Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Maintenance & Servicing Roadster - The Hose Job - Dave's How To...........

Dave,
Are you re-publishing these specifically for me, it seems like it because I was talking to Simon at SiFab earlier today about this very subject.
No matter what I try I still get occasional tiny leaks.
When I fitted a new Ally Rad I changed all the hoses to Silicone and I've tried polishing the pipes, tightening clips when warm etc but still tiny occasional leaks.
Never when the engine is warm and with the coolant under pressure but several hours after when the engine is cold with no coolant pressure.
I've also tried using the wider style Mikalor T bolt clamps but no improvement.
It's not a problem, more of an annoyance really.
However, I was wondering if we would get the same issue with good old fashioned rubber hoses and why have we started moving away from the rubber hoses to silicone?
Any thoughts and do many others also suffer from slight drips when it's cold.

Hi Bob. I'm just working through my posts when I get the time. As you probably know, Photobucket decided to hold its users hostage unless they paid a sizeable chunk of cash every year for third party hosting. So I deleted my Photobucket account and started again with the most recent posts, and I've now gone back to January 2011.

The problem you have is partly due to less than round tubes and partly due to contraction of metal when cold. This caught me out the first winter, when the coolant level dropped considerably during a cold snap, and I found it soaking into my carpet tiles.

The leak covered above really tested my patience and my resolve. I don't think it's silicon hoses which are the cause. In the above case I resorted to PTFE tape. Next time I may try a wet of Captain Tolleys. Its not designed for this application, but I suspect it would do the job.

Instead of re-inventing the wheel you could just use a modern constant tension band clamp like every major motor manufacturer uses. Do what Mr Ford did when the engine was in it’s native location.
The clamps are a spring so they can accommodate thermal movement.
As an observation, +20 year old ones on my Honda work, don’t leak, don’t need nipping up.

Very true if they can be fitted through a narrow letterbox and the metal tubes are circular.

Hi Dave. I've found what could be a game changer for removing hose clamps that require pinching with pliers. With the lack of room that the series 1
allows to get in and around the thermostat housing to remove the hose clips, certainly from the bottom hose, I've found a tool fit for the job.
Flexible Long Reach Hose Clamp Pliers that can be purchased from machine mart would allow you to pinch the clips without needing your hand anywhere the the housing. It's certainly going to be my next purchase to add to my morgan mending tool kit.