Lower radiator hose will NOT stop

[Ramblin Fever]

dripping. Only does it when the engine is cold first thing in the morning.

The engine has all new hoses, including this one. It's dripping where it mounts to the lower radiator, I have very slightly tightened it up a bit - was told to be careful cause the mounting on the bottom of the radiator is plastic.

Thing is is I've tightened it just a tad over the last 2 mornings, thinking it's done dripping, but sure enough go to start it stone-cold this morning and it starts dripping again. However, after running for only 3-4 minutes it stops dripping automatically, so I can't ever decide if it's on tight enough or not.

Think the problem is is I'm afraid of breaking/bending the plastic mount on the radiator and the only way to get at this bracket is with a wrench, which I know is not right to use in this case, but I can't get at it with a screw driver.

Anyone have ideas - is this a bad hose, or a case of being too paranoid and not tightening it enough??

When the engine is warm, there's NO leaking what-so-ever!

 

[eljefino]

bracket? You mean hose clamp?

A wrench (or preferably a socket with extention) is fine to use to get these things tighter. Should see them just slightly cutting into the rubber of the hose.

Also you might get lucky and have the hose form/stick to the radiator nipple over time and stop the leak. But go tighten 'er another turn or two.

And make sure your radiator drain petcock is good and tight, they are usually in the same area as the lower hose mount.

 

[Quest]

It would be to your best interest to check the lower radiator hose mating surface for tightness, dirt/debris and also potential damage to the hose mating surface.

granted that your replacement hose is exact fit (tight) and no damages/cracks to your radiator hose (plastic you say?) mating part, it should not leak.If yours experiencing some form of leaking, I would check the aformentioned first.

(*p.s. I've recently came across some replacement plastic radiators with smaller than factory spec'ed water hose mating pipe outer diameter...

 

[Ramblin Fever]

Alrighty, I went out there and gave 3 hoses another good turn on the clamp. Gonna take her for a good drive today, it's warm and I've got cabin fever of the worst kind.

Kind of liked the old lower hose better - didn't leak

!

Thanks, guess we'll see in the morning if she pees again - you'd think after 9yrs it be potty-trained by now!

 

[Kestas]

Are you sure it's leaking from that connection and not from somewhere just above it? After 9 years the radiatior may have sprung a leak.

 

[jef1ge]

rtv it.

 

[Ramblin Fever]

Well, I was lying underneith it earlier and literally getting dripped on and was dripping off that hose, no where around it, behind it, or above it was there any antifreeze, so I'm assuming it's the hose, but it could be the radiator I guess.

 

[Gary Allan]

This is classic loose hose syndrome. The rubber is a passive seal. When you start it up cold ..there's pressure build up ..but no increase in temp. When it warms up ..the hose expands and seals just fine. It will hold when cold since the hose cools as the pressure is reduced.

Your plastic hose bib is allegedly stronger then the copper one on all metal rads. They just can sustain no damage. They will not bend or dimple. They will break instead. So, tighten as you would a metal rad.

 

[George7941]

Using RTV gasket maker, as mentioned above, will definitely stop the leak. The rtv makes the hose prone to popping off under pressure (don't ask me how I know), so make sure that there is a nice ridge on the rad nipple that the hose can bite on to and, of course, tighten the hose clamp really well. Sometimes it helps to use two hose clamps side by side with their worms opposite each other. Also the GM coolant pellets will stop small leaks without gumming up your rad and heater core passages.

 

[1sttruck]

Make sure that the inside of the hose and the outside of the connector are clean, although it's a bit late now unless you're willing to drain the coolant. Make sure that the hose clamp is properly positioned, use two if need and if the area allows it. Carefully check for cracks if you do darin it and inspect it. I find that the adjustable hose clamps do better than the spring clamps, as I had to replace several this weekend after replacing a radiator.

The mechano gods of the Ford cult demand regular offerings of parts (the one of the stupid crimped on plastic tanks on the radiator cracked).

 

[Ramblin Fever]

Ok, problem "seems" to be resolved for now. I did tighten it a bit more, as previously stated, and took it for a 200 mile drive that same day.

These last couple mornings have been rather cool, but not cold, so I'm not 100% positive that it's fixed, as the mornings that it was dripping were 15-20F respectively. This morning it was 39F.

But, as they say, a leak is a leak, so I'm presuming it's fixed now.

Thank you all!

 

[Schmoe]

Torque all hose clamps and use a ratched instead of a flat head screwdriver. Had to do that many o' times.

 

[cousincletus]

I think the spring clamps (like the type GM uses) work best at preventing cold water leaks. I have used Permatex #2 in the past for leaky hoses.

 

[Shannow]

Be careful with plastics...they creep.

I chased a leak on the lower hose to coolant manifold on my J-car for years...neck snapped off (the manifold).

Told my father, who was mainatinign two similar engines, and both were near failure.

When the plastic heats, it expands...against the screw clamps. The plastic is operating in a plastic zone, and stress relieves, necking the spigot, ultimately to failure.

Until running across these plastic bits, I thought screw clamps and torque were the best. Now I agree with cousincletus that the spring clamps are pretty OK