How to repair a crack in a plastic car or truck radiator with common tools. This repair took me about an hour, and will hopefully be a permanent fix and eliminate the leak.
The world needs more people like you, thank you so much! I did my Chevy 2500 and it’s holding! Way better than $400 new Radiator! Again, thank you my good sir!
Had a crack about 4" long in the plastic tank on the "outlet" side of of my 2002 F-150 radiator. I followed your tutorial pretty much exactly as you did in your video. Using plastic taken from the "ribs" of the tank in question, I was able to successfully patch the leak. That was 6 day's and appx. 1100 miles ago. (I travel A LOT for work...bought my truck brand new in 2002 and it has 447,212 miles on it currently). Thanks for the video Jennies! one note of emphasis...make sure to drill holes at ends of each crack to arrest the "run" of the split.
you gotta heat the radiator with the iron first and when it starts to melt you add the plastic. Just like welding with a rod. It does totally work. Did it on a 97 5.7 vortec. Lasted about 18 months so far 👍🏻💪🏼
This is, by far, the most simplistic (albeit only) youtube video I have watched on this kind of fix, and I am super impressed with the results. Plus, you explain things just like I imagine I would, so kudos for that.....!
And boy oh boy are you a great instructionalist! Great step by step and I'm glad you left a lot of the melt and weld to the video, very important to see how you got the new to the old plastic.
I fixed a 3' dia plastic tube that snapped into two pieces with a clean break with your baking soda trick and a trick I have used. Regular SuperG is thin so use a piece of sting and tack glue it around the crack. Now saturate the sting with super glue and use the baking soda. Boom a fix that looks like a small weld. Painted mine and looks darn good!
I was just contemplating doing this on my 08 Dodge Grand Nemesis. The fact that you were able to get that radiator to hold pressure at all is truly motivating. Cheers!
Thought about doing this on my leaky Jeep, and located all the items I thought I might need except for the "donor" material. Then I checked RU-vid to see if anyone else had attempted this... this is the first video I found. Seems I was spot on. I'll try this week.
Add more filler to the weld and strands of steel wool as structural fibers. I have heard zip ties are the right type of plastic to use as filler. PA plastic. Great work and well explained.
I had the same problem with a crack in the top of the radiator in my Celica GT-Four. I fixed it almost the same way you did, but I did use a Dremel with a diamond engraving bit to cut a V shape groove into the crack. Then got my cousin to heat it with a hot air gun while I melted in more plastic with a soldering iron. Then sanded it down flat and 3 coats of epoxy resin. It lasted 6 months before it split open again in a huge cloud of steam. It's now been replaced with a full stainless steel radiator. But at least I had 6 months to save up for the replacement. So DIY repairs are handy to keep it working until you can get the cash together for a replacement part.
Another great video. Funny thing is, I had the exact same problem with my last car. I used JB Weld and it worked for a while but the plastic was just too degraded. I wish I had seen this vid sooner.
Did this repair to my 2002 sentra radiator and it worked well then more new cracks developed and I bought a new radiator for 55 bucks off ebay. I used black zip ties that are the same type nylon as the radiators. The problem is these radiators have glass fill in the nylon, and is the weak point causing cracking after about 10 years.
Watched video and impressed with presentation. Will be fixing radiator where small pipe on side of radiator broke off. Video is 'honest' and informative . It will safe me and all from costly fixing. Thanks for a great video.
stigonutube Good luck with the job. It's been a couple of months and my repair is still holding, but it has developed a very small dribble, so I might have to go in and try to touch it up.
After doing the plastic weld,I would've got epoxy that sticks to plastic and a small sheet of glass fibre and applied it over and a bit beyond the plastic welded area to strengthen the spout area where you connect the hose.
Use Loctite Epoxy Weld compound and a piece of automotive body repair fiberglass cloth. DON'T USE JB WELD. JB Weld is not antifreeze resistant. Rough sand the area to be patched, then clean with brake cleaner. Soak the cloth in Loctite Epoxy Weld, smear some Loctite on the radiator then apply the Loctite soaked fiberglass. It will be a lasting repair. This repair works well for cracked steel and aluminum on engines and transmissions also.
+Thor Mcgee The trouble with radiators like this is that over time the heat deteriorates the plastic (great design), and that's why they crack. Even if you are able to patch it up it's still not as strong as when new.
