Car Radiator repair

[m Ransley]

Will epoxy bond to the plastic top of a car radiator. Mine is getting a crack. I know replace it, but for now I was hoping epoxy or silicone sealant might work.

[Mark]

probably won't hold up to the pressure of the car's cooling system.

[zxcvbob]

I don't know, but you need to drill a little hole at the end of the crack first to relieve the strain so the crack doesn't keep growing.

If you use epoxy, get the slow-set rather than the 5-minute kind.

Bob

[gfretwell]

I did it with JB Weld on a Camarp radiator with the black carbon fiber type radiator ends. It worked fine. The real trick is getting the plastic perfectly clean and grease free. I started with regular engine degreaser and then used laquer thinner. I am not sure if it was necessary but I also used a piece of fiberglass cloth between the first and second layer of JB weld. Rough up the surface with sand paper, clean it again then work in the epoxy well so it is really sticking, lay on the glass and lay up another layer of epoxy, work that in. Unless you are in Florida or Australia it might be too cold for epoxy to cure if you can't bring it inside. You really want to be over 70f and 80 is better. A heat lamp might work for you.

Mine ran the remaining 3 years I had the car, for all I know it is still working.

[Steve Barker]

JB weld will work, but you'll have to have it perfectly clean, gouge the crack out ever so slightly, clean it with brake cleaner and give it a full

24 hours to cure before using it again.

[Nate Nagel]

I'd rough it up first with some coarse sandpaper, too. Some plastics are just hard for any adhesive to stick to, so give it some tooth to give it a fighting chance. I'd probably try JB-Welsd as I've had good luck with it other places that it probably shouldn't have worked.

I seriously doubt silicone will hold up, your rad. is probably under at least 16 PSI.

You will probably end up replacing the rad. anyway, but JB-Weld might buy you another month or two.

nate

[Big Al]

One other thing. If it's cracking right where the hose connects, it may be caused by the hose hardening and transferring engine vibration to the radiator.

Al

[mm]

Ace Hardware has an epoxy in a double syringe specifically designed for plastic. But I'm pretty sure I used it to glue a plastic tv cabinet, and it didn't stick well. Of course the tv had been in the attic for a year or so, getting quite cold in the winter and maybe 110 degrees in the summer. (The attic has a roof fan and probably doesn't get hotter than that.)

Are you trying to glue the border between plastic and metal. That's very hard, a radiator guy told me. I'm pretty sure you can glue the plastic. If it doesn't work the first time, try PC-70. That sticks to almost anything andwill take temperatures higher than what a radiator has (I patched a little hole in an enameled 50's pan with it, then boiled out all the water, but the pan still didn't leak. Although now I might be reluctant to eat out of a pan like that.)

[DK]

Gas Tank Repair Putty will work if you put it on thick.

[m Ransley]

My problem is its 10f out, I have to find out minimum temps for the epoxy, and try to get it in a garage, If I remove it I might as well replace it.

[Joe]

Which part of the expressway would you prefer to be on when the repair lets go? Replacing most radiators isn't all that hard. Just pop in a new one from AutoZone or wherever and be done with it. Best bet for estimating the difficulty is to ask your car dealer what the labor cost is, then divide that by his hourly rate. If it comes ut to a hour or so you could probably do it yourself on a Saturday morning. Good luck.

Joe

[gfretwell]

I think you just answered your own question. Replacing the radiator is not a big deal. I doubt you will find any epoxy that will set up at much less than 70f

[m Ransley]

I just talked to JB weld and they said its no problem that it cures to

-60f if I heard right, but will take 25-30 hrs for the cure, so I will try it. I figure prep is the key as it usualy is.

[Goedjn]

See if you can find a recycling number on it, to tell you what kind of plastic it is. The drill the ends of the crack to keep it from running, use a hot nail or an appropriate solvent cement to weld it back together. THEN put a patch over it with more glue, solvent and/or epoxy, and wrap the entire thing tightly with copper wire.

[dpb]

Run the vehicle to operating temperature, then shut if off and dry out and clean the location. Then you have the temperature you need for curing much quicker. A infrared heat lamp and some localized shielding/insulation could help as well.

As for holding the pressure, I used a cheap 5-min epoxy from the corner 5&10 on a radiator top head leak for an old beater pickup that lasted for years until I sold it. The possible problem here is, as others mentioned, the specific plastic.

[Steve Barker]

You could also use a 60 watt bulb in a drop light to prewarm the area and then set it off a few inches and leave it there for the curing time.

[JLagg]

Hot glue gun?

[Andy Asberry]

The possible repairs have been covered. If you have to replace it, try

1-800/RADIATOR. They have warehouses all over and will deliver or ship is none is near you. Lifetime warranty.

--Andy Asberry--

------Texas-----