Top of the radiator leaks
 

The top of the radiator is made of hard plastic (SVX97). It does have a hairline crack. I try to glue it, but the glue failed to stop the leak. Is there any suggestions? The car does not heat, but It uses a lot of coolant..Help, please.:confused:

It's a common problem, I had it too. Some people have succeeded with glue, but it didn't work for me either. The solution is to replace the radiator. It's an easy job to do even for a novice mechanic. ;)

The radiator gets pretty hot, and is also under pressure, so in use this hairline crack will expand.

If you used a glue that sets hard, then the expansion that happens merely re-opens the crack. You have to use a glue that bonds well to the surface [which if it is too shiny like our radiator top, you have to "key" or roughen with sandpaper;) ] and that also remains flexible for the thermal and pressure expansion that happens.

I did a repair that worked on a Matra car I had, plastic topped rad like our SVX. However, I used a two-pack epoxy paint and put on plenty of glue. Lasted quite a while. You might have a look for this product:
http://www.caswellplating.com/permat...msealants.html
which may do the job for you.

You can take the following advice at YOUR OWN RISK! Don't do it if you are unsure what you are doing, and you are immediately prepared to replace the radiator if it goes wrong!:eek: Your hairline crack will not allow the glue to enter the crack area and bond to the two split surfaces. To allow the glue best chance to work, you could consider using a multi-tool type device [aka Dremel] to open up the hairline crack using a 1 mm drill/cutter along the length of the crack [don't break any drill bits into the rad either]. This will allow the adhesive to get into the crack and bond to the two sides. Provided you are sure the adhesive will work with temp and pressure, and remain flexible, it will probably fix your leak.

But for absolute security, replace the radiator, Phil is correct.

Welcome to the site, BTW.

Joe:)

Thank you ! I am going to seal it first and see how it works..

Get a PWR radiator for peice of mind... they are the single aftermakret replacement and the aluminum will never crack on the tanks

Tom

Do they have them in stock yet?

I never got a response back from sales or whoever.

I haven't seen them on ebay for a while either. :confused:

Working on this same problem
 

My radiator is epoxy-ed over the crack overnight and will see if it works out tomorrow... hopefully it will hold untill at least spring time when i can afford a new radiator.

If you don't drill a 1/8" or larger hole just PAST the end of the crack it will keep coming back. The expanding plastic and vibration keep it alive. Also drilling several holes through the length of the crack gives the epoxy a better purchase.
Make sure you use course grit sand paper and brake parts cleaner or equiv to prep the surface.

And be sure disconnect the radiator and thoroughly flush it before refilling it with water/antifreeze. You don't want any plastic particles floating around in your coolant channels to clog things up.

Might as well save the trouble of starting a new thread.
I have a hairline crack in my radiator, and not a lot of funds. Is this radiator as good as the OE? Yea, I'd love to get a PWR but this is 1/3 the price. Please give your advice, I need a radiator fast!!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/RADIA...QQcmdZViewItem

yeah, all of the Ebay ones are the same "Silla" radiator. all OEM replacements.

And if your rad cracks.. just replace it. I tried half a dozen times to fix mine using fiberglass patches, epoxy, jb weld, plastic weld, etc...

And in the end I had to still buy a radiator, I just had a lot more frustration keeping a patch on it. And I did all the drilling, cleaning, sanding, and patching the way I was supposed to.

Oh, and replace your hoses when you do this. Cause otherwise they like to spring a leak and make you spend an hour driving 12 miles down a SNOWY road in the middle of APRIL to and from a parts store to get a new one.

Ask me how I know.:rolleyes:

I used some radiator repair package from advance auto parts for $1.99 and it seems to work pretty well. It is a 2 part putty that you mold together and then press over the leak. After 2 hours it dries rock hard and so far it has held fine. I do plan on replacing the radiator but it is nice to be able to worry about other problems first.

Refer my current thread headed, "Radiator Repairs". Applicable text as follows:-

I have noted many instances of radiators being replaced purely because of a split/cracked top tank.

This was a recent problem which resulted in my SVX letting me, or in to be exact my wife down, for the first time in eight years of daily motoring.

Several radiator specialists offered a new OEM radiator, a replacement custom made alloy top tank or a new custom made alloy radiator. All very veryexpensive options.

I went to a plastic repair specialist and the tank was welded for the huge sum of NZ$20,00. The fracture was welded closed, overlaid with extra material, then reinforced with fiberglass tape impregnated with weld.

The crack of about five inches in length, was across the internal angle formed at the front of the tank, where a flange is formed to provide a flat surface for crimping to the the metal core. This is an obvious weak point, subject to vibration stresses, originating from the flexibly mounted engine and passed via the top hose. The area is now reinforced and I beieve better than when new.

The tank could have been welded while in the car, but I chose to remove the radiator as the traveling distance involved, could have meant overheating the engine.


N.B. I am advised that the tank is of a Nylon matereial and a special plastic welding rod is used together with a special hot air gun. The result is a fused joint much as with a metal weld. This is no way a stick on fix and is permanent.

I reason that the crack has in fact relieved what was a previous stress point in the tank by opening up. Therefore the repair should correct an existing problem. Special attemntion shoiuld be paid in respect of the flexibility of the top readiator hose, for obvious reasons.

As long as this ebay/silla is OEM quality. I'd rather just pay the $151 for a new radiator and be confident in it than patch it and wonder when its going to crack again. Are new hoses really necessary? need to do this on the cheap

Thanks