Replaced Radiator
Thread Starter
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 5
Likes: 1
From: ca
Replaced Radiator
Had to replace my radiator on my 2007 Lexus LS 460 L due to my son breaking the nipple off the radiator reservoir return line while replacing the water pump. Anyway, just a friendly reminder to everyone to try to clean that area as best you can. (See pics)
Thread Starter
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 5
Likes: 1
From: ca
Just like you I was surprised by all the dirt and appearance of the radiator. I'm the second owner since 2009 and its been garaged kept, serviced by a Lexus dealer with 92,000 miles.
Rookie
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 86
Likes: 2
From: Maryland,Lagos
Wow. So much debris. Will check mine.
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 1,026
Likes: 52
From: Florida
I broke the same nipple while changing my belt. Worried for about 3 hours before calling a buddy of mines who's pretty handy with JB weld. The hole was drilled a bit larger and sanded smooth. A brass nipple was put in and JB welded. Waited over night, reinstalled the hose and refilled the radiator. Haven't had any problems.
Thread Starter
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 5
Likes: 1
From: ca
305 Busa,
Hope that quick fix works for you. I tried a few but they all leaked a little. So I just finally said f_ _ _ it and purchased a new radiator. For me, I needed the peace of mind.
Hope that quick fix works for you. I tried a few but they all leaked a little. So I just finally said f_ _ _ it and purchased a new radiator. For me, I needed the peace of mind.
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Instructor
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 1,026
Likes: 52
From: Florida
Its been about 3 months now and its been working ok. Check it often and cant see any leaks.
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Jun 2015
Posts: 19
Likes: 4
From: Texas
Quicksteel for a temp repair on the radiator tit
I had a similar problem where I broke the tit off the radiator when I was changing the serp belt and air filters. My LS460 has over 200K so maybe the plastic was already weak, but either way it’s a very depressing moment! All you have to do is lean over and it snaps right off… terrible location in my opinion.
I’m posting in the event someone else has a similar issue and while I wouldn’t recommend this for a perm solution it definitely keeps the car drivable. I’ve ordered a new radiator from Amazon but its been over a week and the fix is still solid. If I had it to do over again I’d use copper tubing instead of rubber tubing but I had this stuff lying around in my toolbox so used what I had handy.
Parts:
Quicksteel, rubber (or copper) tubing, sandpaper, soldering iron, and a hollow plastic screw or something with an opening approximately the same size as the original tit.
First I had to drill the end out of the hollowed screw I had from an old brake bleeding kit. Then I cut rubber tubing and slid up into the hollowed screw leaving about ¼ inch extending out to fit into the radiator.
Then I sanded down the opening on the radiator really well and roughed up the surrounding area to provide a better surface for the quicksteel to adhere too. Finally I wiped the area around the hole on the radiator really well with engine degreaser and a paper towel.
After that I used the soldering iron to melt the head of the plastic screw and mix together with the plastic on the radiator. I took my time and it was a bit of a pain to go all the way around the screw since the bottom is hard to see. The nice thing about plastic is it cools quickly so if there is a loose area you can feel it by lightly moving the plastic screw. You just melt the two plastics together and make a firm fit. Finally when its all cooled off and if feels solid, then I cut off an inch of quicksteel and kneeded it to get it ready. Then I smeared a little real firmly around the base of the screw and all over the area I soldered. Then I smashed the rest all around the fix. I also used a flat head screw driver to sort of push down on the edges where the quicksteel met the radiator to ensure I didn’t have any air pockets.
I let it dry for 2 hours and took the car for a spin… a week later with lots of driving no leaks! Like I said I’m getting a radiator to replace this one, but part of me wants to see how long it will last.
Note: I'm seriously thinking of putting some around the tit on the new radiator to give it reinforcement in the event I lean on that again!
I’m posting in the event someone else has a similar issue and while I wouldn’t recommend this for a perm solution it definitely keeps the car drivable. I’ve ordered a new radiator from Amazon but its been over a week and the fix is still solid. If I had it to do over again I’d use copper tubing instead of rubber tubing but I had this stuff lying around in my toolbox so used what I had handy.
Parts:
Quicksteel, rubber (or copper) tubing, sandpaper, soldering iron, and a hollow plastic screw or something with an opening approximately the same size as the original tit.
First I had to drill the end out of the hollowed screw I had from an old brake bleeding kit. Then I cut rubber tubing and slid up into the hollowed screw leaving about ¼ inch extending out to fit into the radiator.
Then I sanded down the opening on the radiator really well and roughed up the surrounding area to provide a better surface for the quicksteel to adhere too. Finally I wiped the area around the hole on the radiator really well with engine degreaser and a paper towel.
After that I used the soldering iron to melt the head of the plastic screw and mix together with the plastic on the radiator. I took my time and it was a bit of a pain to go all the way around the screw since the bottom is hard to see. The nice thing about plastic is it cools quickly so if there is a loose area you can feel it by lightly moving the plastic screw. You just melt the two plastics together and make a firm fit. Finally when its all cooled off and if feels solid, then I cut off an inch of quicksteel and kneeded it to get it ready. Then I smeared a little real firmly around the base of the screw and all over the area I soldered. Then I smashed the rest all around the fix. I also used a flat head screw driver to sort of push down on the edges where the quicksteel met the radiator to ensure I didn’t have any air pockets.
