Do's and Don'ts of Fixing Radiator Tank Leak (Not A How To Video)

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In this video I share some do's and don'ts of radiator tank repair. In particular I go over the do's and don'ts of repairing cracked plastic radiator tanks. I've been in the field of automotive repair for quite sometime. There have been more than one occasion that I've had to make a "creative" repair to a cooling system. When it comes to plastic radiator tanks I've never been able to "bubble gum" my way around a proper repair. Some "bubble gum" repairs, in my opinion, include using super glues, plastic welds (the two part epoxy kind, not the kind that use heat to actually weld the plastic), pepper, and egg. Though not mentioned in the video, I also doubt that "stop leak" would take care of a leak such as this one. In my opinion there are only two ways to properly repair a leak like a cracked radiator tank and that is to either replace the plastic radiator tanks or replace the whole radiator. Think about it... spending around a $100-$200 on a new radiator plus the labor to install it, if you aren't replacing it yourself, is a lot better than spending $2,000-$6,000 on an engine that blew up because of a cracked radiator tank. Just my 2 cents...
Note: It was brought to my attention that at the 45 second mark of the video I misspelled referring twice in the text on the video. Too late to correct that now but I'll notate it here.
Here is a link to a video that shows a great example of why I recommend replacement:
• An Example Of The Reas...
DISCLAIMER
Barbour's Auto Help is not responsible for any damage or personal injury incurred in the process of performing any auto repairs done by you the viewer. Automotive repair is extremely dangerous. Repair your vehicle at your own risk. It is the viewers responsibility to verify all information and procedures as outlined in YOUR REPAIR MANUAL AND OWNERS MANUAL FOR YOUR VEHICLE. Owning and using a repair manual suited for your vehicle is essential for correctly and safely performing ANY repair to your vehicle. Always wear safety glasses and heed all instructions for use applicable to any piece of equipment you may use. Due to circumstances out of the control of Barbours Auto Help, Barbours Auto Help makes no guarantee that by the use of the information given in this video a quality repair will be made. Barbour'sAutoHelp makes no guarantee that the information provided is totally complete, syncronized and accurate. Verify everything using an appropriate repair manual.
Repair your vehicle at your own risk! Barbour's auto help does not guarantee a proper repair using these techniques.
Special thanks to my wife for checking my spelling on this video and all my videos. You're the best Babe!

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2 сен 2019

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Комментарии : 81

@BarboursAutoHelp 3 года назад

Here's a little "back up" from my man, Scotty Kilmer. He seems to be on the same page. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-IVgeJWlfT_E.html

@FusionDeveloper 2 года назад

Thanks. I haven't watched Scotty Kilmer's videos in a while. I bought my car years ago. It has ruined rubber engine mounts, a leaking radiator, bubbled/wavy window tinting, etc, etc, etc. I re-tinted the windows and some new tires, new muffler (shop screwed me and used a cheap steel one for $10 less instead of a lifetime aluminum) and other stuff. I've tolerated the gross maple syrup smell and a shaking car for too long. I don't know how hard it will be to replace the busted rubber engine mounts, but maybe I can get rid of the disgusting maple syrup smell.

@BarboursAutoHelp 2 года назад

Interesting. Hope it works out for you.

@dustytrousers6244 3 года назад

For those who are looking to fix their radiator plastic, nothing glue or epoxy related is going to hold. If you are careful you can "weld" the crack with a soldering iron and some scrap plastic that is of the same type. Just dont roast a hole in it! One way or another its broke so there no risk really

@barnacles62 2 года назад

I saw a guy take plastic from an old radiator, heat the crack a little then melt the other plastic, and welded it like that. Its still holding, that was three years ago. However this man was exceptionally good at most anything he did, and was actually a welder and fiberglas man by trade....

@meljohnrodeo4339 4 года назад

Im a radiator man here in the philippines, I can copy the upper tank into brass, I recommend here that its better to convert plastic to brass so that you can save money

@BarboursAutoHelp 4 года назад

That's sounds like a good option.

@elifuller4862 4 года назад

That's wonderful man.

@borivojetravica569 4 года назад

This look like to expensive options. What will be price of that?

@borivojetravica569 4 года назад

Show to us HOW! will you? I am 5000 km from you. Eny how to do video?

