Hairline crack in upper radiator tank - quick fix?

[jtu100]

My '88 3sfe has a hairline crack (3-4cm) in the upper radiator tank. I'm gonna need this car to do a couple of trips so I can repair it (either new raditor or new tank).

Is there a way to fix the hairline crack that will hold out a reasonable time (a couple of journeys)? I was thinking about maybe some sort of glue, or a patch I could stick over it.

With regards to fitting a new upper tank, is this more trouble than its worth? I see in the manual you need a SST (wont pliers work?). If it is then I guess I just get a whole raditor - presumably buying new is a waste? Getting 2nd hand radiators from the breakers yard is safe for this component right?

[monito]

Originally Posted by jtu100

My '88 3sfe has a hairline crack (3-4cm) in the upper radiator tank. I'm gonna need this car to do a couple of trips so I can repair it (either new raditor or new tank).

Is there a way to fix the hairline crack that will hold out a reasonable time (a couple of journeys)? I was thinking about maybe some sort of glue, or a patch I could stick over it.

With regards to fitting a new upper tank, is this more trouble than its worth? I see in the manual you need a SST (wont pliers work?). If it is then I guess I just get a whole raditor - presumably buying new is a waste? Getting 2nd hand radiators from the breakers yard is safe for this component right?

for a 2vz-fe radiator, i only spent about $125 [as opposed to Toyota's $200] from radiator warehouse. install was rather simple too.

[atobe]

why buy a used one? a new one's not that expensive... you can get some radiator repair goo or whatever it's like a putty you put over the crack and it harden after awhile

[Tommy]

Youll be lucky to get more than 1 trip out of a patch job with most of those things.

BTW - JB Weld, even when cured over night, only good for about a 20 mile trip.

[HomeGrown]

I would think that trying to replace the upper tank would be WAYYY more trouble than it's worth. What material is the upper tank made out of? If it's copper, it could be soldered pretty easily, and be considered a permanent fix. If it's aluminum, there's no good temporary fix that I know of. Just clean it really well (remove all the paint) and try JB Weld. But like Tommy pointed out, it may only last a short time.

[IvanHoe]

junkyards around here sell rads for $50. Alot of the time, the rad is pretty new.

[smkdwnn]

get a new radiator those patch jobs dont work. a new radator from the aftermarket should be considered

[Kingdom934]

there
Yep, the patch won't work. all your doing it putting a tape on a leaking water bottle. It might hold but maybe lucky a week it would do, I've experience through it. We patched it some soldering and didn't hold for a long time. Plus, 2 more cracks formed anyhow....

[Kep]

Unscrew the radiator cap so it is on but it doesn't seal and drive with the cooling system unpressurized. Not a good solution but it works short term. You shouldn't loose a lot of water then. That should get you on the road. Carry a couple of gallons of water and check it after a mile to see how much it leaks. You may be able to go a whole day without refilling since the crack is near the top. Then go get a replacement radiator. That's probably cheaper than having it repaired and much more reliable.

Kep

[Doctor J]

If the crack is not propagated to the edge, it is possible to repair it unless the tank is made of polypropylene.
If the tank is made of abs or abs-cpvc plastcs, the plastic pipe cement may work.
I used 2 component epoxy repair for metal (brass) radiator repair with succes.
Used batteries or radiators are the items I do not recommend to put on the car.

[timebuilder]

Originally Posted by Kep

Unscrew the radiator cap so it is on but it doesn't seal and drive with the cooling system unpressurized. Not a good solution but it works short term. You shouldn't loose a lot of water then. That should get you on the road. Carry a couple of gallons of water and check it after a mile to see how much it leaks. You may be able to go a whole day without refilling since the crack is near the top. Then go get a replacement radiator. That's probably cheaper than having it repaired and much more reliable.

Kep

Here is why you do not want to drive with the system depressurized.

A pressurized cooling system is designed to raise the boiling temperature of the coolant, which is mostly water. Water boils at a mere 212 F (or 100 C) so the termpratures in the cylinder head can easily boil the coolant at standard atmospheric pressure, about 29.92 in Hg. If the coolant boils in the head, it cannot carry away the heat being generated by combustion, and you are then well on your way to a warped head and permanent damage such as a blown head gasket.

The most heat-sensitive part of your engine can suffer an overheating condition when the system is not pressurized, and you may never know it is happening until it is too late.

So, repair the radiator or replace it, but please, don't drive the car around with no pressure in the cooling system as an alternative to dealing properly with the problem.

[Tommy]

^word - well said

Radiator is like $100, that plus a gallon of coolant and you're good to go, all for like $110 total. It takes like half an hour to replace the radiator, just do it and save yourself the hassle.

[nogard]

Try RadiatorBarn.com. I've had good luck with them. You might think I'm crazy, but I've held a few cars together this way too, as a temp. fix. Drain out a little anti-freeze. Then add at least 1 table spoon of black pepper. It works better than you think and it won't clog. If nothing else give it a try, but I would still fix it right and get a new one.

[Kingdom934]

Originally Posted by nogard

Try RadiatorBarn.com. I've had good luck with them. You might think I'm crazy, but I've held a few cars together this way too, as a temp. fix. Drain out a little anti-freeze. Then add at least 1 table spoon of black pepper. It works better than you think and it won't clog. If nothing else give it a try, but I would still fix it right and get a new one.

a table spoon of black pepper?


Now that is a strange way for a temp fix.

[Dave's]

I had a shop pull the rad, clean it, and replace the top for $100 about 2 years ago. It was cheaper and easier than replacing it with new. BTW, it still works fine.