I let it dry for 2 hours and took the car for a spin… a week later with lots of driving no leaks! Like I said I’m getting a radiator to replace this one, but part of me wants to see how long it will last.
Note: I'm seriously thinking of putting some around the tit on the new radiator to give it reinforcement in the event I lean on that again!
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 5,371
Likes: 526
From: BC Canada
I had a similar problem where I broke the tit off the radiator when I was changing the serp belt and air filters. My LS460 has over 200K so maybe the plastic was already weak, but either way it’s a very depressing moment! All you have to do is lean over and it snaps right off… terrible location in my opinion.
I’m posting in the event someone else has a similar issue and while I wouldn’t recommend this for a perm solution it definitely keeps the car drivable. I’ve ordered a new radiator from Amazon but its been over a week and the fix is still solid. If I had it to do over again I’d use copper tubing instead of rubber tubing but I had this stuff lying around in my toolbox so used what I had handy.
Parts:
Quicksteel, rubber (or copper) tubing, sandpaper, soldering iron, and a hollow plastic screw or something with an opening approximately the same size as the original tit.
First I had to drill the end out of the hollowed screw I had from an old brake bleeding kit. Then I cut rubber tubing and slid up into the hollowed screw leaving about ¼ inch extending out to fit into the radiator.
Then I sanded down the opening on the radiator really well and roughed up the surrounding area to provide a better surface for the quicksteel to adhere too. Finally I wiped the area around the hole on the radiator really well with engine degreaser and a paper towel.
After that I used the soldering iron to melt the head of the plastic screw and mix together with the plastic on the radiator. I took my time and it was a bit of a pain to go all the way around the screw since the bottom is hard to see. The nice thing about plastic is it cools quickly so if there is a loose area you can feel it by lightly moving the plastic screw. You just melt the two plastics together and make a firm fit. Finally when its all cooled off and if feels solid, then I cut off an inch of quicksteel and kneeded it to get it ready. Then I smeared a little real firmly around the base of the screw and all over the area I soldered. Then I smashed the rest all around the fix. I also used a flat head screw driver to sort of push down on the edges where the quicksteel met the radiator to ensure I didn’t have any air pockets.
I let it dry for 2 hours and took the car for a spin… a week later with lots of driving no leaks! Like I said I’m getting a radiator to replace this one, but part of me wants to see how long it will last.
Note: I'm seriously thinking of putting some around the tit on the new radiator to give it reinforcement in the event I lean on that again!
I’m posting in the event someone else has a similar issue and while I wouldn’t recommend this for a perm solution it definitely keeps the car drivable. I’ve ordered a new radiator from Amazon but its been over a week and the fix is still solid. If I had it to do over again I’d use copper tubing instead of rubber tubing but I had this stuff lying around in my toolbox so used what I had handy.
Parts:
Quicksteel, rubber (or copper) tubing, sandpaper, soldering iron, and a hollow plastic screw or something with an opening approximately the same size as the original tit.
First I had to drill the end out of the hollowed screw I had from an old brake bleeding kit. Then I cut rubber tubing and slid up into the hollowed screw leaving about ¼ inch extending out to fit into the radiator.
Then I sanded down the opening on the radiator really well and roughed up the surrounding area to provide a better surface for the quicksteel to adhere too. Finally I wiped the area around the hole on the radiator really well with engine degreaser and a paper towel.
After that I used the soldering iron to melt the head of the plastic screw and mix together with the plastic on the radiator. I took my time and it was a bit of a pain to go all the way around the screw since the bottom is hard to see. The nice thing about plastic is it cools quickly so if there is a loose area you can feel it by lightly moving the plastic screw. You just melt the two plastics together and make a firm fit. Finally when its all cooled off and if feels solid, then I cut off an inch of quicksteel and kneeded it to get it ready. Then I smeared a little real firmly around the base of the screw and all over the area I soldered. Then I smashed the rest all around the fix. I also used a flat head screw driver to sort of push down on the edges where the quicksteel met the radiator to ensure I didn’t have any air pockets.
I let it dry for 2 hours and took the car for a spin… a week later with lots of driving no leaks! Like I said I’m getting a radiator to replace this one, but part of me wants to see how long it will last.
Note: I'm seriously thinking of putting some around the tit on the new radiator to give it reinforcement in the event I lean on that again!
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 1,026
Likes: 52
From: Florida
Everytime I read one of these threads, it motivates me to keep my car longer. My car turned 100k a couple of days ago and still drives like charm but I always feel like getting to 100k is the downfall. Then I see posts like DCTEX that has 200k and I think, damn, I can go another 8-10 years. 
Pole Position
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 2,561
Likes: 365
From: New Hampshire
I broke the same nipple while changing my belt. Worried for about 3 hours before calling a buddy of mines who's pretty handy with JB weld. The hole was drilled a bit larger and sanded smooth. A brass nipple was put in and JB welded. Waited over night, reinstalled the hose and refilled the radiator. Haven't had any problems.