Ron U.S.M.C.

Has anyone used these yet?
I have done a lot of reading and they have me interested. I am going to replace my water pump and lower radiator hose and thought I would ask for a few opinions.
Gates = http://www.gates.com/brochure.cfm?br...ocation_id=546
Jegs = http://www.jegs.com/p/Gates/Gates-Po...43359/10002/-1
And at my local auto parts store = http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/de...0189&ppt=C0075

Ron U.S.M.C.

I e-mailed Gates asking if they can be used on plastic connections ? My radiator has plastic sides including the inlet and outlet pipes.

jakemussman

iTrader: (3)

I have used them. They worked really nice and looked clean. There wasn't an issue when i installed them and i also have thermo plastic end tanks.

watajob

iTrader: (29)

$5 for a hose clamp?! Wow!

fireturd350

iTrader: (8)

I've seen these a few times in "readers rides" in magazines. Look interesting.

I'm sure they work well. IMO these would be good if you're trying to get an ultra clean look, fix a leaking hose clamp connection, or can't easily get to a hose clamp due to space or location.

Overall I don't like the idea of having to cut and buy a heat shrink clamp everytime I remove the hose.

Ron U.S.M.C.

After crawling under the car and getting a good look at the radiator hose I can definitely see that its not a candidate for the power clamps. The upper radiator hose is a different story. Its not ready to be changed yet but I will be using the Powergrip clamps to get rid of the nasty looking worm gear clamps mainly for cosmetic reasons.

Side note = I looked into the worm gear clamp covers but haven't found any in radiator hose diameter. Even the ones that were close did not come in black.

cowansauto

iTrader: (2)

They say you have to rotate these so that the text is upwards which kinda defeats the purpose of a clean look. Has anyone that used these not turned them up this way?

jakemussman

iTrader: (3)

Mine werent turned to face up when I used them and I didn't have any issues. It's probably more about their brand name being visible then anything else.

Ron U.S.M.C.

I e-mailed Gates and you can use them in any position. The more I look at them the more I see that they would make a nice addition to a clean bay when your car has reached the point you would like to get rid of the upper radiator hose worm drive clamps and others that can be seen right up front.

Tyler Howell

I work at an International truck dealership and those are the clamps International uses from the factory. They are very good clamps as long as they are installed correctly.

86_Dan_Z28

iTrader: (1)

Unless I am wrong, these are one time use only.

Confuzed1

iTrader: (4)

I dunno…seems kinda neat, reminds me of shrink sleeves you can get for wiring. I don't have a drain on my radiator so it wouldn't pay off for me. Seems like you'd only use those on something you don't plan to take apart for a long time.

I guess you had better have the removal tool in the car in case you split a radiator hose in the middle of nowhere…or a razor knife.

I've really never had big issues with regular clamps leaking when the temp drops below 40 degrees if they're installed right in the first place.

EDIT: But I agree, they would definitely look better than hose clamps on a show car...

87350IROC

iTrader: (2)

The Gates clamps work great and look much better than worm drives. IIRC I used alcohol to remove the labels from the clamps. Of course you can also just install the clamp with the label down.

paulo57509

Rock Auto sells them as well.

JamesC

iTrader: (5)

Notice them on a car at Mecum's.

JamesC

MY-92-RS

iTrader: (3)

These things work great...been using them for years...
We use them a lot in the heavy duty trucking industry they prevent cold leaks
Worm clamps back off a little when the hoses expand due to thermal expansion this would cause trucks to leak coolant when cold esp. in fall winter months

Look good too!!

Johnny Blaze

iTrader: (15)

Will they pass Tech?

Ron U.S.M.C.

Even though I started this thread I can't use them. If the car was show worthy I would use them on the top radiator hose and the bottom connected to the radiator. As is I replaced the upper and lower hoses and used new worm drive clamps. That was 3 weeks ago driving about 3 miles a day.I mention the miles because that's how long it took for the top radiator hose to start leaking. I checked each hose clamp and each one allowed me to turn the clamp close to a 3/4 turn of the head. I guess it’s just the new hoses breaking in. If that's possible.

paulo57509

Worm gear clamps need to be tightened periodically because the hose underneath starts to flow and deform essentially making the hose clamp "loose".

Just put hose clamp tightening on your maintenance list. I read someplace that stated they should be maintained at 15in-lb of torque. Maybe less for the small clamps you'd use on fuel hose.