Radiator Repairs

Seams can be soldered with a propane torch and some solder.

Tubes can be crimped.

Where's it leaking?

You did not say, what is the 'material of construction' of the radiator?

1. Oatmeal

2. Stop Leak

3. Try to repair by welding or soldering

4. Purchase new (Best Option)

In an emergency for a temporary fix I've also heard of adding a raw egg to the coolant. No shell.

I had the same problem. I cleaned out the cooling system & filled with clean water opened the heater core so the coolant could circulate through it. I used a brownish Black head gasket block sealer 2 bottles 1 in over flow. Drove the auto short distance & let cool some . Repeated for over 2 days. It was fixed. The best is not letting it get to hot before closing down & let cool.

I had various water leak problems with a jeep Wrangler and a Honda Civic. The Honda had a head leak, the Wrangler had a radiator leak.

I used this stuff.

Both stopped leaking and have been good to go for over two years.

The radiator is constructed from brass withe copper cooling fins. The leak is from one of the tubes. I've tried the additive approach with no success, so I guess it's time to get the solder etc. out. Because its a bit of a job getting the unit out, I want to be sure it's right before reinstalling. So what is the best method of testing, after the repair. Thanks norm.

Close off the holes with wet rags, submerge in water and put compressed air to it through a blower or gun. Leaks will show up right away.

you need to take it to a radiator shop. it might not be worth repairing.

I have on occasion used the cut n crimp method to repair a radiator on the side of the road. however it does entail taking the radiator out. and being judicious with needle nosed pliers. The fail is if the tube cracks on the radius when crimpng ( a sign of metal fatigue) along the tube before rolling it back on itself.

You don't say if it was an induced leak or it just sprung, If it was induced, the sealing it with solder will be ok if it just popped up it mabe be time for another birthday..

If your leak is on the outer cores a repair can be done with silver solder and a flame torch, electric soldering irons don't have enough grunt to heat the area sufficiently for a good solder seal. Dont be too agressive with the torch you don't want to burn more holes.

Better still take it to a radiator place, and get them to take the top tank off an clear the tubes (this is an old radiator and it will be full of crap) out then refit the tank and fix the hole. They'll pressure test it. It may be that your core is on it's way out an may need replacing. Yes it will cost more money but You've put so much effort in to getting the ol'girl back on the road may as well make her reliable...

What about some rubber coated disks, with a machine screw and nuts and washers to tighten them up against both sides of the radiator, sealed, of course. You could seal off just a 2" diameter portion around the leak with something like this.

Determine the exact position of the leak/leaks. Clean the area(s) thoroughly. Be sure there is no anti-freeze residue inside that may bubble up when heating. While conventional acid core solder can be used, there is a brazing product called HTS-735 II which is superior and can be used on all non-ferrous metals. It is a low temperature braze that can use a standard propane torch but has wonderfully strong and hard properties. Testing requires a cap be placed on both inlet and outlet points and the radiator be pressurized. Do not exceed the max. pressure for your model. While submerging and examining for bubbles is effective, I prefer to use a hand pump with a gauge. I can leave it overnight and see if the pressure drops. If your primary examination shows multiple leaks or excessive corrosion in multiple areas, do yourself a favor and bite the bullet now and replace the core. Best of luck.

Put the radiator cap back in place then cut an old bicycle tube in half, keeping in mind you will need to keep the valve where you can access it. Clamp it in place over the inlet and the outlet of the radiator after the repair. Set the radiator in a water bath and apply air pressure to see if you fixed it. No bubbles you have fixed the problem.

Can you see the leak?The actual spot where the water is leaking?If so, try this old fashioned method,from the 1930's depression era.I do not know if it will work now, because radiators have less copper in them, and pencils may have less carbon.

Sharpen both ends of a #2 pencil.Hook a short #12 copper wire jumper to 1 end of the pencil and the other end of the jumper wire to the positive side of the battery in the vehicle. Touch the other end of the pencil to the leaky spot.There should be an arc.Keep "pecking" at it till it sparks.If there is no arc, the radiator core is not grounded to the frame or does not have enough copper to work.Sometimes the tank around the core is mounted in rubber grommets.This will prevent this method from working.Try grounding the core itself with another wire to the negative of the battery.

Each time it sparks it is melting a tiny bit of copper from the tube.Keep pecking and sparking till the leak stops.

This tech tip came from a forgotten era when "to do", you had to "make do".

Leaking steam engines were sealed by adding a mixture of chopped straw, oatmeal and pig manure to the boiler water before lighting the match; works a treat (been there, done it, secondhand T-shirt now on eBay...). Another technique in the absence of a tube plug was to fill up the offending smoke tube with cement.

There is proprietary radiator sealing stuff available at most high-street automotive parts stockists in the UK (names withheld). These places also stock replacement hoses and clips.

So it does rather depend on the nature of the leak and where it is located, which haven't been stated in the original post.

If it's leaking because of damage, follow the advice of other posters. If it's leaking because of corrosion, replace it.

If you have a school near by that has auto shop classes they would probably love to make a school project of teaching the students how to repair your radiator. However, if there are no auto shop classes available you can do the following. 1. Remove the radiator from your Land Rover. 2. Clean the core fins as well as you can and then take it to a radiator shop and have them fix it. 3. When you put it back you should also change the hoses to new and if you are mechanically inclined, replace the fan belts. The majority of the expense of having your radiator fixed is the labor to remove and replace it. Otherwise, it is not an expensive project.

Chilton's auto manual available at your library will have step by step instructions for your job. It is not rocket science. "YOU" can do it.

I am normally loathe to add anything to any of the fluids in an engine in an effort to "fix" it, but I was in a no-choice situation last year and had to get a leaky head-gasket calmed down until I could get the time to pull the heads. The guy at the parts counter, whom I have known for 23 years now, recommended a product called K-Seal. Reluctantly, I poured it in. It's been 13 months now and no sign of leakage whatsoever, and I have not experienced any abnormalities with the cooling system at all. I think it was about $17.00 U.S., so that and an oil and filter change to get rid of the milkshake that was my lubricating fluid, and I'm still running without the hassle of spending two or three days dealing with the heads, (and my back!).

Thank everyone, for your interest and advice. It was so far gone, that the repair worsened the situation, so a new radiator was the only solution. norm.