posted 03-05-2014 11:33 AM ET (US)        

I have recently been working of the fuel hose assemblies for several different outboards and the need for the best hose clamp I can find has forced me to do a little more intense research into the matter than I have previously done. ContinuousWave is always the first place I look for good information and there are several threads discussing hose clamps with Oetiker hose clamps being mentioned several times.

BRP (Evinrude), Mercury and Teleflex/Sierra are but three manufacturers who use hose clamps made by Oetiker. Oetiker is a very old European manufacturer. Their product catalog is extensive, describing not just the products themselves but also specifying how their are to be installed.

One important point I have never seen mentioned is exactly *which* Oetiker clamp should be used when working on the fuel system of a Whaler. Oetiker makes dozens of different hose clamp designs, but the model of clamp you want to use is the Oetiker 167.

The 167 is a stepless single ear clamp made of stainless steel. The stepless design ensures equal pressure is applied around the the full 360 degree circumference of the hose thus minimizing the chance of a leak.

The single ear is crimped with a set of pincers, or manual closing tool. Oetiker offers several hand tools specifically for this purpose, though you can also use a regular set of end cutting wire cutters. The Oetiker tools are designed to fit in tight spots. The two models of pincers most used are the Oetiker # 14100082 (standard) and # 14100083 (with side jaws)

The Oetiker manual closing tools are made by Knipex and these tools can also be bought under the Knipex brand name, model numbers 1098 and 1099 respectively.

The biggest challenge of the using the Oetiker 167 clamps is sizing them. You must choose your size very carefully. Too big and you will get what is known as a "Block Closure" where the ear collapse entirely and grounds against itself before enough pressure is applied to the hose. Too small and it will be difficult to fit the clamp over the connection and the ear will not collapse very much and fail to be as permanent a closure as well as standing proud the hose more.

The Oetiker 167 hose clamps are offered in a huge variety of sizes in increments of a fraction of a millimeter of diameter so whatever you need is available.

Each clamp size has a specified range of diameter it can be used with. The general rule is to measure your hose diameter *with the hose fit over the barb* and select a clamp size with a range that this measured diameter falls roughly in the middle of.

Important information on the installation of the Oetiker 167 clamps, as well as all available sizes, are listed on pages 24 - 28 of their product catalog. The manual closing tools are shown and described on page 104:

posted 03-05-2014 02:33 PM ET (US)            

http://www.operatorsguides.brp.com/OperatorsGuidesAttachments/ OwnersManuals_EJ/attach/Accessories/5008815%20EN.pdf

Useful installation advice is found on page 29.

The BRP part numbers do not tell what size the Oetiker clamp is, but regardless of what vendor the clamps come from, each Oetiker 167 clamp itself has an identification number stamped into it. The number is the size, in millimeters.

posted 03-05-2014 11:59 PM ET (US)            

quote:

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The Evinrude chart linked to above is from the Evinrude E-TEC Installation and Predelivery manual, page 28 of this version:

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That is not where I got the chart I linked. Perhaps a similar version appears in the other place.

posted 03-06-2014 04:09 PM ET (US)            

- Clamp Needs to be precisely sized

- Clamp needs to be slid over the hose BEFORE assembly; it cannot be undone, wrapped around the hose and reconnected

- Clamps are non-reusable

- The crimps needs to be made with an appropriate tool and done with the proper pressure. Only single stroke crimps are allowed

posted 03-06-2014 04:12 PM ET (US)            

Where do you buy Oetiker 167 stainless steel stepless single ear ring clamps ? These are not clamps you are going to find at your local hardware store, but there are a number of options and some of them may be close to you.