People,this WORKS very well; being a fanatic (a lucky mechanic too)I weld it roughly(ATTN: No traces of antifreeze in area) AND epoxy it over with thin fiberglass cloth, just like Thor Mcgee says; 7 years ok on my Trooper 3.1 TD (named Opel Monterey in Portugal/Europe), towing boats,A/C on ; but you MUST MUST MUST use **fiberglass cloth**; epoxy alone will crack in a day or two(done that);
I would try a $16.99 plastic soldering iron from Harbor Freight to seal the area by melting the radiator well plastic to seal the area. Now that it's sealed and we're no longer worrying about coolant leaking, you can add JB Weld over the area to strengthen it mechanically to help the area hold against the 15 lbs. pressure of running at temp. Everyone seems to be trying to use 1/2 of this solution, one or the other, but I think both together would be best since it seals the area, as well as strengthens the area...
This is the best plastic radiator repair I have seen. Thanks a million. My car has has a hair thin crack less than 2 inches long below radiator cap. Interesting fact I learned is the high temp at the fluid intake from the case. The engine is usually 300 F; what will the radiator temperature be? Thanks again
I've tried plastic welding. Kind of worked as an emergency. Even better is my favorite.....thick super glue and baking soda. Put a good quality super glue on the crack itself, then imediately shake a tablespoon of baking soda onto it, wait a few seconds and blow off excess powder with your breath... anopther line of superglue and more Baking Soda and maybe one more time and voila.... you can drive in a minute. I drove from LA to Lancaster and back on hot summer day and it held .... eventually I had the time to replace which I did but the super glue and baking soda is a great plastic repair. All kinds of uses.......Maybe someone can explain the chemistry involved. I know it gets hot.
Author said it started to leak very little soon after this job, without needing to add as much water, almost no need to add he says. And it held up pretty good for 2 yaers when he sold this Ranger. I think he used ordinary plastic and I saw that the majority of radiator sides material is made of nylon. I'd use a little of its own material collected from Small ribs of it.
You are the only other person on EARTh who like me welds plastic using solder gun. The plastic on there is number 7, and what you should do is actually find the same kind of plastic but brand new. On an old car that number 7 is so soooo old its brittle. BUt it works.
4 years later - "After a while I started to see a little moisture at the repair, but never enough to add water. Ant it was still holding as of a couple months ago when I sold the truck." - Jennies Garage i scoured the comments so you don't have to!
it's about giving it a go trying to experiment and hopefully save some money or prolonging the spending $ for a few months. The experience is priceless so even if it does not work out, at least you had a go and learnt lots and even passing learning on like you have on you tube :). Mine has a split 200mm along top tank and slight plastic weakness like your probing plastic technique revealed. im going to repair mine and see how it goes as getting a new radiator is 400au+ dollars as mine had the outlet pipe on drivers side RH nissan terrano2 jap brand "made in spain for nissan" with ka24e engine and looks like i gotta import it myself from UK To AU as no places have my config new in Australia in aftermarket parts. let us know when it goes kaput so we know likely timeline..Thanks and regards
stigonutube well, I've got 4000 miles on it and about 3 months since the repair and she's still (mostly) holding. After long drives on hot days, i see just a little wetness around the repairs. I'm really happy with it though. Definitely better than adding water every day and having good samaritans commenting on the big puddle under the truck :)
A good get you home repair, but will cost more for headgaskets and labour for a ruined engine from overheating, because the water loss and constant high temperatures from coolant loss? As well as the antifreeze inhibitors stop rust too 👍
The object here was to $ave money, and repair a plastic radiator leak yourself. Zero money was spent and drove 50 miles without leaks or refill. Mission accomplished.
Best thing is marine epoxy steel it comes in 2parts just like bondo and it drips like condensed milk but it is the best apply a thick layer ,you have to wait hours for it to dry and then tilt the radiator which ever way you want to apply the glue to the other part of the leak this is the best fix patch a large area its better than plastic weld
+basant vimal Sharma Maybe with plastics like polyester, but radiator tanks are usually made of nylon, which is best repaired by melting it. Nylon is one of the easiest plastics to repair this way, and the repairs are very strong, unlike with polyethylene. I've even replaced the teeth of nylon gears by melting in new nylon.
