just try to keep it 50/50....

 

^^ yeah, i thought that would work too, but (on long drives more so) eventually, it heats up and builds so much pressure that the fluid will start to rise and circulate up there regardless.


i just got a quote for a new one installed for 270... as much as it pains me to pay for labor, thats not too bad. what do you guys think?

 

I say... pssh that's not bad... but it's easy to do.

 

Looks like my radiator just started leaking around the end tanks (?? on the top). Does anyone know a good source for new (non-OEM) rads?

 

Just buy it form tl driver and install yourself. Its actuall really easy to install the radiator.

 

Seriously? I think if you're willing to pay an extra $200 for labor (for a simple job) over what a used radiator costs and DIY, then you should go buy yourself a set of sockets and a floor jack(not even needed though) and do it yourself. You'll be that much wiser, better equipped, and more ready for whatever may come up next....essentially you get to keep the tools !.....for "free" !!

 

^^ yeah. im definitely in limbo on it. we'll see tomorrow whether or not I even need a replacement or not anyways. i've heard great things about jb weld, lets see if it lives to it's reputation.

 

well... turns out JBweld can suck it. time for a new radiator.

 

I got an alumum one on eBay for 149 shipped...they wanted more i made an offer. Forget who but wll try to find out and post. Def change thermostat< if you oer heated it is weakend and could cause probs in city driving where the wind isnt cooling radiatior. i haven;t worked on cars in 15yrs since i restored my 67 GTO convertible...DIY...its a breeze. 3hrs start to finish.

I would be careful with patches as they seem to go at the worst possible time. Not sure what motor you have but the 400 is aluminum. you don't get many chances at overheating those puppies before you rebuild.

I would suggest draining the radiator of as much fluid as possible first. Looks like someone else was inquiring as well about rad swap. if you have an Auto trans and the fluid is pretty good have two rubber bands with 4x4 pieces of plastic at hand when you take the tranny lines off. Cover the lines quickly and slip on the rubber bands and you will preserve 3 or so quarts of tranny fluid ....if it's old fluid let it drain and refill. It;s a good way of rejuevinating the fluid without having to change the tranny, filter, etc which IMO has caused slippage in most of the cars I've done it to...GL

 

NO NO NO JB is fantastic stuff but it won't bond to ABS plastic. And ABS is the easiest to repair and work with.

Get a small can of ABS cement from the Home Depot. $3 !

You can probably get that JB to come off in chuncks using a sharp knife. If it seems impossible to get to flake off then you have a really good bond in places. Then the answer is that the rad plastic had mold release wax on it and that was why the JB gave up. Ya gotta get the unbonded JB off though. A auto shop supply store will have wax remover for fib glass applications and regardless what glue you use you need to get the mold release off of the repair area.

If you think you need more strength in that corner where the crack happened then you can put fiberglass mat on it before you use the cement and saturate the mat as you would with resin.

Pressure should never have done this and I don't think it did. Replace the cap for safety.

 

sorry that JB didnt hold it, it held mine for awhile about a week then it gave out. Hit up aliga for a radiator, or just get a aluminum radiator and never have to worry about it. I wonder why car brands put a plastic top radiator

 

^^ so they can charge you at the stealership when this happens, no doubt.


yeah, well, luckily theres a local member willing to hook me up with a replacement OEM for 50 bucks and he's gonna help me with the install too!

JohnEd: if it ever happens again (god forbid) ill try that method out. also, why don't you think pressure couldve caused plastic to crack? it happened at 80+mph, probably with little to no coolant circulating. its safe to say that under those circumstances, and with the heat inside that high, that plastic out of any other material would be the first to bust.


an aluminum radiator is definitely in store for the future, but for now ill deal with another OEM. thanks for the input everyone. glad to know this forum moves quickly with lots of people willing to help out!

 

i paid $150 for new radiator sc"s radiator always crack in same spot it took me like 30-35 min 2 replace easy job

 

yeah, i will be meeting up with TLDriver this weekend and we'll do work!

thanks for the help everyone!

 

Good luck and have fun.