Coolant hose clamp sizes?

[Nin]

Hi all

I'm seeking some wisdom from the collective.

I'm about to work through the minor leaks on my '04 bike, and want to replace all the worm gear "Jubilee" hose clamps with the Mikalor type. Does anyone know the size and number of clamps I'll need so I can pre-order? A deep dive into the web and the workshop manual have left me none the wiser.

Thanks in advance.

Nin


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[Blrfl]

The ones that leak are the three on the thermostat housing and the two on the engine block. Four are 22-29 mm, the one on the front of the thermostat housing is 30-37 mm. I used clamps that covered 17-32 mm without problem.

See also https://www.st-owners.com/forums/sh...300-Solving-the-Coolant-Leak-Problem-For-Good

--Mark

 

[Nin]

That's brilliant, thanks Mark.


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[CYYJ]

Just for archival purposes, in case anyone stumbles across this thread in the future, here is a picture of the clamps that Mark referred to in post #2 above:

 

[dduelin]

I found the OEM clamps perfectly serviceable up until I sold the bike at 180,000 miles. The present owner is closing on 200k.

 

[Bmacleod]

Just for archival purposes, in case anyone stumbles across this thread in the future, here is a picture of the clamps that Mark referred to in post #2 above:

Does anyone have a source for these clamps, preferably in Canada, but not a must. TIA

 

[CYYJ]

Hi Bruce:

How many do you need? I have a few left over, and I'm in Toronto. Let me know.

Michael

 

[Bmacleod]

Thanks so much Michael. I am not sure yet how many I need. I am just getting ready to dig into the bike for its winter maintenance so I havent taken the F.I. unit off yet. I plan on replacing all the clamps and hoses up top. I thought I read somewhere that someone bought a box of 10 and had a couple or three left over (perhaps that was you). Do you recall how many are needed up top?

Brent

 

[CYYJ]

Hello Brent:

I used 5 of the special clamps, 4 up top on the two 90° bend short hoses on either side of the thermostat, as can be seen in the picture below, and one on the connection to the water pump housing at the lower front right side of the engine.

These clamps must not be used on the two radiator fittings (even though they are the perfect size) because they will crush the thin pipes on the radiator when you torque them.

I have five left over (from the box of 10), you are welcome to have them at no charge. Let me know if you plan to come to Toronto in the near future, or if you would like me to mail them out to you. Be aware that you must replace the hoses if you plan on installing these clamps, because the existing hoses will have become deformed by the OEM clamp and will not seal up properly if you put a different width clamp on a 'used' hose.

For what it's worth, if you are going to go digging in deep enough to replace these hoses & clamps, I think it makes sense to replace the thermostat at the same time.

A lesson I learned from the "school of hard knocks" when doing this work is that it is essential to take lots of pictures before you start taking hoses & electrical connectors apart under that big rubber thermal mat - by the time you get around to putting it all back together, you won't remember the routing of the hoses. Remembering which hose goes where is easy, but remembering how they are all woven together is more difficult.

Lastly, to get access to the area below, you need to take the airbox off, and to remove the airbox without damage to fasteners, JIS screwdrivers are essential. See these posts: Vessel 220W Ball Grip JIS screw driver, JIS screwdriver review - a word on screws, J.I.S. Screwdrivers From McMaster-Carr, et al. I use Vessels, and am very happy with them.

Michael

4 Constant-Torque clamps up top

 

[klaproth]

Thanks, Micheal, for the info. I am thinking of doing this NEXT winter ( or as much winter as we have here).

 

[Bmacleod]

Hello Brent:

I used 5 of the special clamps, 4 up top on the two 90° bend short hoses on either side of the thermostat, as can be seen in the picture below, and one on the connection to the water pump housing at the lower front right side of the engine.

These clamps must not be used on the two radiator fittings (even though they are the perfect size) because they will crush the thin pipes on the radiator when you torque them.

I have five left over (from the box of 10), you are welcome to have them at no charge. Let me know if you plan to come to Toronto in the near future, or if you would like me to mail them out to you. Be aware that you must replace the hoses if you plan on installing these clamps, because the existing hoses will have become deformed by the OEM clamp and will not seal up properly if you put a different width clamp on a 'used' hose.

For what it's worth, if you are going to go digging in deep enough to replace these hoses & clamps, I think it makes sense to replace the thermostat at the same time.

A lesson I learned from the "school of hard knocks" when doing this work is that it is essential to take lots of pictures before you start taking hoses & electrical connectors apart under that big rubber thermal mat - by the time you get around to putting it all back together, you won't remember the routing of the hoses. Remembering which hose goes where is easy, but remembering how they are all woven together is more difficult.

Lastly, to get access to the area below, you need to take the airbox off, and to remove the airbox without damage to fasteners, JIS screwdrivers are essential. See these posts: Vessel 220W Ball Grip JIS screw driver, JIS screwdriver review - a word on screws, J.I.S. Screwdrivers From McMaster-Carr, et al. I use Vessels, and am very happy with them.

