Topic: Tower clamps

[PraireBronze]

What's the secret to getting radiator hose tower clamps to actually work?

[Josep]

Sorry for idiot question, (my English is not so good), are you asking where to find them..?

Josep

[CharlesTurner]

What brand are the ones you're using?  (Marti, other?)

[Josep]

I bought some from NPD, didn't pay attention to brand.

Josep

[PraireBronze]

What brand are the ones you're using?  (Marti, other?)

other 

[jwc66k]

I had no problem with any of the several sets of reproduction tower clamps I got from NPD. I think they all said Witek.
Jim

[Bob Gaines]

What's the secret to getting radiator hose tower clamps to actually work?

Some will put silicone gasket sealer on the inside of the hose before fitting to radiator to help seal difficult hoses. I have had the do that more on the wire clamps then the tower style because the holding staples for the wire clamps sometimes cause leaks.

[ChrisV289]

I use a socket to tighten them rather than the flat head screw driver.  Careful not to over tighten or you;ll snap the head off the bolt.  If you want to loosen.  Use the socket and a hammer to release the band a bit....

[PraireBronze]

The problem I'm having (or more correctly, the shop that put them on was having) is that the bolt is going all different directions and sliding off the little plate.  Seems like one side of the band is sliding like it should, but the other side isn't (if that makes sense) causing the top of the tower to angle over.  I can't get them tight this way.  Both top and bottom hoses are spraying.

[tvor]

I had that happen with one of my tower clamps.  If I recall, I backed off the bolt and then used a small hammer to tap the side that was sticking.  Once it was parallel with the other side, I used a socket to tighten it up again.

Hope that works for you.

[tvor]

I got to thinking on this more.  I ended up trying a few things.  I recall also taking the clamp off, squeezing it with channel locks to square up the tower bolt and also squeezing it so that the band moved inside the crimp that was not functioning.  I then put it back on and slowly tightened it, being real careful to keep the bolt in the center and not letting it slip to one side.  If I recall, I might have needed to persuade it a bit at the top with a few taps with a small hammer.  I did get it to go, the key problem being that it did;t want to slide on one side of the crimp.

Hope that all makes sense.

[NEFaurora]

The secret??  A good socket! If you are thinking that you can just tighten them snug using just a screwdriver, You can forget it.  You need to use a socket I have found.  It tightens them real nice..

If you are using NEW hoses, You have to re-tighten them down snug every few hundred miles.. Just a note.

)

Tony K.

[PraireBronze]

I guess what I find really interesting about all this is that Ford put on literally millions of these things a presumably they worked well, or they wouldn't have used them.  And here we are, talking about tapping them with hammers, pliers, and what not to get them perform.      Is it once again that the reproduction part is far inferior to the original part?

[67gtasanjose]

A few more tips:
Aside from any issue you might have with the clamp itself, you wish to ensure the outlet of the radiator, heater core, water pump, thermostat housing are in good repair and ROUND before attempting ANY clamp. Heater core nipples or radiator connections can be checked or straightened as needed using a correct size socket or pipe inserted into them and tapped straight carefully. A reused hose can cause issues also since the clamp can bottom out before tightening enough. As mentioned, a black RTV sealer (such as "The Right Stuff" by Permatex) can help some with sealing against shrinkage (over time a radiator hose shrinks at the clamp from expanding & contracting, a reason the "spring-type" clamps have been adopted on newer vehicles)