So i found a radiator leak yesterday!!!!
When the car is cold and i turn it on the bottom hose on the radiator manages to get really tight and leak right the through the clamp.
the top hose gets semi tight and hot
but the bottom hose stays cool until after i drive it around.
then they both get nice a loose and hot
how can i fix this problem?
the car is a 99 accord. f23 Vtec

 

If it leaks at the clamp, you need to take off the hose & clean the crud from the nozzle where the hose fits. After that it would be kinda silly to put the OLD hose back on.

Try a new clamp too; yours may have lost some of it's spring tension with age??

 

so pretty much try new hoses and clamps? Are the clamps with flathead screws good for this type of job?

 

Screw-type hose clamps are OK if you periodically check & tighten them. (Look for the more expensive type with depressions NOT HOLES to engage the worm-screw.) The rubber in the hose relaxes & shifts over time, so it'll loosen up after a year or 2. The spring-type clamp keeps tight as the rubber moves.

 

which is better fail safe or duralast both are 170F

 

Much of a price difference for a dealer thermostat???

 

how much is it at the dealer?