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radiator repair method?

stoney126

stoney126

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hey all I got a leak in my radiator. It looks like it on the side tank for cooling the trans fluid. Its on the the bottom of the tank. I put plug em up stuff in but havent driven it. The tanks are not plastic. What can I do to repair the leak? New radiator is 360 and I got no scratch. Anyway need a good solid fix. LOL Can a throw a bead on it:D btw its for 89 CC diesel 4x4
 
Clean the area real good and solder it. It's got to be empty first.
Tarey
 
ill check pick and pull, which one has em for 25 bucks? . as far as cleaning can use a flapper wheel to clean it up?
 
to bad it the big D. have two heavy duty gas version radiators setting my shop collecting dust. If they will work you can have one if you want to pick it up.
 
If it's leaking, it's probably rotten, so a fix may hold you long enough to save up for a new radiator, but you more than likely are on borrowed time. The entire bottom section, including the core is probably plugged up and/or rotten.

Junkyard stuff can be fine, I wouldn't trust them to cool well, since any truck that comes in that isn't wrecked, is probably there because the PO was not mechanically apt. If they can flow test the radiators (one of the yards near here can) then I'd be more inclined to use one. $25 IS cheap. It can take just months for a radiator to go bad without a good mix of anti-corrosion stuff in it, whether antifreeze or some other additive.

New is going to be under $200 for a stock replacement at a chain auto store, and that would be a high price.
 
dyeager535 said:
If it's leaking, it's probably rotten, so a fix may hold you long enough to save up for a new radiator, but you more than likely are on borrowed time. The entire bottom section, including the core is probably plugged up and/or rotten.

Junkyard stuff can be fine, I wouldn't trust them to cool well, since any truck that comes in that isn't wrecked, is probably there because the PO was not mechanically apt. If they can flow test the radiators (one of the yards near here can) then I'd be more inclined to use one. $25 IS cheap. It can take just months for a radiator to go bad without a good mix of anti-corrosion stuff in it, whether antifreeze or some other additive.

New is going to be under $200 for a stock replacement at a chain auto store, and that would be a high price.
Click to expand...

No argument, except to point out that *diesel* radiators are stupid money. You're thinking gassers; I seem to recall paying $300 at my local non-chain outfit a coupla years ago. I checked just now, and Kragen says $350, and NAPA over $400.

-- A
 
dyeager535 I agree. Im thinking where the leak is that there is a bunch of sediment which caused it to leak. The solder would be a temp fix. As dremu said nothing under 300.00. Cheapest so is 315 my price gonna call 1800 radiator and see what they can do as far as price.

Thanks guys for all the info, got to see if my solder gun still works:D
 
Ahh, my fault, didn't see diesel in my skimming. Shouldn't we be brazing radiator tanks?

It's not leaking from sediment, it's leaking because the tank is rotten from the inside out. There is ALWAYS coolant at the bottom of the radiator, while it's fairly common for fluid level to be a bit low. If you've got any deposits at all on the cores you can see with the radiator cap off, you can be assured its a LOT worse lower in the radiator, where you can't see.

Another option is to call around and see who repairs radiators, and see what they say cost MIGHT be. They may end up finding your tanks are worthless, but let them pull it apart to find out, IF you have something else to drive in the downtime.
 
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