Radiator repair?

Repair/replace has a lot to do with funds available.

If money is no object or dealing with radiator failure/towing is a dire fate your son does not want to face, then replacement probably offers a bit more peace of mind - but a good repair will hold up for years. Of course, if the radiator has not frozen or had something dropped on it (or hit it - like a stone off the road?) failure after only 10 years is a pretty poor sign - has the antifreeze been changed every couple of years?

I've soldered radiators back together (solder is the repair method I'd suggest, and at that you have to be pretty meticulious). Brazing sounds like a good recipe for a much bigger hole in the radiator - but you might be better at brazing really thin brass than I am.

Low temperature solder and a propane torch are your best bets. Scrub the area clean with some steel wool and use low heat to flow solder into the crack.

If the tank and cores are copper, low temp solder with a good acid based flux will do it up easily. But beware, there are a lot of late model vehicles with plastic end caps and/or aluminum cores that are essentially non repairable.

For a copper radiator, my local radiator shop charges about $50 to remove the tanks, run a rod though the tubes, solder it back together, leak test, and paint it black for best heat transfer. Hard to even think about doing it yourself.

cheers.

LBailey wrote:

Assuming the radiator is repairable by you I would first make sure that the rest of it is not ready to fall apart. Radiators are much thinner than they used to be to ensure better heat transfer (I read a big dissertation on that somewhere) and I think the use of aluminum was tied into the scientific argument which surprised me since I thought it was so the @#$%#$# could do it cheaper.

Also, with aluminum heads etc if the radiator lets go and severely overheats the engine the rad replacement cost will look pretty cheap in comparison.

Billh

Thanks for your replies. I made the small crack into a couple of bigger holes (grin) and then soldered a patch over that which held for the ten mile drive to buy beer for the admiration phase of the project. After that my wife told me that the cooling system was covered under the extended warranty that she had purchased with the vehicle. I was glad I had the beer.

Check out SilFos rods for the solder repair I have done it with great sucess using this silver solder

Ben

Roy wrote in article ...

Painting a radiator actually adds a layer of insulation between the heated water and the air.

All racing radiators come un-painted for maximum heat transfer.

Radiator shops paint radiators to make them look nice after being worked on. it gives the customer that little glow to know that something shiny has taken the place of a malfunctioning component.

Whenever I have a radiator worked on - for myself or a customer - I always specify "no paint", and the radiator shop is happy to comply.

Bob Paulin - R.A.C.E. Chassis Analysis Services

I know the job is a done deed but I got a chance to talk to the radiator man in the family today so I thought I'd pass on his advice. He said there are a couple of easy choices. First "he" would, since he works in a well stocked shop, walk over and get a new filler neck and solder it in with regular solder. He tells me that radiator shops stock and sell them to the public but auto parts stores won't (at least around here in Los Angeles). If number one is not an option, second he would silver solder it with no patch. That's it.

i am 72 worked on all kind of rads don't know if you still need help bu any time you have a crack or hole in top tank if you can get to it put small copper patch make sure it is very clean if you can use tineall compound to clean solder on patch will outlast rad this is a lot of work for small repair or just use JB weld again must be xtra clean

50 BUCKS THAT IS CHEAP I REPAIRED RADS FOR OVER 45 - 50 YEARS AND TO ROD OUT A RAD TAKE IT OUT PULL TANKS AND TO SOLDER TANK BACK ON IS WELL OVER 150.00 AT MOST SHOPS THE MATERIALS ALONE ARE OVER 50 BUCKS AND THE RAD BETTER BE IN GREAT SHAPE FLAT STEEL ROD IS PUSHED THROUGH EACH AND EVERY TUBE TO PUSH CRAP OUT THE OTHER END