@michaelabiog8706 4 года назад

Sir magkano po kaya aabutin pag nagpa convert, ganyan din kasi sira sakin boss

@hnajee 4 года назад

Glad I stumbled into your vid. Have a hair thin crack less than 2 inches on the plastic part of the radiator. Will a PC Fahrenheit Hi Temp epoxy work to glue the crack. How long will this fix stay. Will appreciate any assistance. My car is 6 cylinder 3.3) 2013 Santa Fe

@BarboursAutoHelp 4 года назад

My personal opinion is to replace and not repair. Though, I've not used that product.

@TuxedoBond 3 года назад

I have only used putty but in that experience the cracks usually fissure from under the glued area and continue to leak after some time. Might be good for a temporary fix but I would not count on it long term.

@ttgmusic9096 3 года назад

I just bought the polyvance nylon welding kit i really hope this works on my 3000gt until i can get a mishimoto radiator. Let me know if you think that its a good idea to weld nylon into a half inch hole in my rad.

@BarboursAutoHelp 3 года назад

Give it a shot. I've not used a welding kit like that before. The thing is though, if a crack showed up on one part of the tank the other parts of the tank are not far behind. Maybe it can buy you time though.

@ttgmusic9096 3 года назад

@@BarboursAutoHelp the thing is its not a crack it is a half inch hole. I did it already and so far so good. The way the head gasket is right now some of my compression goes to my radiator. Ill keep you updated man. Thanks for the vid!

@BarboursAutoHelp 3 года назад

Let me know

@BarboursAutoHelp 3 года назад

Do fix your head gasket problem. This, of course, can cause all sorts of problems.

@arielrodriguez6980 2 месяца назад

I see a lot of coolant coming out of the bottom far left and far right what it seems it is the radiator because it is underneath the radiator perhaps the black plastic. What are the chances that it has a leak on the bottom left and right side? The radiator is less than a year old.

@USA-GreedyMenOfNoIntegrity 2 года назад

Try about $300 for a new radiator for Chevy 6.0L in Jan 2022. Junk from China with stresses built up in their plastic. The first new one I installed was cracked. The second one is doing good so far.

@toml4835 2 года назад

OK. I'm convinced. Used JB weld let sit over 24 hrs. Drove for a couple hours. after letting sit a few minutes saw drips coming from behind the weld material .. not thru it but it found it where the weld stop. new rad on the way.

@BarboursAutoHelp 2 года назад

Thanks for trying and for sharing your experience!

@richardcallahan1689 4 года назад

Any chance of adding crimp force at a point of minor seepage; I mean rapping with hammer and screwdriver in order to squeze the gasket at that short location of the seepage? What do you think?

@BarboursAutoHelp 4 года назад

Mmmm. Maybe using pliers to crimp it would be better. The hammer action could cause a leak. Worth a try I guess.

@richardcallahan1689 4 года назад

@@BarboursAutoHelp Agree, and thanks. As installed the access is limited so id have to rap it tighter. Cant get a small vice grip in there. If I cause a leak it is probably due to a hardened crispy gasket. Maybe the small leak will just go away, yea right. Putting sealant over the top is unlikely to work. I think a new radiator is on the horizon. Car is 06 Uplander. Leak is one teaspoon a day. Leak is at bottom corner near the drain plug and at corner crimp thereof. Never can dry it out even if I chose sealant. Some things just do not allow shortcuts. I am leary of stop leak for sake of heater core. Appreciate your experience and comments

@BarboursAutoHelp 4 года назад

No problem

@nickuav9226 3 года назад

Hey having The same issues I have a cracked radiator I decided to try the cheap way Just so I can save up some money and get a new radiator it worked for the time being it was called Water weld Putty But finally saved enough to get a new one haven't install that yet just got here today Just a curious question before I install it What could cause my radiator to crack The engine doesn't overheat in my mechanic check to see if I had a blown gasket he said it was good Just don't want to run into the same problems down the road So I guess I'm asking if I don't have a problem with the engine overheating I shouldn't have a problem with installing the new radiator? Hope to hear from you soon

@BarboursAutoHelp 3 года назад

Heating up and cooling down over and over plus the age of the material causes this. It's just something that commonly happens to these type tanks. How old is your vehicle?