It looks to me like there is a lot of downward pressure on that inlet tube. Considering how soft that material is, I'd say that's just a bad design. Is there any way to support that with a fabricated bracket? A gusset of sorts?
I may try this as while i was testing a heater hose fix i heard a noise and saw a wet spot at the radiator hose, nice straight crack. It's a $100 vehicle i bought 45,000 miles ago and it's not worth scrap price, but it still runs and my coworkers hate it so...... I've heard the nylon tank is the same as zip ties. Radiators for this are cheap, but I'm not sure the van is worth much money and there's other repairs calling for my cash.
Jennies! I have almost the same radiator, mine is for F59. I will definitely try this. Can you direct me to instructions on how to remove radiator from 1994 southwind rv? Thanks!
The reason most repairs fail is they don't drill the ends first. That way it stops it from going any further. Then you have to use something that can take expansion and contraction. So it can't be some super hard epoxy as it has to be flexible. Just clean the surface real good and make sure no water or anti-freeze is still present. It has to be clean, dry and rough. Use 80 grit sand paper of a file. Then wipe with acid tone once more. Let it dry and seal over with flexible epoxy. It will last a very long time then.
Yes on the holes drilled. Required in aircraft and good welders fixing heavy equipment. But most knuckle scrapers today don't understand the mechanics of a good fix. I love to save items, but when these radiators crack, ALL of the plastic in the unit is on it's way to vibration and heat stress unreliability. I would have done this when I was a kid and broke, but with most radiators out there at 50 bucks, forget it.
I have an '03 Dodge Ram that is spewing coolant where there is a very small crack located right at the base of plastic neck on the top of the reservoir (where the cap is screwed on). I really like your suggestion to cut a small piece of the same plastic to use as a bond. If your fix on the radiator itself is withstanding the heat, I assume that the reservoir should be okay. I'm really trying to just do some "first-aid" here. Thanks!
+Jim Haas I bet this method would work great on the reservoir, especially since it probably doesn't get as hot as the area of the radiator I repaired. The plastic I was working on had been really weakened by the heat.
First try the scrap yard. Frequently, other owners installed a new radiator that didn't wear out before the car was crashed or scrapped. I have to say that it's pretty dumb to risk seizing an engine or warping the head just to save a few bucks. The radiator will soon fail at the seam anyway.
I wonder how Billy May's Mighty Putty would do. I also wonder what it would be like to make a 3d printed one, using the same original plastic ground up and recycled.
Neat! I’ve done a similar thing by shaving bits of plastic and dissolving them in MEK - making a glue. But these days the feds say you can’t buy MEK anymore. Not sure there’s a suitable alternative to MEK.
Yea when your using pvc type plastic that has been molded with the molecule's in a certain arrangement it will fail. And if the plastic is week it is because particulates in the water or additives is abrasive and will weaken plastic over time, with also hot and cold cycles and weather. The best bet for a more perm. bond is to use a fiber glass kit. but as the plastic is already failed under it, it will fail eventually.
the best thing to fix anything even metal is super glue and baking soda. you put the glue on the cracked area and then put the baking powder on it 5 seconds later it's fixed hard as rock
This is a good idea actually. Keep the old stuff working. If it cracks again then replace it. There's a good chance this will hold though. Thanks for sharing :) Curious if you did have an update... Did it crack again? I'd have put some epoxy over top of that weld as well if it were me, and possibly run leak seal through the radiator system as well.
Matthew Jeschke yes my project 2006 gxp 5.3 rad was leaking today was ready to take it for certification here in Ontario this week have to delay going Will epoxy after stop drilling cracks degrease and sand may plastic weld first then with epoxy and fibreglass cloth then smooth and paint
I just wanted to say thanks so much I have driven my truck since saturday and I have not ran hot or no leaks I personally think this will be a permanent fix...
I suspect at least part of the cause is perhaps due to the design flaw of clip-bolt location carrying the weight of the radiator not just its main function ware and tare
this is not about buying a new radiator, this is on a whole new level of MacGyver type shyte, got a bucket dont want to spend money on it,MacGyver that shyte.
Great video; is the repair still holding? I was thinking about adding P-tex snow ski repair as a filler; but plastic from the radiator might be better. Or plastic from the radiator reinforced with P-tex.
