DupermanDave

So I just filled up the overflow reservoir again with coolant. Took a full gallon. I just filled it up about 3 months ago (added only about a quarter of a gallon)

So I figured I was obviously losing coolant somewhere. There's no aparent leaks and it's not the headgasket. It's a leak for sure, and I know that because there's 2 points I see it seeping from.

One point is from a bad gasket that I'm going to replace on sunday. The other is from a new radiator hose. It's leaking from the lower radiator hose that connects to that steel pipe routing to the back of the engine.

Here's the dilema. I have a hose clamp on there - TIGHT! And It still seeps. If I continue to tighten it it will just bend the metal lip coming out of the radiator and cause it to seep even more. So tightening it will just make it worse, and it's already tight enough as it is.

What would you guys suggest? plumbers silicone sealant for pipes? RTV silicon gasket maker for high temperatures? I have each in the glove box, but I'm not sure if that will stop the leak.

All of the rubber hoses (vacuum and radiator) are all brand new and every hose also has brand new hose clamps.

texcat101

Have you checked to see if the leak is coming from the solder joint where the outlet attaches to the radiator, If so and you are sure its leaking from the hose to outlet connection RTV will likely fix it.

86tuning

When you put the hose on, did you carefully clean off all the rusty crusties and stuff on the pipe?

If not, take the hose off, clean it with fine sandpaper, and put a NEW hose on it.

Worm gear clamps shouldn't need to be tightened very much. A screwdriver is more than adequate tightness. Using a 5/16 (or 8mm) socket and ratchet will tend to overtighten and damage things.

DupermanDave

Yep. When we did the head gasket we removed the radiator and I had a metal brush that I cleaned it off with. It got pretty clean.

And I'm sure it's not leaking from the solder joints on the radiator. Those appear to be fine. The leak is actually happens on each end of the hose, one on the radiator and one on the pipe it connects to.