Michael

4 Constant-Torque clamps up top

Thank you Michael, that is great info and a generous offer. I will PM you. Yes I am going to replace the hoses. Wow, that is a clean motor!!
I am going to start a new thread but since your reading this, what year is your bike and what are your thoughts on the condition and stiffness of the "boots" holding the fuel injection unit on the motor? I have heard they can be a bear to install/uninstall and curious to whether the thought of getting new, softer ones is wise or a waste of money

Thanks again

 

[SMSW]

Thank you Michael, that is great info and a generous offer. I will PM you. Yes I am going to replace the hoses. Wow, that is a clean motor!!
I am going to start a new thread but since your reading this, what year is your bike and what are your thoughts on the condition and stiffness of the "boots" holding the fuel injection unit on the motor? I have heard they can be a bear to install/uninstall and curious to whether the thought of getting new, softer ones is wise or a waste of money

Thanks again

Other posts here have suggested replacing the boots for a couple of reasons - one is that old rubber deteriorates and does not get better, and the second is ease of putting things back together again. After you replace the throttle bodies, you will have to do a sync - or should since you are down there. I know I tend to go overboard on this kind of thing, but whenever I dig into the engine I replace pieces on the way to my goal.

One other point I read here, pay attention to how the clamps are oriented. The breeze clamps are huge compared to the OEM ones, and you really do not want to discover something will not fit because you put the clamp in the wrong position. I had trouble with the fairing because the clamp on the radiator was facing the wrong way. Nobody told me that the breeze clamp would crush the radiator pipe, and mine is living happily. BTW, Blrfl originally posted the torque at 45 in lbs. A later discussion found the mfr recommends 90 in lb. And I thought 45 was tight?! Mine are torqued to 45 and no leaks after a year. (I only replaced the big hoses from the radiator to the t-stat housing when I replaced my stat.) Read all the other threads on this subject.

 

[Bush]

Speaking of torque on these clamps, would anyone know what torque one would put on the standard gear clamps supplied by Honda?

 

[SupraSabre]

I used the Gates Thermal Clamps on my bikes.



The small (circled) ones did not work out, but the others have!

Oh, and the silicone hoses, don't bother, they'll slip right off!

 

[Bmacleod]

Other posts here have suggested replacing the boots for a couple of reasons - one is that old rubber deteriorates and does not get better, and the second is ease of putting things back together again. After you replace the throttle bodies, you will have to do a sync - or should since you are down there. I know I tend to go overboard on this kind of thing, but whenever I dig into the engine I replace pieces on the way to my goal.

One other point I read here, pay attention to how the clamps are oriented. The breeze clamps are huge compared to the OEM ones, and you really do not want to discover something will not fit because you put the clamp in the wrong position. I had trouble with the fairing because the clamp on the radiator was facing the wrong way. Nobody told me that the breeze clamp would crush the radiator pipe, and mine is living happily. BTW, Blrfl originally posted the torque at 45 in lbs. A later discussion found the mfr recommends 90 in lb. And I thought 45 was tight?! Mine are torqued to 45 and no leaks after a year. (I only replaced the big hoses from the radiator to the t-stat housing when I replaced my stat.) Read all the other threads on this subject.

Thanks, good to know. I had thought about clearance with the breeze clamps and will be mindful of that

 

[Bmacleod]

I used the Gates Thermal Clamps on my bikes.



The small (circled) ones did not work out, but the others have!

Oh, and the silicone hoses, don't bother, they'll slip right off!

I had actually thought of these when someone had mentioned that the radiator necks were fragile. I would be interested in trying these for those 2 connections. Are they readily available Bob or are they a hard-to-find item? I dont recall ever seeing or hearing of them before you mentioned them

 

[CYYJ]

...what year is your bike and what are your thoughts on the condition and stiffness of the "boots" holding the fuel injection unit on the motor?

My moto is a 2012 with 90,000 km of all-highway, cross-continent mileage. It has always been stored indoors.

I examined the condition of the boots that connect the lower portion of the throttle bodies to the engine intake manifold, and came to the conclusion that they did not need to be replaced. The throttle bodies fit snugly into the boots, and I was able to set the idle vacuum levels to exactly the same level (within 1 mm Hg) with less than 1/4 of a turn of the adjusters after having removed and replaced the throttle bodies. This suggested to me that the boots were doing their job, which is to provide an air-tight seal between the TBs and the engine.

If the moto was 10 years older, or if I found that significant adjustment of the idle vacuum levels was needed after re & re of the TBs, then I would consider replacing those boots. But, based on my experience, I don't think it is something that needs to be automatically done... I think it is something you do "on condition" if you see evidence that replacement is indicated.

Michael

 

[ST-Traveler]

Just for archival purposes, in case anyone stumbles across this thread in the future, here is a picture of the clamps that Mark referred to in post #2 above:

These are the ones I used on my '07 many years ago,, still holding great.

 

[CYYJ]

One other point I read here, pay attention to how the clamps are oriented. The breeze clamps are huge compared to the OEM ones, and you really do not want to discover something will not fit because you put the clamp in the wrong position.

That is very good advice.

The Breeze clamps are very large in comparison to the OEM clamps. When you install them, you have to consider two things:

1. Clearance from the lower part of the throttle body when you reinstall it, and;
2. Future access to the bolt on the clamp, in case you want to tighten it without needing to remove the throttle body.

For item 2, a rotational difference of as little as 30° can make the difference between being able to adjust the clamp later without removing the radiator or the throttle body, or having to do a full disassembly of the radiator & TB.

Michael

 

[CYYJ]

I had actually thought of these [Gates Thermal Clamps] when someone had mentioned that the radiator necks were fragile. I would be interested in trying these for those 2 connections.

Because the clamps on the two radiator necks are so easily accessible (if they ever leak, you can get at them by only removing the side Tupperware), I don't think there is any need to pursue more exotic solutions to clamp the hoses onto the radiator. I would just use the OEM clamps there.

Michael