Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2011 21:15:53 -0800
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: Sealant necessary for coolant hoses?
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hi.
here's why ...
I have seen them not squeeze tightly enough to seal if there is corrosion
under the hose on the metal fitting. ( of course ..that's 'good' since it
forces you to deal with it ...a common trick by vw ..the most glaring
example being the old bug parking brake button that will pop out if you
don't keep the rear brakes adjusted. I've put hundreds of those back
together ..but it forces you to deal it it. lol. )
Even the special tool I have doesn't work that well.
3. when you squeeze them by whatever method...a good german angled
adjustable pliers works well for me ..
even when fully squeezed, due to the tang limiting travel ...they are hard
to get open enough to move around easily.
4. there's a lack of control..
if one of those decides to jump out of your pliers ....it could take your
eye out even. Or do serious damage.
I consider them fine for new car production....and emergency use if that's
what's in your bag of spare cooling system bits.
Otherwise ...
with good screw type you have full control...
goes on easily and comes off nicely ..
and you can check or adjust their tightness.
it's the fiddly factor that I mainly dislike.
plus ....I'm a total safety nut....
heck..I had an overdrive cable on a Rambler car transmission once, ..
jump out from where I had pushed it aside............and I thought it got my
eye ..
it had only hooked my eyelid .....Man that was close.
I just don't like things near my face or hands that can jump or spring at me
or instantly out of control.
that's why.
Scott
www.turbovans.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Beierl" <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Wednesday, February 23, 2011 7:41 PM
Subject: Re: Sealant necessary for coolant hoses?
> At 09:55 PM 2/23/2011, Scott Daniel - Turbovans wrote:
>>I don't like springey original vanagons either.
>
> Scott, I'm curious - what have you got against the flat spring-type
> clamps? It seems to me that they're so much better than worm-type
> clamps over the long term that there's simply no comparison, because
> no matter what shrinkage of the rubber occurs they automagically take
> up to the correct tension. Not to mention that it's impossible to
> set them to the wrong tension since it's built in.
>
> I agree that the wire-type spring clamp suffers from lack of clamping
> area, but I think the band type are absolutely superior, their only
> disadvantage being the need of a special tool to place and remove
> them, and the attendant awkwardness getting the tool into tight quarters.
>
> Yours,
> David
