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Radiator leak repair

Ben824

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Woodstock, GA
Hey everyone. I bought an all aluminum radiator off of eBay a few months ago and it started leaking a few weeks ago and it has gotten a bit worse that now I have to give it some attention. I contacted the seller to which they were not helpful at all and quite rude and basically tough luck that's not our fault.

Anyways with the holidays I can't really afford to go buy another radiator and stock radiators are just not something I want to put back in this thing.

I have been searching for ways that I can repair the cracks in these tubes where they meet the tank.

I have seen some information on how some people used aluminum brazing to repair some tubes on aluminum radiators.

I need something I can pickup at a parts store or hardware store and make this repair on my own in a day.

Can someone give me their experience doing this and what they used?
 
If you really don't want to get another radiator (don't think they are "that" expensive, a 1 row can't be more than 150 at Napa - I wouldn't get it from somewhere else, I had cheap autozone or advance auto that started to leak in few days) and depending on where is leaking, you may try using that brazing, it may hold, but you may also try it with some jb weld over, just to make sure. Best way is to take it to a radiator shop obviously, and if money is not a big issue, get a cheap 1 row from Napa, they hold pretty well and can have it as spare. Since it's winter, I don't think you'll have issues overheating. I still have a 1 row radiator on mine but I have the dboffroad e-fans, unless I step really hard on it on city drive, it won't jump the 210 mark in the summer. If it's a fin that leaks, I once fixed a radiator by squeezing flat the whole fin on both sides of the hole with niddle pliers , then sealed it with solder, it held great for few months till another hole came up on another fin, lol.

Edit: just realized the leak is where the fin enters the side of the radiator, provided the radiator is dry, I think you can fix it relatively easy, just need to heat the whole area relatively well, just above the melting temperature of the brazing or solder, whatever you decide to use.
 
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Pulled the radiator only to find it was leaking from several more places. I just bought this thing 4 months ago for $120 and didn't want to have to spend it again. The leaks were where the uses met the tanks and they were hair line cracks but there was a lot of them. The seller didn't warranty the radiator either so guess it was my own fault for going with a sketchy seller and not checking their feedback.

I tried brazing it with some aluminum brazing rods and failed miserably. I am just going to have to fork out the money for another one. This time I will be checking seller feedback and make sure they clearly state that they have a 1 year warranty or more
 
Since the 4.0 is a pretty tough engine without too much aluminum, I think it's worth to try a moderate radiator leak "stuff", depending on how bad are the cracks. I'd just suspend the heater if you decide to go that way, till that mixture finds its way in the cracks. Honestly, I think it's better to just get a new one, it's definitely something you do once and you're done, and you know it's going to last.

If you don't mind me asking, what's wrong with getting a Napa radiator? The fact that's not as efficient as a full aluminum?
 
Since the 4.0 is a pretty tough engine without too much aluminum, I think it's worth to try a moderate radiator leak "stuff", depending on how bad are the cracks. I'd just suspend the heater if you decide to go that way, till that mixture finds its way in the cracks. Honestly, I think it's better to just get a new one, it's definitely something you do once and you're done, and you know it's going to last.

If you don't mind me asking, what's wrong with getting a Napa radiator? The fact that's not as efficient as a full aluminum?

The one I got was a performance 3 row. The core is even thicker than the CSF all metal 3 Row. I have had bad luck with radiators the past few years. Either they spring a leak or they get damaged. Two of them sprang a leak and 3 were damaged. 2 were damaged from my Jeep throwing the fan belt and it getting chewed up in the mechanical fan and grinding it against the radiator until it put a hole in it. The last one was damaged in an accident. The ones that sprung leaks were in the first few months. The first one that leaked was covered under warranty. This one came from a cheap eBay seller that is just a crook. At this point I would love to put another CSF 3 row in because my last CSF got me by for 7 years before is began to leak and the Jeep started running hot. But the CSF radiators are going for nearly $250 now when they were about $185 when I first bought it almost 11 years ago.
 
You get what you pay for and I wouldn't trust a $120 aluminum radiator. Good welding is not cheap. You can try stop leak, but it sounds like you have quite a few leaks and I personally wouldn't want that stuff in my engine. You might want to talk to a welder and see if one can help, but it might not be worth the effort is it has so many cracks. Since you are strapped for cash I would just go with a cheap radiator for the time being.
 
I bit the bullet and went for new one with a warranty. Had to pay more than I did last time but worth it for the warranty. If the next one goes bad I will try and get it replaced under warranty until they won't give me a new one anymore. If I have to go through it that many times then when they won't give me a new one anymore, I will go back to a CSF at that point. The CSF gave me no trouble to 7 years.
 
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