Terry Sumner Posted April 12, 2011 Posted April 12, 2011 Just before I had my knee surgery, I was in my F250 on a crappy rainy day and the truck had a huge coolant leak. Since it was raining so hard, I couldn't get down on the ground to see exactly where it was coming from but it was right in the area of the lower radiator hose connection to the radiator. I thought for sure the plastic radiator hose outlet had cracked as they were known for this and then the only option is to replace the radiator. So I had the truck flatbedded back to my house. Well then I had the surgery on 3/22, and the subsequent blood clot, etc etc. I finally felt that I had enough energy today to get my truck into my garage and up on the lift. The stock Ford clamp over the lower radiator hose is one of those steel jobs that you have to use a special tool to squeeze it to open it up. (or wrestle with pliers) I have one of those ratcheting hose clamp tools so I proceed to lay it on the clamp. As soon as I applied pressure, the clamp disintegrated! A-HA!..I thought...maybe this is why the coolant leaked...no clamp pressure on the hose! Sure enough after checking everything out, that's all it was.. a broken hose clamp! Hallelujah! No radiator replacement! No long day in the garage and it only cost me $2 for a hose clamp and $25 for a couple of gallons of antifreeze! 'Bout time something good happens!
Bobdude Posted April 12, 2011 Posted April 12, 2011 It's always nice when repairs don't cost you an arm and a leg.
Guest Johnny Posted April 12, 2011 Posted April 12, 2011 Glad to hear you caught a break! Glad someone did! We finally got upenough cash to put 4 new tires on the car we bought from her dad! The ones on it were on it new in 1999! The car sat a lot and they had dry rotted and started separating. First night we had the new tires some yayhoo thought it would be fun to cut the two towards the side wailk as they passed by!!!! ( Like to get my hands on them!!!) Got two 10 dollar junkyard tires that I hand mounted on it until we can buy two more new ones.
crazyjim Posted April 12, 2011 Posted April 12, 2011 Good news is always good. Is that profound, or what? Sounds like FORD is living up to its' reputation of Found On Road Dead and not First On Race Day.
ffreak Posted April 12, 2011 Posted April 12, 2011 Yeah Terry in all my years of auto service, i've always hated those things. They are known for that and also seem to loose tension once they have been squeezed apart causing them to leak. I always liked to never reuse them and would just replace them with a worm type clamp. I mean hey, those have been around forever and they work, and are cheap. Why try to invent a better mousetrap when it ain't broke??? Guess you were out a tow bill too huh ?? But glad you finally caught a break.
shatteredsoul76 Posted April 12, 2011 Posted April 12, 2011 Yep I would say that it has been a good day for you, I for one would love to smack the person that came up with the spring hose clamps, of course it had to have been a number cruncher that knew it would save a lot of time and labor cost on the assembly lines in the auto factories and to heck with the next person that had to wrestle them things off.
highway Posted April 12, 2011 Posted April 12, 2011 Yep I would say that it has been a good day for you, I for one would love to smack the person that came up with the spring hose clamps, Good to hear it wasn't a big fix Terry. Jake, I'd like to do more than smack that person!!! Nothing beats a good old worm gear clamp!
shatteredsoul76 Posted April 12, 2011 Posted April 12, 2011 Had to keep it rated G Highway, plus my hope is that they have had to wrestle them off on thier own car, Im a firm believer in Kharma(sp?)
highway Posted April 12, 2011 Posted April 12, 2011 Had to keep it rated G Highway, plus my hope is that they have had to wrestle them off on thier own car, Im a firm believer in Kharma(sp?) I know, me too! If you'd hear what I've called them while working on my 1:1, I'd be looking at the ban hammer INSTANTLY! As for the karma, they're probably the type who pay a mechanic $40 an hour to change them!
Harry P. Posted April 12, 2011 Posted April 12, 2011 As for the karma, they're probably the type who pay a mechanic $40 an hour to change them! $40 an hour???!!! Where do you live... in 1975???
ffreak Posted April 12, 2011 Posted April 12, 2011 $40 an hour???!!! Where do you live... in 1975??? LOL....... You got that right Harry !! When I quit turning wrenches full time in '04 we got over twice that !!! Hmmm, maybe I need to start doin that again !!! Oh yeah that's right, my body says are you crazy !!!
Terry Sumner Posted April 12, 2011 Author Posted April 12, 2011 Just so you know... I DID replace the clamp with a tried and true worm type!