@nickuav9226 3 года назад

@@BarboursAutoHelp It's a 2005 Hyundai sonata v6 I just put it in a few days ago everything seems to be working great haven't had any more problems just don't want my radiator to crack again Thanks for the response

@BarboursAutoHelp 3 года назад

Sometimes there is nothing you can do about it.

@FusionDeveloper 2 года назад

Why do they sell radiators without the cap?

@BarboursAutoHelp 2 года назад

Right!?

@Kotaztrafee 8 месяцев назад

I'm told Q-Bond which is super glue and powder works. I sure hope so because after two wrong radiators from online because no one can get the radiator for my silverado with 8.1 engine in the auto stores or apparently anywhere else. I have to repair it. I tried welding with wire ties and I tried with my nylon 3d printer filament and neither would combine at any temperate I tried. So I am hoping this Q-Bond works.

@Kotaztrafee 8 месяцев назад

Doesn't work. Didn't help that I got an expired kit with the super glue nearly dried up and turned to a jell. Fortunately I found a repair guy and just the plastic tank for my no longer available radiator. I was out of luck if not for the plastic tank. The repair guy told me he couldn't get tanks any more but I found a company called RAD TANK.

@icantfishforshit 3 года назад

I hope you respond to this because I'm an idiot in need, why doesn't the radiator I'm looking at online match the measurements I took of my radiator? It's only off by a bit and it says core measurement so am I just measuring too much of it?

@BarboursAutoHelp 3 года назад

Not sure

@icantfishforshit 3 года назад

@@BarboursAutoHelp I just ordered it and installed, it fits.

@williamweiss1096 Год назад

most radiators are made of NYLON, using NYLON plastic welding rods, (available from several companies) POLYVANCE HAS A NUMBER OF VODEOS , as do others. using the products own composition material is probably the best way to make a repair,

@Eurospec73 8 месяцев назад

Your always better off replacing a radiator then having it rebuilt, most people don’t rebuild radiators anymore as it’s too much of a hassle with the labor especially with Part shortages. So buying a good aftermarket one, especially with dual tanks inside is a lot better than going with your OEM single tank as it runs the car cooler.

@sgt.mikebaran7105 3 года назад

Agree 110%...No Patch Works...GO TO JUNK YARD AND PULL ONE...

@canul3801 Месяц назад

my story. i use putty,gasket maker, epoxy. none of them work cuz high pressure gonne push that one needle hole and push the whole thing off. but it can help for 2 hours drive. emergency only.

@BarboursAutoHelp Месяц назад

You can have the code erased and it should go away immediately if the problem is solved. However, if you don't go that rout it could take a while.. Perhaps a week or two. Depends on when you complete two drive cycles without an issue. Takes a while to do a drive cycle.

@rickschindler1556 3 года назад

Actually, those cheap radiators are terrible compared to OEM quality. the aluminum is thinner, they don't have a divide in the middle of the runs to keep them from closing. My OEM has 43 runs, aftermarket came with 38. OEM transmission hookup has 3 runs and built like a cooler... aftermarket was a tiny tube hollowed out.. flow was terrible. OEM gasket was glued with something on both sides and was still bonded very strong.. aftermarket gasket was already loose after 1 month...whatever they used completely dissolved.

@dwayneevans683 4 года назад

Im an ASE CERT, MASTER TEChNICIAN, and he is correct just replace it, However if it really easy to change u can use plastic welder or even a strong epoxy, but be warned this is just a TEMPORARY fix, as the heat and pressure build , it well for sure eventually leak again, For high performance vehicles u can usually obtain a all metal radiator upgrade! they are more expensive but are more durable abd least prone to leaks and even if they develope a leak are easily repaired , they also run cooler and dissipate more heat!

@BarboursAutoHelp 4 года назад

Thanks for the back up!

@znooplokotexiv537 4 года назад

Does it work if you put a blue devil bottle ?

@BarboursAutoHelp 4 года назад

Never used it for this.

@katierepko9526 3 года назад

I just have a broken piece of plastic where the hose clamps to the top tank. 1) Why is it nearly impossible just to replace the top tanks? 2) If radiators are

@BarboursAutoHelp 3 года назад

Thats a lot of money 💰. What are you driving?

