]

Riddle me this.

-Why did you strip out another hose clamp?
-Why didn't you just immediately install a new hose clamp?
-Why would you be driving it around leaking coolant?

Not trying to bust your balls, but c'mon man. Fix it right the first time and get on with your life!

Do yourself a favor:
-Replace the lower hose with a new, good quality molded hose from NAPA (not one of those hoses that are corrugated and have a spring inside, please!!!)

-Replace both hose clamps on that hose, with the clamps that NAPA sells.

-Prior to installing the new hose, use some sand paper and sand the hose fitting on both the radiator and the water pump, in order to remove any built up corrosion or other debris that will keep the hose from sealing properly.

-Once you have the fittings sanded, inspect them for corrosion, as well as for any holes or divets or other imperfections.

-If both fittings check out, you're ready to install the hose. But wait, there's one more step that will make this a leak proof connection..........

-While at NAPA purchase a product called "Permatex Aviation Form-A-Gasket." This is a little white plastic jar containing a brown goopy liquid that is the best gasket sealant. There is an applicator brush built into the lid. DO NOT purchase the version of this product that comes in a small tooth-paste tube. Paint the water pump and radiator fittings with this product. Paint the inside of the hose ends (both ends).

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-Now put the hose clamps on the hose with the worm gears clocked so you can get to them with a nut driver.

-Install the hose and SNUG up the clamps. SNUG, you're not choking your chicken here pal!

Repeat this process for the upper hose, and replace the radiator pressure cap. If the filler neck on the radiator has any corrosion or other imperfections, give a very light touch with the sand paper. And by sand paper, I mean some wet/dry 180, or emmery cloth......I don't mean a hunk of 80 grit out of your dad's wood shop.

When you work on automotive stuff, consider that you're working on a component based system, because you are. If one radiator hose is bad, you replace them all, because they're all either also bad, or...once you stop that leak at the bad hose, the others will leak because they're having to hold more pressure.

Take your time and have a little zen experience in that you're doing it right, and you can trust in your work, AND in that once done, you won't have to think about it any longer.

 

[89Suburban]

-While at NAPA purchase a product called "Permatex Aviation Form-A-Gasket." This is a little white plastic jar containing a brown goopy liquid that is the best gasket sealant. There is an applicator brush built into the lid. DO NOT purchase the version of this product that comes in a small tooth-paste tube. Paint the water pump and radiator fittings with this product. Paint the inside of the hose ends (both ends).

Seriously?

 

[austinado16]

Yep. Serious as a heart attack. Been doing it for decades. It also acts like a lubricant when you first slide the hoses on, so in situations where the hoses can be tough to get on, this makes 'em glide right on.

 

[skysurfer]

I have to wonder what it's like trying to change a ruptured hose out on the roadside that was installed with Permatex.

 

[austinado16]

I have to wonder what it's like trying to change a ruptured hose out on the roadside that was installed with Permatex.

a) Quality hoses aren't going to just rupture, hence why you replace them as a set/system, and buy quality hoses.

b) The aviation form-a-gasket is non-hardening. When it's time to change a hose, you just loosen the clamp, give a little twist, and pull. At the most, you might have to run a flat blade screwdriver around the circumference........but, if we're talking a hose you don't care about, and it doesn't pull off quickly (whether aviation form-a-gasket is on it or not), you're going to do what you always do; slice length-wise along the fitting and peel.

No big deal.

BTW, just to be clear, aviation form-a-gasket is not some kind of RTV silicone.

 

[TheBlue'Burban]

Well, I am ashamed to admit that I didn't take any of your advice... since we had another work truck drop a tranny, mine got given to another guy who is doing a lot of out of town work. I had to start driving Ol' Blue again, and just kept an eye on the coolant level. Seemed to be fine, just a drip now and again, and not as much when I had been running it, but rather more so if it sat. Went out of town for work Thursday into Friday, came back to a puddle of coolant leading out from under the beast... an alarming amount. Put a quart in it and drove it to my mechanic across town...

Water Pump seal and bearing had gone bad, leaking from a weep-hole and onto the hose, making it seem like it was coming from the hose. I had them replace the lower hose while they were at it, as they reccomended that I will need to be replaced soon anyhow.

Peace of mind that it was done right, priceless. Knowing that I had to drop more money into this because I don't have the time/tools/place/know-how to work on it myself - gut wrenching. Wife says "You bought it knowing that it would break down and you would have to always be fixing it, but you would love it anyway". Not sure if she is being subtle enough. .... but she is right... I do love it anyway.

 

[89Suburban]

Well, I am ashamed to admit that I didn't take any of your advice... since we had another work truck drop a tranny, mine got given to another guy who is doing a lot of out of town work. I had to start driving Ol' Blue again, and just kept an eye on the coolant level. Seemed to be fine, just a drip now and again, and not as much when I had been running it, but rather more so if it sat. Went out of town for work Thursday into Friday, came back to a puddle of coolant leading out from under the beast... an alarming amount. Put a quart in it and drove it to my mechanic across town...

Water Pump seal and bearing had gone bad, leaking from a weep-hole and onto the hose, making it seem like it was coming from the hose. I had them replace the lower hose while they were at it, as they reccomended that I will need to be replaced soon anyhow.

Peace of mind that it was done right, priceless. Knowing that I had to drop more money into this because I don't have the time/tools/place/know-how to work on it myself - gut wrenching. Wife says "You bought it knowing that it would break down and you would have to always be fixing it, but you would love it anyway". Not sure if she is being subtle enough. .... but she is right... I do love it anyway.

Tell her it still beats a car payment and higher insurance and find out how much a newer car would be to fix compared to o'l Blue. If I was closer I would help you keep her going and teach you some things you can do on your own. At least she is good to go now. Good job. What about towman over in Harrisburg, can't hook up with him with some of these minor repairs? Any other members out that way?