Harry P. Posted April 12, 2011 Posted April 12, 2011 Just so you know... I DID replace the clamp with a tried and true worm type! If Ford would have done that in the first place all this would have been avoided! But noooooooooo.... a screw clamp would have cost Ford a few pennies more...
Patrick2005 Posted April 13, 2011 Posted April 13, 2011 Had the same problem on my Kia Sportage busted the one tab completely off and barely put any pressure on it! Replaced it with a worm gear type and problem solved! But it couldn't make up for the fact that the car as a whole was a turd.
my80malibu Posted April 13, 2011 Posted April 13, 2011 If Ford would have done that in the first place all this would have been avoided! But noooooooooo.... a screw clamp would have cost Ford a few pennies more... Come on harry you know the Drill a few more pennies X's a few million trucks turns out to be lots of money YADA YADA
shatteredsoul76 Posted April 13, 2011 Posted April 13, 2011 I dont think it is the cost of the clamp rather the time on the assembly line it takes to screw down the worm-type compared to the spring-type=equals millions in labor saved over time.
Ben Posted April 13, 2011 Posted April 13, 2011 $40 an hour???!!! Where do you live... in 1975??? LOL, I was thinking the same thing! Our labor rate at the shop I work at is 110.00 per hour! I work on the multi million dollar tour busses and motorhomes though.
Ben Posted April 13, 2011 Posted April 13, 2011 Just so you know... I DID replace the clamp with a tried and true worm type! Kind of ironic as the coach I was working on today had a coolant leak by the firewall. I thought it might be the heater core. Luckily it ended up being the same thing as your Ford. It had ten of those "spring" type hose clamps in that general area. One was leaking so I went ahead and replaced them all with #10 work gear clamps. Problem solved! That same customer really lucked out! I went for a test drive in his coach and just as I was about to get on the highway, I noticed a buzzing noise and could feel it very slightly in the floor. I knew right away, bad wheel bearings! Took it back to the shop, jacked it up, it had a about 1/4" play on the right side bearings! He'd have lost his front wheel if he didn't bring the coach in when he did!
highway Posted April 13, 2011 Posted April 13, 2011 $40 an hour???!!! Where do you live... in 1975??? No, Harry, I wasn't even born in 1975!! Now maybe the mechanic I go to when I can't get something figured out or need tools I don't have a garage for might be, or maybe us WV hillbillies ain't caught up to the times! Of course the fact that I've known his son since we were 5 years might help too!
Terry Sumner Posted April 13, 2011 Author Posted April 13, 2011 The going rate for independant auto repair shops around here is from $76 to $85 an hour. The dealers are considerably higher of course.
Guest Johnny Posted April 13, 2011 Posted April 13, 2011 (edited) If Ford would have done that in the first place all this would have been avoided! But noooooooooo.... a screw clamp would have cost Ford a few pennies more... Even a GM tower clamp would have been better! Was in one of the dealerships and they had 87.50 per hr minimum 2 hours posted! Edited April 13, 2011 by Johnny
Guest Posted April 13, 2011 Posted April 13, 2011 I guess we have really cheap mechanics here. My local mechanic only charges $40 to mount and balance 4 tires.
ffreak Posted April 13, 2011 Posted April 13, 2011 As I had said earlier, in 04 I was a ASE Master Tech at GoodYear and we were at $100 per hr. Soon after I left they went to $110. I went to an independent shop as service mgr and the owner would only let me charge $45 per hr. Yet he complained I wasn't charging enough and making enough profit !!! He has been that same rate at least 10 years that I know of !!! DUUUHHH !!!
Guest Johnny Posted April 13, 2011 Posted April 13, 2011 As I had said earlier, in 04 I was a ASE Master Tech at GoodYear and we were at $100 per hr. Soon after I left they went to $110. I went to an independent shop as service mgr and the owner would only let me charge $45 per hr. Yet he complained I wasn't charging enough and making enough profit !!! He has been that same rate at least 10 years that I know of !!! DUUUHHH !!! Worked for one like that he wouldn't let us charge higher but wanted us to pad the hours instead! Basically he wanted to use the low rate to draw the customers in but make as much as the other shops by over charging hours. The guy that ran the VW shop paid us an hourly + commission, charged a really low rate and only billed on actual hours not book! He made his money on bulk business! We were always busy and made good money!
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