It's raining out right now, but took a quick look. The engine bay is dry, no leaks. I ran it for about 10-15 minutes on idle. The clamps on the small hose near the tank is. how would I tighten that one? The larger hose from the radiator to engine, I did not touch yet.
The first thing I would do is look at the type of clamp that is being used, and ask myself if it is right for the application. A surprising number of hoses are poorly clamped. That will work for awhile, but eventually will leak. Maybe not much, but a little. And it's preventable.
Coolant system hoses are always made of some sort of flexible rubbery substance - an elastomer. Those materials are flexible and change dimensions with temperature. They are connected by being pushed over a rigid pipe and clamped in place.
Most any clamp will prevent major leaks, but if the aim is also to prevent minor seepage the clamp is going to have to mantain pressure on that softer hose as the hose changes with age and temperature.
That is the reason why so many radiator hose clamps are the constant spring type.
Worm drive hose clamps like the first two pictures below are great for vibration resistance and high torque, but they can't stretch and shrink to follow the change in hose shape and elasticity as it ages. Eventually they leak. That is why you rarely see them used in hi-end coolant and fuel apps.
Continuing to seal an elastic hose to a pipe or spigot as either one changes shape & ages requires a clamp that keeps on clamping. Those are the constant spring type like the ones in the third and fourth pictures below. There are many ways to make a constant pressure spring clamp, but the main feature is an ability to change shape so as to follow a change in the hose as it ages and shrinks.
rScotty
