Need Help With Radiator- broken hose connection

[WJACKSON11X]

I've been working in the engine bay for a few days now and noticed yesterday while removing fan and shroud that the inlet connection on the radiator is broken off. It appears that it was welded on originally. I must have put weight on it, causing it to break loose. I'm not sure what material the radiator is made of, it looks like aluminum. Is this repairable? If it's aluminum, I've got access to a TIG welder but I'm not sure if it's aluminum, brass, or some other thin metal.

 

[496truck]

Pics for the best answer to your question....

 

[WJACKSON11X]

Pics for the best answer to your question....

I'll post pics this evening when I get home.

 

[WJACKSON11X]

Here are some pics. After further investigation, it has brass tanks and copper fins. The connection is on top and is for the heat coil. After removing the radiator, it appears to be in good shape except for the broken hose connection. I'm assuming this can be repaired a lot cheaper than replacing the whole radiator.

 

[4X4HIGH]

Clean the nipple and the tank real good then silver solder it back on.

 

[British Slave]

Take it to a radiator shop, let them fix it and then test for leaks. Maybe even clean the radiator while they have it.

 

[WJACKSON11X]

Thanks guys! I'll probably take it to a shop and let them clean it and make the repairs. I can solder and have all the equipment to do it, buti figure while I have it out I should have it cleaned/flushed.

 

[chulisohombre]

Last time I had mine done cost me 75 bucks. Still cheaper than a new one and you have your stock rad still.

 

[rebelgregory]

JB Weld in a pinch, but it won't stand up to the heat cycles. Solder/Braze FTW. That's how they're made.

 

[snowdriver]

JB Weld in a pinch, but it won't stand up to the heat cycles. Solder/Braze FTW. That's how they're made.

i patched up a water pump housing on a v-6 chevy with jb-weld and it got the car another 30000 miles before i got rid of it and it was still holding,sold car to my inlaws cheap and they piled it up within a week

 

[rebelgregory]

I've had JB weld hold up pretty well on composite radiators. Haven't had much luck on metal ones though.

 

[diesel4me]

Looks like a brass tank,so solder will work....if you can find some 50/50 solder (old stuff before they switched to the newer lead free type works the best)..a propane torch will work,though you'll need some skill and luck to solder it back on ,I use tinners flux instead of the usual paste used on copper pipes,though both will work OK....clean it up with emery cloth first till its bright and shiny..

An old timer showed me a trick ,he uses a pencil to "weld" a leaky radiator by removing about 1" of the wood off one end of the pencil and wrapping copper wire around it,and hooking the wire to the battery positive post...the other end of the pencil acts as a carbon arc torch and will melt solder almost instantly,before the surrounding area heats up enough to melt the solder out of other joints...its hot enough to melt the brass if you leave it in one spot too long so if you try this you might want to practice on a junk radiator first..

I was able to solder the radiator cap spout back on my radiator that way...was a challenge to not "unsolder" the tank in the process though...it came off instead of the cap one day when I went to check the antifreeze....

 

[WJACKSON11X]

Just dropped it off at the radiator repair place in town. They're going to make the repair, clean, and pressure test it for $65. I'll pay that all day long to have it repaired and cleaned.

 

[British Slave]

I've had JB weld hold up pretty well on composite radiators. Haven't had much luck on metal ones though.

In the 70's Ford had some 6 cylinder engines that developed cracks in the water jacket. The TSB on it had us to grind a V groove in the crack and use a two part epoxy similar to JB Weld to repair them. Never had a come back on them. I later patched the block on an irrigation engine that froze and cracked the block. That lasted over 25 years when it was finally replaced.

 

[Fordum]

Just dropped it off at the radiator repair place in town. They're going to make the repair, clean, and pressure test it for $65. I'll pay that all day long to have it repaired and cleaned.

Glad you did that. NEVER try to solder one yourself if you can help it. You have to be careful with the heat.
The entire radiator is held together by 50/50 solder, and its real common for other parts to fall off as you are soldering one on.

I have soldered several, one out in the swamp with a nail and a propane torch.
But that was after I ruined my first attempt. The whole core fell out as I was patching the tank.

And make sure you use 50/50 lead. Others are either too hard and will cause cracks or take too high a temperature and make it too easy to unsolder other parts.