Vacuum Hose Kits & Hose Clamps Experiences

[AlbanyAng]

Hi All,

Started my BHG repair on my 86.5 non-turbo N/A all stock ~135K. Got the
head off- running into a few problems but getting some good info from the
posts here and on some other forms. Thanks to all.

I have a few different questions so I'll break it into a couple of seperate posts
as I go along that specific topic threads can get started.

Been trying to look ahead and would like to replace as many of the vacuum
and cooling system hoses that I can get to when I rebuild since most are
the originals.

a) What is everyone's opinions regarding aftermarket vacuum or more to the
point hose kits?

Ran across this ebay store that has supra vacuum kits, the price seems reasonable.

http://stores.ebay.com/Hi-Performance-Store

b) Any good sites for heater/cooling system hoses?

c) As far as replacing the hose clamps. Are the stock spring type or
the worm screw types prefferred?

Thanks for any help,
A

 

[CRE]

a) The topic of vacuum tubing has been covered recently. The synopsis: Any kit you buy off ebay or off the shelf from local parts stores *MAY* be complete garbage... or worse, nothing more than colored vinyl hose which deteriorates very quickly when used in an engine bay.

The only vendor I have experience with is www.hightempsilicone.com. I've bought from them several times and never had a problem, with either the order or the product.

With silicone vacuum lines I do recommend you use clamps or even zip ties to ensure a tight seal. Silicone hoses slide on and off easier, do it when you replace the hoses and don't worry about future headaches.

b) Collant hoses: I've recently replaced all of mine. I tried a few parts stores, but most were either off on the angle of the bend or had bad bottlenecks. All but two of the hoses I replaced were Toyota OEM parts, the other two were made by Goodyear (the only two any of the local parts stores had that were truely a direct fit).

c) Both types of clamps have different benefits. While a spring clamp will only ever appy 'x' amount of pressure on the hose it does also have the benefit of maintaining that amount of pressure when the hose beneath it softens from heat. These really should be replaced if if you're replacing the hoses. Well made ones last a very long time, but like anything time and heat wear them out and reduce their clamping force.

The worm gear type allow you clamp with more force. If you're using softer hoses these can be problematic, as they may cut into the top layers of the hose as the hose swells slightly from heat and pressure. This issue is, for the most part, rather specific to silicone hoses on a pressurized system in which case there are better clamps to go with.

As for personal preference... I really have no major preference for one over the other... I've had more worm gear clamps fail than spring clamps though. If I'm re-using an old hose, I'll typically use a worm gear clamp so I can get a little more torque on a hose that might not otherwise give enough to seal well.

 

[AlbanyAng]

a) The topic of vacuum tubing has been covered recently.

CRE,

Thanks for the info I will try to be wary when shopping for the hosing. Sorry
for missing the earlier posts regarding vacuum lines. I'll try to keep you all
posted.

 

[Tire Shredder]

I bought a universal kit form hosetechniques.com in black. comes with a hose cutter (very sharp), slitter and tons of hoses. I also bought 10 ft of the smaller hoses...all in black. got rid of some vacuum leaks, looks good and is nice and flexible. I can recommend them.