First, you have to know exactly what size it is you are looking for. You can usually find them online, of course, though not necessarily in small quantities. One good online source I've used is a vendor on eBay who sells any size Oetiker 167 that Oetiker makes and sells them in lots of 10, 100 or 500. The pricing is good.

http:/ / www. ebay. com/ itm/ All-Sizes-Stainless-Steel-Genuine-Oetiker- 1-Ear-Stepless-Clamp-Cinch-Crimp-Ring-/ 331038223477

Be aware that the Oetiker 167 is also sold under different names and part numbers. BRP/Evinrude is an example if this; they use and sell the clamps in a few certain sizes used on Evinrude outboards, each size with its unique BRP part number. You can order these through any BRP parts dealer. Your local dealer probably has some in stock. But you need the chart above to figure out what size corresponds to what BRP part number. For example, if you need a 14.5 mm Oetiker 167, you need a BRP # 346785, $1.40 each, from this vendor:

http://www.boats.net/parts/detail/omc/O-0346785.html

Teleflex/Sierra also sells the Oetiker 167 in their own packaging in a few sizes. I have not found a good source for these, however. West Marine shows them on their web site (with confusing fractional inch sizing for most, but not all of them) and lists them with Sierra part numbers and West Marine part numbers, neither of which tell you the size. They are sold in packs of 10 only.

http://www.westmarine.com/sierra--oetiker-clamps--P010501658

Yesterday I stopped by one of the local West Marine stores to see if they had any. When I asked a sales associate if they had any Oetiker clamps, he looked at me funny and asked "What's that? Never heard of it." A part number search revealed that no local stores stock any; they are apparently an on-line order only part.

I stopped at my local plumbing wholesaler and inquired about Oetiker clamps. They never heard of them. When I showed them an image of one they said they had never seen anything like that.

In a prior discussion I remembered Rock de la Vega mentioning that he found them at a local hydraulic supply shop near him in Florida. I was in the south end of Seattle yesterday picking up some planer knives I had just had sharpened and was driving by a very old local business on Fourth Avenue South called, fittingly, Fittings, Inc. I've bought air hose fittings from them for years for my pneumatic tools but they sell hydraulic supplies too so the light bulb went on and I pulled in.

I walked up to the counter and told the guy I was looming for an Oetiker clamp. "Yes?" he said.

"Specifically, the Oetiker 167," I said.

"Yes? What size?" he said.

"14.5 and 21 millimeter," I said.

"How many?" he said.

"Ten of each," I said.

"Let me run upstairs and see what we've got," he said.

Two minutes later he came back with a handful of ten each in his hands. He told me they do not stock a lot of them but whatever size I need they can get pretty quickly.

The 14.5 mm size mentioned above that cost $1.40 in BRP packaging cost me 38 cents. I have found my source. It was a very satisfying experience to find someone knowledgable of the part I needed and who also had them in stock in a local brick-and-mortar store. Sometimes it pays to shop local.

Thanks Rick, for the sourcing tip!

posted 03-06-2014 07:38 PM ET (US)         

Hi Tom,

The Oetiker clamp chart that I sent to you has been published in the E-TEC service manuals, the rigging manuals, and in other Evinrude service literature over the years.

posted 03-08-2014 10:13 AM ET (US)            

Oetiker makes five special versions of the 167 for PEX (cross-linked polyethylene) pipe. They offer five sizes for the five most common nominal sizes of PEX used in plumbing and heating systems.

The nominal PEX pipe sizes and their actual metric sizes:

3/8" PEX -- 13.3 mm
1/2" PEX -- 17.5 mm
5/8" PEX -- 20.8 mm
3/4" PEX -- 23.3 mm
1" PEX ---- 29.6 mm

The Home Depot sells four of those nominal sizes (3/8, 1/2, 3/4 & 1 inch) under the SharkBite brand name in packs of ten.

Note that the 13.3 and 17.5 mm sizes are also offered in the full range of 167 sizes, while the 20.8, 23.3 and 29.6 sizes are unique to the 167 PEX.

As a practical matter, only the 3/8 and 1/2 inch sizes are going to be much use on Whaler and those sizes may not be perfect for you are trying to connect, but in a pinch, The Home Depot may get you back on the water.

posted 10-14-2014 09:36 AM ET (US)            

quote:

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As a practical matter, only the 3/8 and 1/2 inch sizes are going to be much use on Whaler and those sizes may not be perfect for you are trying to connect, but in a pinch, The Home Depot may get you back on the water.

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