HELP!!!!! cant get hose clamp off to replace degas

[Catherine Gray]

The hose clamp on the lower part of the heater core slipped and I can't get anything back there to remove it. Its all that's keeping me from filling the car back up with coolant, bleeding and driving. I really need some advice on how to get it off

 

[joegr]

Use this:
http://www.amazon.com/Astro-Pneumat...=1389410216&sr=8-3&keywords=hose+clamp+pliers

Maybe one of the local auto parts stores with loan you one. If not, the local Sears might have one in stock.

 

[Catherine Gray]

I already tried it can't get in there either

 

[joegr]

Looks like there is room for it to fit. It's worked for me.

 

[Catherine Gray]

It can't get the angle needed to grasp it one of the tabs is on the bottom of the hose every time I go to clamp it it grabs the hose instead

 

[RJLipscomb]

I know you probably tried it but...

It looks as if the clamp is almost in the perfect position for using channel lock pliers to squeeze the tab to a "locked open" position. Using large channel lock pliers, upside down with the pliers top teeth under the hose clamp tab and the pliers bottom teeth on top of the hose clamp centered on the exposed side of the hose clamp (hard to paint the picture with words). The idea is to squeeze the clamp's large tab towards the center of the clamps opposite side. That will force the small tab to slide under the big tab and lock.

Alternate:
Use a dremel tool and cut off wheel to gently slice the clamp in half. It's okay to cut a little of the rubber hose (old). Just be careful not to slice through the rubber hose and cut the metal tube.

 

[SoulSoak]

I was in this exact same situation. Personally I had grabbed a pair of pliers, gripped the clamp, and twisted it back up so that the tabs were facing me (top). I then used the same pliers to squeeze the tabs together and rotate the clamp back and forth until finally sliding it further back down the hose. Ultimately resulting in no clamp tension on the metal line, allowing me to disconnect. Best of luck

 

[JoshMcMadMac]

I had a helluva time getting that clamp off, too. I actually used two pry bars to get it off. I started by breaking the hose lose, so that it could rotate. Then I used the two bars to pry the clamp loose a bit until I could get a set of pliers down in there and get the clamp pointed in the right direction to do so.

 

[RigsLS]

The hardest time I had with this clamp was the new one which seemed to have had a little too excessive glue on it. (Which ran down towards the clasp. It is in fact glued on the backside onto the hose to hold it in place, at least mine was)

I had the whole bottle in, guided the hose above the steering column, seated the hose onto the line from the heater core return to only discover I couldn't get the clasp to unsnap at all. Bottle had to come back out on the bench and had to work the clasp loose, then back in and finally snapped it undone with ease.

Was indeed a bitching moment while my sore back was telling me it was taking way too long.

The original old clasp on the return line came out a lot easier then the new one went in.

 

[Catherine Gray]

Ihad someone bring a dremel over and it was off in 5 min new bottle is in car is filled and bled I'm just waiting for it to cool down so I can add more coolant and probably bleed a couple more times

 

[Catherine Gray]

View attachment 828464629View attachment 828464630
It definitely needed to be replaced

 

[LS4me]

˄˄˄ Looks a lot like Big Rig's bottle....... Cracks in pretty much the same places....

 

[RigsLS]

Mine ...

They all seem to crack around the same area.

~ weird part was, I never overheated, intermitten heat loss then completely one night.
~ second top-up and rebleed, finally she began to leak behind the drivers front wheel.

 

[RigsLS]

... probably bleed a couple more times

Get a second person to hold near 3K RPM with heater on full blast while you bleed air out.

Didn't read what GEN you have but there is a fill cap at the Thermostat housing on GEN I which is where coolant should be topped up while holding the revs at 3K, untill it's stabilzed there, then close fill cap, refill degas bottle and bleed air out from bleed valve while continuing to hold near 3K RPM, good 10 minutes, thermostat has to get up to temp and open to fully allow coolant to run through entire system. (forces all air upstream out)

~ Place a long funnel to underneath into a pan or place a small wide open mouth jug/pan directly at end of bleed valve. (tight area though)
~ try to avoid getting coolant all over the place ... worst case scenario, flush engine compartment near bleed valve with plenty of fresh water afterwards.