Tractor Air Charge Cooler Leakage Repair

i am assuming you mean inter cooler ie a radiator used to cool air from turbo charger to air intake?

what material is the intercooler made of?

off thop of my head you could build former (mould made of say cardboard) round leaking part and fill that portion with fast setting resin.

or if poss reverse idea pour resin into radiator tilt it towards leak and let resin settle into broken area and set

yes its aluminium and its leaaking where fins or mesh or air tubes joins with big solid metal part,just before it goes to inlet hose

5 ideas, epoxy putty, weld, braise, duct tape, replace damaged part.

You were doing OK till you got to duck tape.

I know it's good, but............................

Remind the OP that if he tries epoxy putty, weld, braise, duct tape, replace damaged part he must clean the site of all oils and dirt.

Cheers.

Author did not ask for good ideas, the request was for "any ideas".

I'll keep that in mind if I ever ask you a question.

I would add bailing wire to that list then.

if thats the case what about a plaster.

a piece of gum.

stick a pencil in it.

i agree re the duck tape as you say its good but not that good

i did repair the intake tube on a car by replacing it with a pringles tube

ps it was only a tempory repair but it worked

If I'm not mistaken, the charge air cooler is male of aluminum. You have a pressure consideration to keep in mind here. That thing was probably whistling with the air going through the leak. Epoxy resin might just work ,but will it hold the pressure that the turbo sends through the cooler, not sure. Replacement is another option ,BUT, Expensive! Depending just where the leak is a radiator repair shop may be able to repair it . Its worth a try.

Depending on size/shape of leak--a crack is easily sealed using RTV--but first scrape/sand the surface and then clean with electrical grade solvent to remove all traces of dirt and oil. Extend the RTV +/- 1/4 " beyond each edge. Allow to cure 12 hrs before applying pressure. Works GREAT for radiator tube cracks (used by MBZ for small rock holes and crack repair) and pressure is up to 19 psig or 1.3 ATM G or 39" Hg pressure

50 years ago I repaired my mother's aluminium pot with drilling a small hole in it and filling it up with a self tapping screw and a piece of cloth as gasket.

3 months later the cloth appeared on my disk in the apple juice. The repair should be function of the product: crack model X crack size X money in the pocket X Mac Guyver stuff available.

When did you tar it last time?

An experienced welder with a TIG welder should be able to repair it if there is access to it. I have had some luck with epoxies on metals. It is all in the preparation done before application. Good luck.

i went to rad shop the guy said if u try welding bcoz fins or tubes are of thin aluminium it gets all burnt.I had it hard to believe that for just one leak i have to get whole air charge replaced doesn't agree with my technical brain.What u say?

Can you post a picture pls? Is the crack place that thin or not easy to reach?

how can i add pic? was unable to find where to add

The problem can be repaired with epoxy resin - 24 hour curing, new stock not old, and making precisely fitting bandages to cover the cracked area. Preparation is the key to success in this type of repair. It may be necessary to remove some of the fin material to get to where you have to clean and mend.

Be aware that once a chassis mounted charge air cooler core (intercooler) starts to fail other cracks will continue to appear after the first one has been repaired.

But a quick well prepared epoxy and bandage repair will keep the maintenance cost of the tractor down and will keep her rolling fine for a lot more hard working hours.

Find a better welder. We have posters here that will weld aluminum foil.

http://cr4.globalspec.com/thread/11922/aluminum-welding