radiator leak?

[awb85]

Well just got my new gas tank, and while at it i replaced the fuel pump, 2 hrs. 30min. First time that baby has had a full tank since I bought the car back in jan.


Now I have a new leak — coolant. And it's not the water pump this time, seems like its coming from the side of the radiator on the drivers side
and it must squirt all over when i drive cause its kinda all over (up down and sideways) and i can smell it burn somtimes.

I'm thinking of trying some stop leak, but was told it's really only temporary and if its gonna go its gonna go.

I was just wondering if this whole side leaking business is common.

 

[svtman]

Mine was leaking on that side as well. Very common problem from what I read here. Check if the leak is coming from the seal on the plastic tank on the side of the rad. Mine was leaking there, so I took it out and used vice grips to progressively tighten up the aluminum tabs that clamp onto the plastic tank. Mine was fairly loose. After that, I pressured it up a bit with air and checked it with a soapy solution to make sure the leak was gone. 10,000km later it is still leak free. And these rads are expensive!

 

[rangerj]

There are a couple of common problems that cause leaking radiators.

1. The tanks are "crimpted" onto the core. With expansion/contraction due to heat-up and cool-down the "crimp" loosens and a leak will appear. If your leak is at the seam of the tank and core you may be able to re-crimp the tank and stop the leak. Not to many have been successful at this.

2. The attaching nut and bolt tends to get overtightened, by mechanics, and the added stress will eventually cause the tank to crack, usually just below the nut/bolt.
Note: the bolt has a special head on it so do not loose it if you replace the radiator. Also do not overtighten the nut for the aforementioned reason.

3. Pin-hole punctures from road debre, or small stones, are a common problem.

4. Road salt corrodes the aluminum core and eventually the corrosion gets deep enough for a leak to develope.

Lastly a word of sage advice. You DO NOT want to overheat an engine with aluminum heads. A Modine radiator is about $130 (+ or -) at nationally known parts stores. If you can afford it, replace the radiator.

Use of "stop-leak", such as "Barrs", is ok and it will work, but it can also cause blockage problems where you do not want them. If you are going to use a "Stop-Leak" product, use Barrs. rangerj

 

[SonicRiot]

Please don't use stop leak... your wallet will hate you when you find out a hearer core replacement is 8 or 9 hours and can cost almost a grand to replace when it gets all clogged with stopleak crud!

 

[awb85]

I was told that the powdery type stop leak is ok, but the "monkey ****" (little jelly balls) can clog up the heater core.

I happened to come across an old bottle of "weld it" for fixing radiator leaks — pure copper. It was poweder/small granuals and claimed permanent fix (which i am skeptical of from what I hear).

I put it in today and it seams to have worked.


rockauto.com sells a spectra radiator for $104, which is just a bit more than the $90 I paid for the gas tank I just installed (was told it would be about the same).


For the moment I hope that the "weld it" works its magic, I'll deffinately keep in mind what you guys have mentioned.
I've used stop leak before and it fixed that problem in my other car — has been about 2 years now.

Thanks guys, again this place is a great place of info.