1995 Camry Coolant leakage from radiator hose

[TeamMaf]

Well alternator issue is down,

Now I have coolant leaking from an area where seemingly because of the design of the radiator it imposes an issue. My dad had the same issue on his accord. Where you slip the hose over the radiator spout(not sure of terminology) and clamp it on is plastic. I was told u dont want to over-tighten otherwise you'll crack the plastic where the hose slides on. Well because of this I end up leaking a bit of coolant.

I was told on choice older cars where u hook the hose onto is metal therefore you can tighten the clamp down tight as hell and never have a leak.

Any way you can address this issue with a shim or some type of special clamp?

[TedL]

OEM clamp is spring type that automatically applies correct tension when released. "Issue" is people who substitute their engineering judgment for Toyota's.

[JohnGD]

Plastic radiator tanks (nylon 6,6 with ~30% glass fiber reinforcement = "PA66-GF30" molded on there) and aluminum fins are the norm these days. IMO the spring clamps are the best. Reuse the old ones or get new ones from the dealer.

These keep the right tension on the hoses even as the rubber takes a set. The worm-gear type can come loose or get overtightened. Sounds like the clamps are a bit undertightened? To be safe get the spring clamps. You can capture drained coolant in a clean pan and reuse. Otherwise just carefully tighten a little more until the next coolant change.

[TeamMaf]

Originally Posted by TedL

OEM clamp is spring type that automatically applies correct tension when released. "Issue" is people who substitute their engineering judgment for Toyota's.

http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&b...u_JiPCQ&zoom=1

Is this the above spring clamp we are mentioning here?

I was wondering cause my dad used the standard worm clamp and those things suck. HE probably damaged or broke or threw away the old ones if the spring clamps were on there OEM. Or the person who had the car before us had a radiator changed and the pitched em.

[TedL]

That's their general appearance. Note that they must be very closely sized to the fitting/hose they go on to work properly. And then they work exceptionally well. IIRC, they list for ~$3 OEM. Automatically tighten themselves as they compress the hose when temps rise and soften the hose. They never overtighten. Worth the extra buck or two.

[nevada]

my opinion differs. i hate the spring clamps, and replace them with a normal hose clamp every chance i get.

[TeamMaf]

Originally Posted by TedL

That's their general appearance. Note that they must be very closely sized to the fitting/hose they go on to work properly. And then they work exceptionally well. IIRC, they list for ~$3 OEM. Automatically tighten themselves as they compress the hose when temps rise and soften the hose. They never overtighten. Worth the extra buck or two.

I noticed while looking underneath the hood I still have what look like stock OEM spring clamps coming off hoses by the throttle body, they are rusted but there are no apparent leaks there.

Anyone know of websites online that sell "accurate" ones to what I would need.

[JohnGD]

For the smaller diameter ones you match up the hose outer diameter and find assorted ones at parts stores. The label should say which sizes they fit (SAE mostly). NAPA can probably go through their catalog and order specific ones. Otherwise get them at your local dealer, which I think is the easiest.