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Check Your Radiator Clamp "LOWER CLAMP"


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HondaCoolantLeak.jpg

This is an item I frequently check or replace on vehicles as precaution, but in some cases it has been lucky I did :huh: as upon inspection the clamp had completely rusted through :o just imagine it sprung a leak, now the engine is in danger of overheating or complete engine seizure if the hose comes off and your coolant is lost. 

So with this warmer weather its something that would be at the top of my DIY list to inspect and while your at it check the condition of your hoses and the coolant itself ;)

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4 minutes ago, Retro Rich said:

This is something that makes me gasp and throw my Hands up in horror! I guess you checked or replaced Vixy's when we changed the radiator?

Sure did buddy, even Rob's had rotted through :o so he had new coolant & new blue hoses and all new clamps ;)

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32 minutes ago, BN Coupe said:

I'm worried now, and will get mine checked ASAP.

Good idea Andrew, maybe its worth me putting together a service check list/ buyers guide for the coupes as they are getting on in years ;)

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Good idea Stu.  What would also be useful is an idea of how easy a fix some of the common problems are.  Any car this old will have 'issues' but some are more serious than others.  I tend to panic and think every problem is terminal, but for those in the know it probably isn't.

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I periodically check all my clips, both the type shown above and the "traditional" worm drive clips. Mostly they're known as Jubilee clips due to the most popular brand (like vacuum cleaners get called Hoovers but i don't have a Hoover, i have a Kirby Legend ;):D ) but if i can find them when i'm replacing them i like to go for the stainless HCS worm drive clips - made from stainless steel to tighter tolerances and they tend not to buckle when being loosened or tightened.

My personal "pet hate" on hose clips are thw wire framed things with a captive nut and set-screw to tighten.

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These are a total nightmare if the threads corrode even slightly and even if they don't, the wire frame cuts into the hose, often causing leaks where it's meant to secure! :rolleyes:

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Looking through the paperwork that came with the Green Beast I've found an invoice from December 2012 that says 'REPLACE COOLANT HOSE CLIP'.  I wonder if that was the one we're talking about.  It's being checked tomorrow, plus exhaust repair and ATF change.

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Updates: hose clip was fine.

ATF replaced, and the box is now full of the expensive red stuff.  Changes already seem a little smoother, though I may be imagining it.

Mechanic found an additional hole in the exhaust, so I now have a new back box + tailpipe, and car is noticeably quieter.

Mechanic left garage late and was so relaxed driving home in the Honda that he forgot to drop it off and pick up his Lexus GS430, so he brought it back the following morning!

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  • 10 months later...
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13 hours ago, Laird_Scooby said:

Nasty! May be worth adding them as a service item Stu so it's not so much a case of luckily spotted but a case of diligently spotted? ;):D

Better get under mine, haven't checked this out yet :(

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1 hour ago, PTR200S said:

Better get under mine, haven't checked this out yet :(

All the Jap motors suffer like this, especially the 7th gen Accords and Dave makes a good point as it's not easily spotted, I usually feel the clamp if I can't see it. So definitely worth a look as I've replaced hundreds of them now.

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As I had a little time this saffy I got it up the ramps and found this, checked all around and it's intact, just surface rust... rather than disturb as it looks rusted to the pipe and I didn't want to wreck the pipe right now I coated it with waxoil / white spirit mix. This will inhibit the rust for a while but also make it easier to get off when the time comes to do so.

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Dont forget to look for all the clips... these trays break easily if stressed to far.

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This one is on the inner wing and located in front of the wheel, one each side... top of the tyre in the bottom of the picture, clip is quite a way up...

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Here is the clip in question, rusty but not deteriorated enough to warrant disturbing it, at the risk of damaging the hose.

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I used waxoil/white spirit to coat the clip to slow down the rusting and also to help ease the clip off when the time comes to replace it.

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Whilst the lower cover is off, have a look here, 

 

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Cleaned these up and used Bilt Hamaber UC on them,,,, not the black stuff, this is clear which means I can check these again when I need to and see what is happening through the clearcoat.

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47 minutes ago, hughezee said:

Great work Pete, did you manage to sneak in an ATF fluid change whilst under the motor :unsure:

Sadly not:(.....just finished doing all the bits above to be told the hot water cylinder in the house was leaking:angry: on with that now .........:(

Someday Roy, someday....really need Cameron D right now ...............

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  • 2 years later...
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I had a visit from Dave AKA @davebrads and after a quick check over noticed the expansion tank was completely dry 😧 and I discovered the lower clamp had let go completely and coolant was leaking out of the hose, 😞 so wasted no time, coolant drained, pipe cleaned, fitted a spare clamp and refilled with coolant, potential disaster avoided... 👍

I had only looked at the clamp a year or so ago and it was completely fine so it doesn't take long to deteriorate once rust has started, so a reminder to check yours again folks...

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31 minutes ago, hughezee said:

 @davebrads😧, 😞.. 👍       had only looked at the clamp a year or so ago and it was completely fine so it doesn't take long to deteriorate once rust has started, so a reminder to check yours again folks...

Definitely a timely reminder, funnily enough i thought about checking mine on Saturday but have not done so yet..... it's two years since its last check and as I have got my hose clamps out (ooh, err !! ) changing a top hose clamp on the TVR , for the third time , then tomorrow morning the Coupe is up the ramps first thing !!! .

Thanks guys !!!

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Can't believe it's two years since I checked this, cleaned and sprayed it but yet here we are.... sorry about the state of the car, needs a wash again but this dry weather and field dirt plays havoc with the washing regime !

Got it on the hydraulic ramps this morning and took off the fasteners for the lower cover, not forgetting the ones inside the wheel arch ! about a dozen in all.

The clip is still just rusted on the outer surface, not corroded or allowing the pipe to leak in any way.  Cleaned it off and sprayed it with Bilt Hamber UC...  cleared the leaves out from under the rad too.

Whilst you are in here have a look at the tie mounts...

The main suspension tie to the front chassis member have taken a bit of a hit in the two winters since the last check but barely rusted really.. cleaned off and sprayed once again with BH UC.

Reassembled, just half an hour to do and its something else off the worry list !   Well worth the effort if you want to avoid a meltdown whilst out on your travels !

The other thing I was reminded about whilst under the car, seeing the gearbox sump plug, was it must be time for a partial gearbox oil change again...

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Here is the suspect....

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Get 'em sprayed !

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  • 2 years later...
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The week before the meet up, I finally replaced the lower radiator hose clip on my V6. Indeed running my fingers down the hose culminated in a gasp of horror as I felt the well rusted clip. Fortunately, I had a rather good spare one. 

I believe the replacement process has been written up before, so I’ll only outline the method I took. The car was chocked at the rear and raised on axle stands at the front subframe. I’m so nervous of working under vehicles that I even placed two trolley jacks (one each side) just a mm or two below the front jacking points. 
It is then a case of removing the plastic trim from underneath the very front removing the plastic clips. The trim runs from side to side under the wheel arches. Take care with the brittle clips unless you have new ones to replace them with. 
Access to the hose and clip is now possible. After speaking with Stu (because I wanted to limit coolant loss), he suggested removing the hose at the engine block and sliding the upper and rusted lower clips up the hose to the top. It is more fiddly than it sounds, but with a bit of patience I was able to remove and replace the lower clip and lost about half a litre of coolant, which isn’t terrible. A coolant top up and system bleed followed. Then clean up and trim replacement. It is one of those jobs I’d urge all coupe owners to do, for peace of mind. Some pictures below 

 

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