Hi Matt, I really like your videos. I've been in the automotive business for many years and feel that we can always learn something new if we listen and share information. I would like to share something for everyones safety. I would recommend, if possible, before opening a cooling system, try to locate a radiator hose and squeeze it to make sure there is no pressure in the system. Keep the great videos coming, and happy wrenching. Thanks, Dave
Great idea about using the overflow tube for a pressure gauge. A lot of modern vehicles don't have radiator caps anymore so I made a tester for mine with a cheap bicycle pump and a flush and fill kit that was already installed on my truck.
My pressure tester for cars with remote expansion tanks is an adjustable pressure regulator and a tee to place in the line between the tank and the radiator. The best part is it tests the radiator cap seal as part of the cooling system pressure test.
Great idea. I opted for the harbor freight one. Just a warning for those looking to buy the harbor freight one. You WILL need to put white thread tape on the metal bits in each adapter as they screw into plastic adapters that go on the rad. Comes with a pump and gauge like the one shown in this video. But I do like cheap and free.
Excellent idea with the rubber stoppers. I use those on power steering reservoirs to draw a vacuum and purge out trapped air. I'm going to rig something up to my Motive pressure bleeder to make things more universal when testing cooling systems.
You are my favorite auto tech on You Tube. I learn a lot and I like the combination of old school common sense and new technology. It is enjoyable and I have saved money too. Thanks for the great videos.
Great idea! Since watching I've thought of adapting it to use a car wheel schraeder valve and a battery operated tyre inflator. The schraeder valve could be pushed through the rubber bung thereby enabling it to take the inflator. The electric inflators have a pressure gauge on (usually). Or a bicylce pump could be used if an electric inflator not available.
I noticed a leak on my atlas compressor with a John deer engine while i was working on a un related part. so was looking to buy a tester . I saw your video and took a neopreme plug i use for plugging while powdercoating. found my leak around one of my hoses. So fun and easy. Thanks for the video.
A while back I actually purchased a set of rubber plugs that have a male end for an air line. I blow out hoses. Water pressure pumps and actually coolant systems. Works Awesome. But the gauge was my issue. May try this out thanks
I had the same problem with a 1996 2.5L Subaru Outback, I had already done a HG once shortly after I bought the car! It part of it was a bad radiator, bad radiator cap, and a few other just plain weird things! For a while I would not go anywhere with out a few gallons of coolant- coming from an aircraft back ground- I know horizonally apposed engines- the Subaru is a funky design, I guess they are fine brand new, but not when they got a few miles on them, mine has 206K on it and I not put 20 thousand miles on it the 24 months I had it- its an old car so its to be expected, good learning experience thou, and its a fairly simple car for a beginner home wrench to work on!
i actually came up with the same idea using a stopper with hole and blow nozzle to find coolant leak a while back. What i never thought of was hooking up a pressure guage to the overflow tube..that was definitely cool.
+mrsargemeister I actually thought of that at last minute when I saw the overflow tube and just went with it lol. I also was just gonna try the stopper only
Good video, you got a nice simple idea over well. When I do cooling system pressure test I use my home made cylinder leak down tester to control the pressure at 18 psi. I added a ball shut-off valve to the leak down tester so I can isolate the pressure from the air supply and check for slow leaks. I use this tool a lot as the models of cars I work on have a reputation for cooling system problems. To make a connection I have a T connection that fits between the small bore hose that runs between the radiator and the pressurized expansion
General Motors. Uses a water hose and connects it in. That's how specialist work. They just leave the water pressure on there. find leak. You'll never get over like 10 to 15 lb Whatever your radiator cap call for. They find a lot of intake leaks this way
this is BRILLIANT!!!!....my only suggestion is to put this idea into production!...small bicycle pump,a few medical stoppers with holes already in them...a couple feet of tubing....BAM...25-30$......as opposed to a 90$ kit that only test CAPS????...or the neat 50$ add on that only works vehicle specific........this is.an absolute winner!!!
This guy put a Schrader valve in a cheap radiator cap: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-oqqv4iscYWU.html How about putting a Schrader valve in a rubber cork, plugging the other hole, and testing a replacement heater core? I do not want to swap it three times!
Clever way to make a working tester. I bought a professional 'fit-all' system and it doesn't work on my pickup, the primary reason for getting the kit. What the heck.