Zach Hart Well I just sold the truck last week, and it was still holding pretty good. In all the time since I made the video, I think I might've added 1-2 quarts of water total. It still seeped out a little bit, but much better than before. (adding water every 2 days)
Excellent strategy for cheap radiator repair. Might work somewhat better if you used the hot chisel tip of iron to melt V shaped groove penetrating 2/3 into material - following the entire length of all cracks. Then go back and do exactly as you did...
+Eric Christenson That's what I did, and I used a soldering iron rated just 35 watts. You don't need much power because plastic doesn't conduct heat nearly as well as metal does.
Loved your power to analysis and diagnose the problem in first place. Forget about the repair part but only if Henry Ford could have you and fire their fat idiot top head engines, he could save millions of dollars. Good job man. Thumbs upped and subscribed.
Thank a lot. I think this radiator, like a lot of other things, was designed to eventually fail. They know the properties of that plastic backwards and forwards.
Greetings, I have had success using hot glue and a heat gun to melt the hot glue. Surface preparation is important, the plastic needs to be ruffed up using a knife to cut grooves in the plastic so the hot glue has something to cling too. Sandpaper will not do, I work the plastic about 1/4 inch on each side of the crack. The surface must be clean and dry before applying the hot glue. My repair has worked so far, but it is in a low stress area of the radiator. Your method has a much stronger mechanical bond and will last longer then my method, but I did mine with the radiator in the car. james
Patrick jones No, I used the regular hot glue gun glue sticks, I bought them at Ace Hardware. The repair is still holding and it has been 2 months but it is winter time now and the real test will be in the summer time. James
this isn't intended to be a permanent fix. it's to help anyone that is short on money and is meant to get you by until the first chance you have to buy a new radiator. just like the ole fashion radiator stop leak. I refuse to use the stop leak as it gets gunky and makes your antifreeze clumpy with the stop leak. had experience with the stop leak, aka mechanic in a can. and it did t seal up the Crack nor stop any kind of leak. just made the antifreeze dirty as hell and was a wasted of 10 bucks. if you can fix it for a temporary fix to get you to the next month or so because not all of us can afford to just flat out buy a new one right away. then do what you can to make it work. as long as your not being dumb about it. I tried this with my saldering gun but had antifreeze comming out at the same time so the plastic wouldn't adhere to the other plastic cause it cooled too fast. but it is a good concept. just like taking a leaking exhaust and having a small patch welded to the leak. if it melts, it can be formed. stay creative people.
Worth a go aint it :-)) I do suspect you need more heaped material melted into the crack area as there are still cracks inside the rad that takes away from the strength. Hunt for some dead radiators to snip bits off lol :-))
Yeah, definitely worth a try, I've got nothing to lose! And you're right, if I stockpile a bunch of plastic, I could just graft on whatever I need to in the future. Frankenradiator!
How long did this repair last? I just had the radiator replaced on my 07 Saturn Ion. Shops would of course replace the rad because the job is only done once whereas a patch might be a return down the line and no one wants to warranty a patch. If I had time and a second vehicle, I might have tried that as I too had a crack in the plastic. Don't make rads like they used to. All metal in the 1970's.
With that much crap in your radiator regardless of the cracks you should throw it away and get a new one and give it a good flush out and invest in some coolant.
I tried this approach but failed later on to pass the pressure test... I gave up (unfortunately). ... you should consider adding tweezers to your toolset (o:
Sorry bro but with the fact that you totally use no antirust agent,ie antifreeze, the plastic does look a bit weathered. I wonder if u can buy new reservoir s for these cores. Being right around the nipple, future flex seems imminent. But good luck. I have a split in my e150 vertical flow. Very small but about 2 inches long. They make a material that comes in pencil diameter 6 inch length s that are made to melt in to the split. I believe the trick is heating the new and old material without melting more than necessary. Just for curiosity, how long did your fix last?
Great vid man! I will try it with my ford escape since it suddenly started leaking. I would buy a new radiador but i am broke right now, lol. (Where there is a need there is a way). :-)
+Jennies Garage It worked perfectly! I just had to do the pressure test a couple of times since it would still leak and had to mend it but after that everything turned out ok. I do put water every four days, but not much about a half liter other than that it works great. Thanks! (saved me 150 bucks on a new radiator)
