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That moment when a coolant leak was hiding in plain sight!
Had a customer come in with overheating issues, and we checked everything. The leak was from a tiny crack in the radiator hose clamp, right where it connects! It was so small, we almost missed it. What's the sneakiest leak you've ever found?
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sam_anderson6mo ago
Gavin, do you take the clamp off to check the hose carefully?
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jade6475mo ago
Oh man, this is making me remember something. If the hose looks fine, check the actual pipe nipple it's clamped onto. I've seen those get a tiny groove worn into them from the clamp biting down over the years. The seal breaks on the metal, not the rubber. You can sand it smooth if it's not too deep, but sometimes you just need a new piece of pipe.
4
gavinw856mo ago
Hold on, that's interesting but you might have it backwards. The clamp itself does not crack much. It is most often the hose that goes bad where the clamp sits. The steady pressure and heat make the rubber weak over time. So that small leak is from the hose, not the clamp. It is a common error because the clamp is right there, but the real problem is the hose giving out. Always look at the hose under the clamp for thin cracks.
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