Oetiker Clamps for Delorean

[Ethan Rode]

A great way to improve the reliability of your cooling system is to improve the quality of the hose connections. Oetiker clamps (or ear clamps) are one-time use clamps that offer significant advantages over traditional worm-drive clamps, such as:
-Lower cost
-Faster/Easier assembly
-Resistant to loosening
-Uniform pressure distribution
-Less damage to the hose
-All Stainless construction

I've put together a spreadsheet for those interested. McMaster is probably the best source for these clamps. A special tool is recommended for installation and removal.Knipex Tools 10 98 i220 (https://www.knipex.com/products/special-pliers/ear-clamp-pliers/ear-clamp-pliers/1098I220)

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[Helirich]

They may have advantages, but ?one time use? is such a big disadvantage that I wouldn?t consider them. But that?s just me.

[Ethan Rode]

They may have advantages, but ?one time use? is such a big disadvantage that I wouldn?t consider them. But that?s just me.

I could see why one would consider that a disadvantage. However, if you have more reliable clamping, the need for service is reduced, increasing uptime. Additionally the average cost of these clamps is less than .50/ea. I'm not sponsored by Oetiker, but my experience on my own car and several other customer cars has shown them to be far superior to worm drive clamps in the extreme AZ climate.

[Timeless]

I have been using constant tension clamps for years. Superior to standard worm clamps and are not one time use.

https://www.turbosmart.com/product/murray-clamp-constant-tension-clamps-2-750-3-625/

[Helirich]

I could see why one would consider that a disadvantage. However, if you have more reliable clamping, the need for service is reduced, increasing uptime. Additionally the average cost of these clamps is less than .50/ea. I'm not sponsored by Oetiker, but my experience on my own car and several other customer cars has shown them to be far superior to worm drive clamps in the extreme AZ climate.


I have been using constant tension clamps for years. Superior to standard worm clamps and are not one time use.

https://www.turbosmart.com/product/murray-clamp-constant-tension-clamps-2-750-3-625/

Far superior?
Are you guys experiencing high failure rates of your worm clamps? Currently, I have six cars, tractor, riding lawnmower and two water cooled generators. I?m guessing I have around 200 worm drive clamps in use. The last time I had a clamp failure was about two years ago. It stripped out when I was tightening it. Before that, I can?t remember the last time. In my whole life, probably less than ten clamps have failed.

Balance that against how many times I?ve had a failure of a component that required removing and reinstalling a clamp,,,,,,,,,,well, let?s just say I can?t count that high.

One thing I will mention is there are different quality worm drive clamps. If your having a high failure rate, it?s probably poor quality clamps.

[Bitsyncmaster]

One thing I will mention is there are different quality worm drive clamps. If your having a high failure rate, it?s probably poor quality clamps.

I agree. The auto parts stores carry junk clamps. The good ones have torque specs and if you try that torque on those junk clamps they will strip. I used all ABA hose clamps which are all stainless steel and good for all types of hose.

[FABombjoy]

I've tried great clamps and crappy clamps.
Most hose sealing issues have turned out to be pipe issues. Usually either pitting, deposit build-up along the bead, and even one poorly crimped bead from the factory.

Now, any time a hose comes off, the pipe gets inspected, cleaned, and shined up.
If they have a lot of pitting, a little gets cut off, deburred, and re-beaded.

Adopting a more holistic approach has shifted my success rate to 100% and without the use of prescription drugs.
Which if you've battled a lot of DMC coolant leaks you know how useful those can be.

The bad crimp was a real headscratcher. Driver side center of the car, by the fuel tank shield.
The crimp bridged the bead and acted like a one-way valve that would allow air into the system as the car cooled down, but never really leaked enough coolant to drip.

Weekend wrencher tip: If you need a hose now (not next week, right now) and are near an O'Reillys, you can search their OEM pre-formed hoses by ID (1.25") and see pics.
For not much money you can pick up hose sections with formed 90s, 45s, and 22s and get a little extra slack on the ends.

[iflights]

My landscape irrigation guy uses those Oetiker clamps. Now I know what they are called. Thank you. Kept the PDF for future reference.

[DMC-81]

I could see why one would consider that a disadvantage. However, if you have more reliable clamping, the need for service is reduced, increasing uptime. Additionally the average cost of these clamps is less than .50/ea. I'm not sponsored by Oetiker, but my experience on my own car and several other customer cars has shown them to be far superior to worm drive clamps in the extreme AZ climate.

Thanks for sharing, but in my experience, you don't need to use these one-time use parts, which I agree makes maintenance down the line a pain (e.g., coolant flush and fill). As a matter of fact, I have yet to see a car that has one time use coolant hoses.

As Dave said, good worm clamps have torque specs. Problems arise when they are not tightened properly. And no, hose clamps shouldn't need to be re-tightened.
The OEM clamps are "Norma" brand. Since my restoration using DMC cooling parts in 2015, and torqued to spec, I have not had any problem in the Florida climate. New clamps came with the kit, but I was able to save the 40-year-old originals for spares. I haven't had to use them.

Whether it is worm clamps or any other automotive part, they have to be installed correctly. If not, you introduce a reliability risk.


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