Hello,

Yesturday I noticed that my Radiator is slowly leaking. I will try to post pics tonight. But there are spritzes of Antifreez on my Heat shield, and a bit dribbled down the back of the Radiator. It appears to be a pretty slow leak.

I have a 1994 Accord EX that has approx 130k miles on it.

Just wondering if there is any stuff I can put in the radiator to fix it, and how long it lasts? Thanks in advance for any replies!

 

i would just replace the radiator they do make some crap that supposedly seals
leaks but i wouldnt put that crap in my cars cooling system.

 

Yeah I was thinking I would have to replace it, but I was trying to delay the inevitable till I could get the finances for the radiator. What type/brand radiator replacement do you recommend, and any websites or ht peeps you would deal with that has the best price?

This is for an automatic.

Thanks for your help.

 

you could try JB weld to fix the crack temporaily...correct me if i'm wrong

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by CD7power &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">you could try JB weld to fix the crack temporaily...correct me if i'm wrong</TD></TR></TABLE>

If the crack is in the core I believe you can but I don't think JB Weld sticks to plastic so if it's in the plastic top then that would work.

 

Had the same problem a couple weeks back. I had a big crack going accross the top of my radiator, it looked impossible to fix but I stripped the paint down around the crack and sanded it. At advance they had some generic looking "Plastic weld" for 3$... Put a thick layer across the crack and let it dry for an hour or so. Since then I havent had a problem, stuff holds like a champ. So "plastic weld" is the alternative to JB weld... I've also heard of JB plastic weld... Good luck fixing!

 

replace with an aluminum one

 

ok, I've read of people using some puddy stuff, JB Weld on the core and now "plastic weld" for the plastic top. How long can you expect these temporary fixes to last? I know it's best to just replace the radiator, which newhondaowner29 plans to do very soon, but what if you don't got the money right now and just need a short time fix. From what I've read no one has said, so how long could these type of fixes last? Or is it just to hard to tell?

 

Well I've had the plastic weld on for about 3 weeks, when it stops working I'll let you know (but that might be a while) by then I'll hopefully have enough $$ for an aluminum radiator. Patch it and carry a gallon of water with you at all times just in case it starts leaking again.

 

i use to own a 91 chevy s10 6 months after a front end collision one of the tanks started leaking i pulled the radiator out and took it to a radiator shop to get it fixed it only cost me probably 20 bucks but about 3 months later in the middle of july the fix failed without me knowing and damn near blew my engine so if you do patch keep a close eye on it and make it very temporary.

 

best thing would be to replace cuz quick fixes arent forever. but if u do want a quick fix break an egg and put it in the radiator done it to 2 different cars and it works.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by toxxin erik &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">best thing would be to replace cuz quick fixes arent forever. but if u do want a quick fix break an egg and put it in the radiator done it to 2 different cars and it works.</TD></TR></TABLE>

They did that on that Mythbusters show...it does truly work.

 

I just rplaced the radiator in my '92 accord and I bought one for $109(total) through http://www.radiator.com. It was here the next day!!
It was an aftermarket unit but it has an actual metal top tank unlike the factory plastic crap.
Give them a try...you will be impressed with their prices and service.

 

http://www.radiatorbarn.com for my 91 Accord's radiator...i believe it was 80 shipped. Extremely fast shipping as well.

 

got a question about when you put something in your radiator to help slow/stop the leak. Like if you use the egg trick for example. Should you flush your system before adding new fluid and new radiator? I'm guessing so but what products have you used to do this? I've never flushed a radiator so I'm curious.

Also, he has bought a Koyo radiator (not the all aluminum ones, just the stock looking replacement ones). He just needs to get by until the Koyo one gets here.

 

I'd flush it just to be safe. The eggs would probably go rotten or something, I wouldnt want that in my cooling system. If you use the metal/liquid stuff used to stop the leak I'd also recommend flushing because I've heard some bad stories about that stuff.

 

An egg? You gotta be shitting me...I have NEVER heard of that. I don't know how it would even begin to hold the pressure...

I would definitely flush that crap out. Make sure you take the plug out of the back of the block (F-series) that's back by the oil filter. It's kind of a bitch to get off (I believe it takes a 3/8 drive ratchet) but you can get a lot of crap out that way. Whichever engineer decided to put a bleeder valve on the thermostat housing is a pure genious...that saves you so much time!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Schmitey &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">An egg? You gotta be shitting me...I have NEVER heard of that. I don't know how it would even begin to hold the pressure...</TD></TR></TABLE>

yeah, I've heard of it but never understood how it did it.

any specific products to flush the system with though? Or just use water?

 

I got a radiator at radiator.com too and yeah, quick shipping, great product, cheapest price I could find it. Plus they had this little chat system that connected you right away with one of their people and he answered a ton of questions. Check them out. Just thought I would throw my 2 cents in on that.

 

I used the prestone stuff, I know they got two grades of it. I prefer liquid vs. power...powder just seems contradictory to what you're doing. They all work about the same you pour the stuff in, drive around and heat it up (with the heater on), and flush it out several times, I think you drive around once with pure water. I have no idea what brand is best, but I can imagine they're all about the same thing. Important thing is just to backflush it and stuff, try to stick the hose in the plug hole if you can.

IF YOU DON"T TAKE THE PLUG OUT THEN YOU"RE SIMPLY RELOCATING CRAP IN THE BLOCK!!!

Also you might want to consider changing the oil at the same time too. I bent my oil filter while trying to get the plug out. They're within a couple inches of each other and you don't have a way to brace the ratchet. Make sure you got a cheater bar too, you'll probably need it 'cuz they put teflon tape on it.

 

great, thanks for the info. I haven't flushed a cooling system before so I wasn't sure on a few things. I know what plug you are refering to and they are on there hard.

 

The egg is a very VERY temporary, I-have-to-do-this-to-get-home, solution. That's all.

 

I got a rock threw mine couple days ago.....back to the junk yard i guess