@katierepko9526 3 года назад

Barbour's Auto Help A 2007 Maxima. I can’t comprehend trashing a whole functioning radiator for a piece of plastic.

@BarboursAutoHelp 3 года назад

Have you gotten a price from another shop. Thats really expensive. Some radiators are more expensive than others. List is $635. Then labor of course. So yea, its up there. It's still my opinion it's best to replace, based on my experience. Do what you think is right for you. I'm gonna stick to my guns though, cause I've been there and done that.... you're in charge. I wish you well either way.

@demetriusollie2795 2 года назад

because shops are rip-off mostly

@brandonrubert1850 3 года назад

You're right but what about people that don't have any money feel like I just wasted four minutes of my life I can't get back.

@BarboursAutoHelp 3 года назад

Was it a waste? Or do you think some people just don't want to hear it? Or, is it a waste to attempt to repair it to only find out you spent $15-25 and wasted 1-2 hours of your life trying to fix something without success? ... and Oh by the way, you now have to buy and install that radiator you where trying to avoid?

@mushroomanjcc1954 10 месяцев назад

@BarboursAutoHelp it's a waste to some because I need to use my car to make the money to repair the part or get a replacement. I'm sure a lot of ppl clicked on this video looking for a temporary fix until they could have the funds needed for a full replacement

@remodeledcatidea5324 6 месяцев назад

Try Super glue and backing soda.

@davidreynolds4684 Год назад

Polyvance makes a product that you might want to try if you have some experience in welding plastics. It is a welding rod made from nylon + 15% glass fiber 3/8"×1/16" by 30 ft in 1' pieces part number R21-04-03-BK $42.95. Good luck.

@toml4835 2 года назад

I have the same car, same type leak (a bit smaller) same area. used JB weld. Today is day 1 of repair will let you know how long it last. I spread weld 3" each side of leak, looks well adhered. will be ordering a new rad at first sign leaking again. OEM parts for '03 sonata are not easy to get even from hyundai dealer. had trouble getting an output shaft seal and swaybar bushings from dealer.

@jacknife10000 2 года назад

Is it still holding?

@mtnman8876 2 года назад

@@jacknife10000 I did same thing got 3 months out of it before it leaked again

@toml4835 2 года назад

NO, Didn't last even a day. drove it next day and found it leaking under the JB weld and finding it's way out at the edges of the weld patch areas. new rad has been installed.

@Rob-zn3qd 3 года назад

ya i used marine weld it worked for a bout three months I sanded cleaned with alcohol and then put on a layer let it dry put on another later covering more and after it dryes maybe a third payer its not that hard and last for easly three months ,, its easier then changing it

@tigdineroyts8023 Год назад

Yu tell em Dad!

@dapv144 5 месяцев назад

I can testify that you can use plastic welding rods to fix.

@ajreynolds9068 Год назад

If you want a junk radiator you might be able to find one for 100 and all the car part stores charge 250 and up for a radiator they want 345 for a 2011 5.7 jeep radiator

@user-gu5zx7sc1k 27 дней назад

Replace 3 times to get one good one …

@williespoonemore3392 3 месяца назад

Oh lord , book mechanic , replace it . Well maybe some can't $100 bucks lmao

@nosey3972 3 года назад

Do,s or donts for fixing radiators !!! Did you forget the heading ? not 1 fix.

@BarboursAutoHelp 3 года назад

Here is a great example of why I recommend replacement. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-hzwQBZkWk8c.html

@rickschindler1556 3 года назад

they are cheap cause it's made cheap

@aymansaleem1614 9 месяцев назад

Useless help thanks

@harolddavis3415 2 года назад

I do not agree with you. There is nothing that can't hardly be repaired. Someone made it a human made it and it can be made again part or whole. I learned my skills for my father it was raised on the farm a good distance from town. You did not run uptown and get another radiator or get any part of that matter. You had to repair it. A trip to town round trip took all day. Now indeed he did buy parts but when you weight out going to town with fixing it yourself you had to fix it

@BarboursAutoHelp 2 года назад

Thanks for sharing your views. I appreciate it. Good luck on all your endeavors!