My radiator fan cut through my koyo radiator and I would like to try and get it fixed. I took it to one shop and they said they couldn't fix it but I was hoping that a more experienced welder could fix it. What do u think?


-RJ

 

Well, from my experiences there is no way to fix it unlees you want to completely seal all the broken slats....which isn't a good idea since it might cause air pockets even if the system is bled properly.

 

anyone else have any ideas?

 

buy a new radiator...bottom line

 

the pics are too blurry to see if its fixable. but do i see rips where the rows meet the end tank? if so. thats a tough one to fix.

if the holes are on the rows only. you can probaly bend them back straight and just weld up the holes. might not even effect cooling that much, and probaly hold up.

 

You can probably braze it and see if it can be repaired by pressure testing it afterwards

 

what is brazing?

 

oxi/ace. torch setup. with a braze rod.

 

I would replace it. If the tubes are broken and you just crimp the broken tubes you are going to lose water flow through the radiator and you lose cooling efficientcy. I would replace and not risk it.

 

koyo's are dirt cheap. get another.

 

replace it

 

If you replace it, don't forget to sell your old one to a scrap metal place, aluminum gets alot more than steel, and it'll make you a few bucks to offset the cost of your new radiator.

 

so how did it end up? honestly if you haven't decided scrap it!!

 

It's still sitting in my garage. It's a shame that I can't fix it. It was on the car for a few days before the radiator fan took it out. I don't think Koyo's are dirt cheap, at least I don't think $300 is dirt cheap.

 

Here's a wierd idea...
How much of the radiator is damaged, and where is the damage? (maybe post a pic of the whole thing)
By modifying the end tanks, you might be able to make a 'half size' radiator, like the kind people use on turbo cars for extra turbo clearance. Then you could sell it, probably for more quite a few bucks, and offset the cost of a new one. Just a thought to try to help a fellow h-t member.

 

The only damage is shown in the picture

 

One way to fix it is to cut off both top and bottom tanks and weld up those damaged tubes from inside the header plate assembly where the tubes come through. This must be done on both the top and bottom header plates and it isolates these tubes entirely. One thing to aware of though is the furnace brazing used in the manufacture is a pain to weld. What I have done in the past is to die grind the offending tubes where they come through the header plate back to clean metal and weld up with 4043 wire.
When this is done and you are confident all tubes are isolated then weld the end tanks back on.
Regards Andrew.

 

Usually aluminum radiator tubes get epoxied in, or soldered with a special zinc solder. Good luck trying to get it tig'd, that work would cost more than the rad, since it'd have to be a seasoned pro doing it.

I used to be my neighbor's pit crew for enduro racing (oval racing w/tons of crashing), we always had to fix the huge copper rads he ran, since he used a steel fan and loved to rearend ppl. Best way was to cut the whole core out (top/bottom), then seal it ~1" from the top & bottom. I can't remember one leaking assuming it was cleaned well before fixing.

As far as those lost cores affecting cooling, I doubt it. The rad should be more than enough for a honda, first of all. The cores being in the rear means you just aren't cooling hot tubes with hot air. If you scrap it, let me know - I'll pay shipping and 20% more than the metal is worth

 

replace it!