Getting those stupid spring clips off the radiator hoses! ..

Anyone have any tricks for getting those $(&%(* spring clips off the
radiator hoses when they're turned around in the wrong direction?

I don't know whose brain fart it was to use those instead of the old
screw-type but at least THOSE, as long as you could get a screwdriver to the
slot, you could at least loosen those. These things, you have to not only
be able to put pliers around BOTH the prongs, you have to have the ROOM to
squeeze them and then rotate them, while squeezing, to a better location.

Some of them just can't be reached like that without removing the whole rad.

Anyone have any tricks to get at these (and please - no "buy a specialized
tool" suggestions; that's not practical now)

thanks!

StarMan wrote:
> Anyone have any tricks for getting those $(&%(* spring clips off the
> radiator hoses when they're turned around in the wrong direction?
>
> I don't know whose brain fart it was to use those instead of the old
> screw-type but at least THOSE, as long as you could get a screwdriver to the
> slot, you could at least loosen those. These things, you have to not only
> be able to put pliers around BOTH the prongs, you have to have the ROOM to
> squeeze them and then rotate them, while squeezing, to a better location.
>
> Some of them just can't be reached like that without removing the whole rad.
>
> Anyone have any tricks to get at these (and please - no "buy a specialized
> tool" suggestions; that's not practical now)
>
> thanks!
>
>

I cut them off with a die grinder.