(I am using terms as shown in this exploded view)
A few months back the hose for my kitchen pull-out faucet broke. I went to the home improvement store and bought a universal replacement hose. I had no trouble connecting the hose to the faucet base, and there are no leaks there.
However, I have had endless trouble with leaks at the end of the hose that connects to the pull-out spray head. I believe this is because I am unable to get the retaining clip (c-clip) into the right groove in the hose stem.
Please see the pictures below showing the hose and the slide nut for the spray head. As far as I can tell, the trouble is that the slide nut is too "tall" and the hose stem does not protrude far enough out to allow me to slip the c-clip into the retaining groove. This causes the hose to slide out slightly and leak water out of the slide nut.
Does my conclusion seem right to you? How should I solve this? I've tried wrapping the hose stem with teflon tape to create a tighter seal, but it lasts a couple weeks at the most. Do I need a specific hose for this spray head (Moen)? My home improvement store only has two universal hoses, and both have the exact same hose stem.
Do I need a new spray head entirely? That may be difficult to find one that matches the existing faucet.
Compare to this image, which shows the c-clip retaining groove well above the slide nut.