Matt - Great Job. Thanks for showing us. Fast, easy, cheap and it works. Like your tester rig a lot. Did you get any info for the Subaru test cap/fitting? Kinda guessing there would be a lot of people who need to know this and it would really save their bacon knowing which adapter to get. I saw Eric from SMA doing something similar. He didn't use the rubber stopper but he did test through the overflow connection with a similar air hose nozzle. He had the air nozzle blow through the overflow fitting and checked the upper radiator hose to make sure it was pressurized. He didn't a Gage because he already tested it. He was basically just giving tips and tricks for all us DIY'rs and it was a simple after the repair second check/validity of system integrity using the vehicle's cap as the plug kinda thing.
Now sometimes the radiator failure is due to an overheating problem. You can't assume just by replacing the radiator that this is a complete fix. You should conduct another pressure test after the replacement to ensure there's not another leak in the system.
I made a pressure tester out of a bicycle pump to test my rover K series engine. Used it to find an internal leak from the head gasket. I will do a quick demo video on my channel tomorrow!
Hi Matt, I use a collection of three different sized rubber plugs just like you have. Holes drilled in them and quick disconnect nipple inserted. I use regulator at compressor to control pressure. Hook it up and turn on the air. That's it.
+Schrodingers Box Hi Matt, If you're talking a static "leak down" test, just make sure that your quick disconnects are tight and shut off the valve at the compressor tank. I'll shoot you pics of my current bung set if you want to post, but I need a way to get them to you. By the way, these are available at Ace Hardware for all interested for about average $2 a piece.
+Schrodingers Box BTW, you should be able to hear it, but if not, a little Windex or other household cleaner with a propensity to foam (as you might use for house gas line check) is a good method to confirm a tight seal.
exactly, i was hoping that something creative would happen, but then a feeling of rejoice as soon as you found the issue. Perhaps you can find why the radiator failed. Factory defective, user error, oxidation, you mentioned in you head gasket video that if you don't find the reason for the failure you will likely be doing the job again.
I have a similar pile of junk tester and I found some rubber washers the same size as the filler neck that filled the gap between the adaptor and the neck to make it fit tight.
No thumbs down here. Makes sense. I'm actually releived to tell my customer that's it's just their radiator and nothing more. Think outside the box. Just did one today.
An alternative method that usually works without tools is to run the car until it's warmed up. Arm yourself with a flashlight and then turn the car off. Pressure is at it's max now and you can usually spot the leak with a flashlight.
ahhhhhh....... never mind. just watched a video a guy made putting a air valve in the radiator overflow hose . using a zip tie . He pumped up the radiator thru the valve with the bicycle pump. That way you can test the system including the radiator cap without even needing plugs at the radiator cap connection. Your making us think Matt. THANKS
+dcbigsky How did he test both the cap and system through the overflow??? That is impossible. The cap seals BELOW the overflow. He only tested the the cap mating surface, not the system unless he did something I am unaware of.
+dcbigsky I can understand how it put pressure into the rad as rad caps have two valves the main pressure relief valve and a second smaller one way vacuum breaker valve to let air back in when the system cools down but I suspect it will leak a lot of air as the lid of the cap isn't designed as a pressure seal.
Not all cars have radiator caps before the over flow. ..still gold. I have another bit of excitement, I keep forgetting you can bleed a coolant system faster with pressure! Super time saver!
+DE Nichols Yes on models with combination overflow and reservoir instead of a radiator cap (GM N models) you would simply plug the cap and crimp the overflow hose (or deadhead it with a pressure gauge)
You mentioned near the end of this video that you can you get the air out of your system using pressure. How this is done is not clear to me. Would like to see a video on how this is done.
What about using a cork/bung with a tire valve stem glued into it? That way you could use a regular tire inflater (from your compressor) to both pressurise and monitor the pressure.
you could just cut a metal O-ring or washer so it look like a C. drop it in the radiator neck put the radiator cap back on top. That cut O-ring would push the spring up and leave a gap for air pressure to flow throw the overfill tube down to the radiator!!
I reused a broken/defect temp sensor and drill trough to glue in a tube nipple from a large truck tire that is made of brass and has a tube of a few inchhes so that I can use my bike pump to get it pressurised. Great benefit of this appoach is that it also automatically test the radiator cap which can also be faulty
@@SchrodingersBox the additional benefit is that the cap still releases any over pressure from bike pump and even air compressor to prevent damaging the fragile and costly radiator
I was just thinking of using a the 5/16ths vent hose on my Chevvy Cruze.. cut a tee into that and hook a hose to connect the airline and pressure guage.. That way you don't even need a rubber stopper and would be better for tiny leaks that you might want to test over several hours.
+R HEIDEMAN Hahahaha!! Yeah it will work better than my $280 Stant setup I guarantee!!!! I wish I thought of this first and I would never have bought the Stant kit!
