Heavy duty cable ties as hose clamp replacements

[tim]

This summer I spent alot of time working on marine outboards, both my own and various friends and dockmates. The nice Yamahas hardly have any metal fasteners at all, and most is done with o-rings and cable ties to secure all oil, fuel and electrical fittings. Everything was engineered so, well, Bimmer like.

Come to think of it, the hose clamps are a major flaw in my car. Almost every problem I've ever had has been either directly or indirectly as a result of a leaking hose. I've R&R'd the fuel line, the power steering hose, and the transmission cooler hose, all of which failed underneath the hose clamps that secured them.

So I found some heavy duty marine gauge cable ties like the ones on the big v6 Yammies and I put them on the leaky power steering hose underneath the reservoir, after cutting an inch of the hose, and voila- no more weeping. There's no pinch point and it makes a nice seamless seal if you use 2- one right near the barb, and another further up. Then I did the fuel line junction where the metal tube and braided rubber meet.

Obviously you have to use the heavy duty marine grade stuff, not the walma*t special. It's fuel and temp rated.

I'm still not sure about using them on the rad or any of the really high temp applications, even though the BMW operating temps are well within spec. of 300 deg. F for the ones I've seen, and I bet they go higher.

OK, here's the question: Is there any good reason to leave the metal ones on any of the smaller diameter hoses on a bmw? I hate those crimp style clamps. The cable ties are great, and when you need to take it off, you just cut it. And to retighten you don't have to get a screwdriver on it.

[genphreak]

Hi Tim, sounds like a great idea, are they the same width? All the ties I use tend to be narrower, which is the only place I see there being a problem... can you provide some links to the ones you are proposing?

[SRR2]

What do you use to draw them tight?

[tim]

Hi Tim, sounds like a great idea, are they the same width? All the ties I use tend to be narrower, which is the only place I see there being a problem... can you provide some links to the ones you are proposing?

They are narrower, but I use two for each clamp that I replaced.

There are many vendors: do a search on "cable tie" and "Tefzel" -which is a dupont product in most of the marine and military spec ties. Thomas and Betts makes serious heavy duty ones.

[tim]

What do you use to draw them tight?

a little spit around the band as I'm placing it, then some electrical pliers I have, that have a notch in the jaws that works about right. Hold down the tie buckle with the pliers and pull tight.