jblackburn » I finally took care of the last leak on my car – the lower radiator hose was dripping from where the clamp had bit into the hose too much and was beginning to leave bigger and bigger puddles under my car where I park.
John (JDS60R) told me about the Gates heat-shrink radiator clamps at Carquest, so I went out and got one (they’re about $5 and some change).
I cut the lower radiator hose to get a non-squished section of it and put it back on, then set to shrinking it with a hairdryer. This is apparently a common problem with the new rubber that they make their radiator hoses out of – they just leak.
That didn’t work very well. I have an old one that’s only 1200 watts, and with the cold wind blowing a bit, it was nowhere near hot enough to really shrink the thing. After 10-15 minutes of that, I had it CLOSE to the hose, but nowhere near snug enough. I put all the coolant back in and started the car with a pan under it in hopes it would shrink even more. Once the thermostat opened up, the dripping got slower and slower, the fan turned on a couple times, and I figured it was good. I went on a 5 minute drive around the block and brought it back and parked it…only to find it STILL leaking.
You need the clamp to get really, really hot (John says ~300 degrees), so I’d recommend either having a REAL heat gun instead of a hairdryer, or do what I did and go make the engine really hot on some twisty roads. Once it shrunk to make a good fit, it completely stopped the dripping and the clamp has such a big surface area that it makes a very good seal on the lower hose.
JDS60R » The gates Powergrip SB clamps are one time use and can be removed with a soldering iron. It causes no damage to the hose. A special thin T knife can be used but I don’t have one.
I have had success with URO hose and these clamps but do prefer Gates or Volvo hoses. Especially on the heater hoses.
JBlack – these cars initially offended me with leaks as well. I have been able to remove those issues, except for the standard 150K failures of heater core and rad with the use of Volvo coolant and distilled/demineralized water, Amsoil engine oil and trans fluid and Gates powergrip SB clamps. The oil leaks and PCV box/breatehr box/flame trap clogging is eliminated with Amsoil if you are starting with a PCV system or engine oil seal that does not already leak or is rock hard. One of the aspects of oil that is often not mentioned is how it handles the seals and if it creates sludge due to break down or high burn off levels. This also makes a huge difference in the sensors lifespan.
By following the above every time I do a repair the cars run dry and clean. I use Volvo coolant because its the right one for the car. I use Amsoil so I don’t have to deal with any leaks or clogs or sensors or EGR’s that would clog or die prematurely. I use the clamps to stop the coolant leaks – especially at the oil coolers on the back of the oil pan. These clamps are the only way to go on that oil cooler.
I have three engines, one mine, others belong to customers or friends, That now have over 100,000 miles with this system and they are bone dry under the hood ,the sensors are still functioning within range (although if I see an oxy sensor with 100K miles on it – I’m changing it) and the breather box is still working fine. One of the engines is over 150K ,its my friends in GA and he still has everything original except for oxy sensors and a thermostat I threw in when I was flushing the coolant at 100K.
- The hoses and clamps stay on until they leak or 8 years.
- The Amsoil oil is changed once per year or at 25,000 miles (no turbo) or 15,000miles (turbo).
- Volvo oil filter is changed every 7500 miles.
- Volvo coolant is changed every 3 years.
- Amsoil trans fluid gets changed every 60K miles (50K on turbos)
- Timing belt and pump changed on time
- Oxy sensors every 100K with Bosch direct fit.
- The engine,trans and any differential or AWD unit gets a high strength high heat magnet to catch the slag and an Amsoil fluid repalcement.
That’s the JD secret formula for Volvo 5 cyl success. (Its a secret because few listen, many argue and the successful keep it to themselves)
I am sure there are other products that may work. This is what I came up with over the last 28 years for me. It works every time for me so I am sticking with it. If I ever see it fail I will drop the product from the formula. I have used only this formula for over ten years now and I and my friends customers love it. Forgot to say this but I do like to use Shell gas here in TN.
