Radiator overheated
 

It is record hot day in Hong Kong and my LS430 got overheated. After the engine cooled down, I poured water into the half emptied radiator and noticed that there was a tiny hole of around 1/10 of an inch at the neck just a inch or two below the radiator cap where water can escape. I believe this is the reason why the car overheated.

Can anyone advise how this can be fixed without replacing the entire radiator? Or is it better to replace the entire radiator? Also the Master Warning Light, Malfunction indicator lamp and TRC lights are all on. Will they turn off automatically after the hole is fixed or I have to reset them somewhere? Any advice will be welcomed. Thanks.

Radiators are both cheap and easy to install. I would change the oil in case it got too hot. There is probably some heat resistant epoxy you could use until the new radiator arrived. I don't know about the lights.

I would replace the whole radiator and the lights need to be cleared.

Replace the whole radiator. The neck is where they leak. They are made of aluminum and plastic. Don't mess around trying to repair it.

Thanks for the advice, folks.I am hesitate to replace the entire radiator since it will cost around US$1000 with labor.Parts and labor are very expensive here. If I used epoxy or steel cement to plug the tiny hole and perhaps add a metal ring clip around the neck to reinforce, will it be good for a while? Of course I'll watch the temp. gauge and top water up constantly to avoid boiling again. I'll then wait until the next major repair when the radiator needs to be removed to save some labor cost. I do not travel long distance and at most drive for an hour only once in a while. Most of the time, I am 15 minutes away from my destinations. Will this work?

Possibly. You overheated because coolant was too low. Under closed system pressure, coolant has a higher boiling point. Any hole in the system lowers the system pressure and hence the boiling point. If it's the plastic neck, you could try cleaning the hole (crack) and applying some high heat resistant epoxy glue. Note that it's not just the heat but also the pressure in the system that may force the glue to fail. I'd research ways to best patch it before doing anything.

Thanks Tom. I know about the pressure and that is why I suggested to put a metal ring clip around the neck to keep the epoxy in place.

If the hole is in the crease where the neck meets the radiator core, a metal adjustable ring may not cover that area. There may be a solution if a glue with a reinforced patch is available to you.

http://www.jbweld.com/products/plasticweld-epoxy-putty

http://www.jbweld.com/collections/82...icweld-syringe

A mechanic friend inspected the car for me this morning and found that one of the two fans behind the radiator was not working and therefore caused the lights to turn on and the radiator to overheat. Since the radiator on closer exam has a one inch crack and not just a hole, I have decided to replace it together with the fan. It is a Sunday here but I could get the car going properly again within a few hours. This is what I call Hong Kong efficiency though the cost is much higher than elsewhere.

Thanks everyone for the input.