Yeah thinkin about drilling another stopper with a skinny unibit and siliconeing a tire valve stem in from the backside to use to hold pressure on the system.
+Schrodingers Box Matt, just thinking out loud here, could you use a Subaru radiator cap with a hole drilled in the center and using a threaded (on one end) air hose fitting that's secured with rubber gasket material on the underneath side of the cap, on the other end a 1/4" barbed hose nipple on the other end and connect a rubber hose to the tester?
Damn it! I was hoping you were going to go all out finding this leak! I have a Subaru (a few of them) that smells of water and uses water. I'll have to try your idea.
Oh ya forgot to say in last post that I'm going to make a tester hose to hook to the radiator overflow access with a T in it so both a air valve access and a pressure gauge ca be hooked to it. thanks matt
+dcbigsky I still hold that you cannot test the SYSTEM through the overflow with the cap on. The whole point of the cap is to seal the system unless pressure is past spec in which case only then it recoils to open to the overflow.
+Schrodingers Box Yep your right Matt ..... don't know what I was thinking . I saw that video how to make a dyi coolant pressure tester by mr42ndstblvd and now I realize where he was saying see where its showing a leak .........ahhhh thats just stagnant anifreeze HE got me. Thanks for pointing out where I totally overlooked why it couldn,t work
I could see a very few simple fittings with a small gauge and even Mabey a small cheap knob regulator and it would be tits. Could put a quick connect for the air line then a small regulator then the gauge. Awesome
Hi Matt great video thanks it will save me and everyone from buying a pressure tester. question:where did you get a door stopper that size? my radiator opening is 1 1/8" dia.
Just a Thought do you have a cylinder leak down tester with a regulator on it? you can use that with your rubber stopper and set your pressure.also you could just buy a new radiator cap for the car and drill and tread it. then take your rubber stoppers, one that might fit under the cap and drill a hole in it to deal the over flow tub.
yes I noticed that too. I originally thought it was because the owner just topped off the antifreeze that day but now I suspect it was overflow past the cap when it overheated.
I had the same problem on my 96 Sonoma and I could smell antifreeze but never saw it , it would leak about a quart every 2-3 weeks . after I changed the radiator cap it completely stopped
Can see where that would work in a lot of cases but then you have all the assortments of plugs available to you. Won't do any good testing radiator caps
Subaru radiators are junk so that is a common problem. Although, for a car of the vintage in the video, not the original radiator. Also, there's the head gasket problem. However, the most common coolant leak I encounter occurs where the upper radiator hose connects to the pipe on top of the engine. There is something about that cast piece that prevents a good seal to the hose.
+Schrodingers Box Evidence? Well, thinking back to coolant leaks on Subarus I have repaired I remember a radiator, a water pump, a pinhole leak in a hose coming off of the water pump and four times where the above hose connection was leaking. That is it for my memory bank. The thing about this hose connection is that it hides under the air intake and shroud covering the accessory belts. And even when you remove them you have to feel under for wetness. So, it is sneaky.
+Lorrin Barth Wait, I didn't make a diagnosis, all I did was offer a helpful hint. As for radiators, I don't like the style now in use with plastic tanks. As shown here, the failure of the seal between the core and tank is only a matter of when. This type of radiator is often inexpensive but a radiator with welded tanks has a chance of lasting the life of the vehicle. In the age of iridium spark plugs and stainless steel exhaust, car makers are causing owners to accept the radiator as being a maintenance item.
Thinking about the same procedure but instead doing everything from the overflow hose with a Tee fitting for the gauge (leave the radiator cap on ) can you direct me to a gauge with a proper port similar to what you were using but maybe a higher PSI reading like 20 or 50 PSI.? Also what about turning the regulator down on the compressor to say 15 PSI would that be feasible, trying without a gauge ?
+Brad Halstead HAHAHA... All I can say is Joe tells everyone about me now. I am booked 3 weeks out now. I used to only get 3 cars every few months lol.
+Schrodingers Box Thanks for the shout out on my St.Lou trip Matt. When I turned the key on here in Denver there was no doubt in my mind I wouldn't make it to the 'Lou
+Schrodingers Box Thanks for the shout out on my St.Lou trip Matt. When I turned the key on here in Denver there was no doubt in my mind I wouldn't make it to the 'Lou....
Joseph Duncan My pleasure Joe- next time I see you I hope it isn't for that jeep!! You've been a great sport through this and as you see it's helped a lot of people!
Not trying to look like a daydream Johnny but why pressurize the system. I just use the top seal of cap and spare tank acts as a bubbler or draws in coolant when it cools.
