radiator leak repair suggestions??

[JVR1]

hey all,

just fired up the winter beater ('86 corolla gts) and noticed i have a couple hairline cracks in the radiator (front/grille side near the top).. tried calling around to get a new one (200 bucks - and i might have to order it in) but was wondering if anyone knew of any products i could use to bandaid the 'wound' until i found a decent replacement..

thanks!

[mekeni]

crappy tire usually sells those... i forgot the name comes in a tube ala toothpaste.. doesn't last long though....


how about going to Pick n Pull or Cheap Charlies... cheaper than ordering new :thumbsup:

[ianmcc]

Remove the rad, get a propane torch and some heavy-guage solder and some flux-solder it shut.

[bmeier]

dont put those bandaids leakstoppers in they gum everything up and make more problems than they fix

[whiskas]

http://img107.imageshack.us/img107/4246/jbweldej2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Kidding. Whatever you do don't add anything to your coolant that'll prevent leaks.

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

add an egg :D

just weld it shut, grab a used one, or something similar to that

[EK 2.0]

Originally posted by whiskas
http://img107.imageshack.us/img107/4246/jbweldej2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Kidding. Whatever you do don't add anything to your coolant that'll prevent leaks.


I've used the JB to fix a rad leak and it held great...

DSM-ers swear by it...infact I carry it in my car at all times haha...that's the old DSM guy in me...

[Zero102]

Myth busters showed that egg works quite well...... that said, I sure as crap wouldn't do it.

The proper procedure is to get a large soldering iron or small torch and solder the cracks/holes shut. This is how they assemble radiators, so it is quite fine to do. If the damage is near one of the end tanks, try to heat the area for as little time as possible, just incase you melt the solder that holds one of the tube/fin assemblies to the end tank.

[dave5473]

make sure the rad is very clean before you solder or it wont stick

[JVR1]

i'll give the soldering a shot today.. thanks all!

[ianmcc]

Originally posted by Zero102
...The proper procedure is to get a large soldering iron or small torch and solder the cracks/holes shut. This is how they assemble radiators, so it is quite fine to do. If the damage is near one of the end tanks, try to heat the area for as little time as possible, just incase you melt the solder that holds one of the tube/fin assemblies to the end tank.

Told you!

[Zero102]

Also, as mentioned above, clean the rad well. I use steel wool to scrub it down so you can see bare aluminum. If your rad is painted you will have to remove the paint in the immediate area. It is okay to put some small scratches around where you will be soldering, this will help the solder stick.

Make sure to use flux. Don't just use rosin core solder, use a proper flux. I have a little kit I bought for doing copper pipes in a house. It came with lead free solder and a big container of flux. I am not saying you have to use lead free solder, but the kit was ~$5, add in a torch and you're still under $20.

[tictactoe2004]

crazy glue works to fix rad leaks... just remove the rad and make sure its clean before you glue it... im sure welding/soldering would work better but crazy glue has never let me down on a rad leak... its been on one of my cars for almost 4 years :)

[barbarian]

I remember when I was a kid my dad fixed a pinhole leak in a radiator by getting the car really warm, parking it, wiping the fluid off, and applying high temperature silicon the size of a on the hole. The dropping pressure with cooling sucked some of it it, then he warmed it up again and it flattened it against the inside.

[rc2002]

+1 for JB weld. I've seen it work on lots of cars. But it usually doesn't work for long. Good temp fix for a beater though.

[bituerbo]

I was oozing coolant for a while on an older car of mine. Gunk Radiator stop-leak worked wonders!

[Zero102]

^^^
And at what cost?....
You ever have to open up the cooling system afterwards?