Radiator Leak

[sunk]

My radiator has a leak. The output of the radiator to the heater core is cracked at the base. last night I attempted to solder the crack. It didnt work, I made sure to heat the radiotor very well in hopes that the solder made a solid bond. No luck. Any suggestions? Is there some special type of solder I should be using?

Its not like my radiator is expensive, but I wanted to try. Anyone have a good lead on where to get a dual core radiator for cheap?

[sunk]

I should add that the solder took, and looked like it was a good joint, it didnt make a good enough seal to prevent the copious leak

[Brody]

I have never had any luck 'soldering' a repair on a radiator and I have done a mess of plumbing work. Solder types do not seem to make much of a difference. Nor does flux or how clean the radiator is. I do know of people who have had luck doing this, but I don't seem to be one of them. I have had luck 'brazing' a fix on a radiator, but that needs a regular torch and rod. If I were you, I would take it down to Florida Radiator (about Louisiana and Broadway) and see if it is worthwhile to have them fix it. I have used them since 1970 and they are good.

Maybe Paul (glacierpaul) can chime in with a good fix as he does plumbing for a living..

[sunk]

Isnt "brazing" just a type of soldering? I used a torch to heat up the radiator, didnt use flux, but the solder flowed nice. I dont know if the fix would even last. The radiator "flexes" alot so even if it seals up, Im thinking it will just break after awhile. Maybe there is some broken support inside that lets the metal flex. Could just be time for a dual core aluminum radiator...

[Cr33p3r]

On radiators the key point is cleanliness, if there is even a trace of coolant the solder will not bond even using the best flux on the market. 1st I should ask if the tank is aluminum or brass? Both can be soldered but brass requires a lot more heat usually more the a small map torch can put out. If it is aluminum you will need to clean the area with vinegar and it requires much less heat like what a map torch does. If all else fails see about having a shop do the repair or buying one from the junk yard.

I just saw your last post Adam, radiators do flex but a small amount, and you state you did not use flux that right there will aide in the failure of you soldering job. Brazing is a form of both soldering and welding, when it comes to Brass and bronze it is brazing, light gauge steel like say 24 ga. and thinner is also brazing.

[Brody]

Yeah, although the terms 'brazing' and 'soldering' refer to two different types of bonding. With brazing the metal gets heated up a lot hotter as you are using an oxy/acetylene torch and a rod made from a filler metal specific to what you are 'brazing'. Similar, yes, but needs a hot torch as you are literally melting a metal rod rather then the lighter solder. It forms a lot stronger bond, too. You can 'braze' most metals as is is pretty damn close to welding. I have, as a for instance, brazed a lot of exhaust work back in the day as it was a hell of a lot easier to do that trying to weld it with the stick welder I had.

Almost all of the brass and copper 'sculptures' that you see have been brazed, rather than welded or soldered.

[sunk]

K, the radiator is brass, and I did clean the surface with a wire brush, the coolant was so low there wasnt any around the crack, and I figured that heating it with the propane torch would burn off any moisture. The metal didnt get red hot but the solder seemed to suck up.

I will go to a shop if necessary, I just wanted to try my luck first.

[Squshiee1]

my dad used jb weld on his old gmc, he also had a cracked radiator, down at the bottom, he cleaned it really well and sanded it a little and put the jb weld on. and he never had a problem, i thing he drove it about 25 thousand miles after the repair and then sold it, so that he could buy a new truck with more power.

[glacierpaul]

No flux=no take, the solder will run but not into a crack, and the solder probably needs to be 50/50 basically a lead based solder, not silver. The radiator needs to be CLEAN, very hard to do and I do not think antifreeze/coolant will burn off very well. A shop I have used is Kittridge Auto Radiator, I never repair, only replace radiators, because I have had a couple fixed, only to leak in another spot later:(, lesson learned. Maybe if Pete ever does the Jeep clinic, I can show the difference between soldering and brazing, cool watching the copper turn bright red/orange and thinking it is going to melt, but does not. Soldering is putting a filler between the copper/metal, brazing is bonding the copper/metal or making it one peice.

[Popsgarage]

That'd be a good thing to add to the Jeep clinic. I'll bring the radiator.

[sunk]

Bill at englewood drivershaft recommend Spike radiator next to my house. It took about 45 minutes total to drop in, and have him look at it, drive home pull the radiator, walk down to the shop with the radiator under my arm, spike to fix it., then walk back to the house and throw it back in.

35 bucks. Spike used a 60/40 solid core solder, and a small torch, and a lot of flux. I might give it a try next time. Worked great and would recommend Spike again.

Thanks for all the information guys!

[glacierpaul]

That'd be a good thing to add to the Jeep clinic. I'll bring the radiator. I have only soldered and brazed copper for plumbing, have never tried to do it on a radiator, but I certainly could.
Adam, nice!! 60/40 solder, I knew there had to be something different than standard plumbing solder, the flux may be a specific kind too, you may want to ask Spike. $35 is a deal.

[Cr33p3r]

That is good news Adam and a good price too. Soldering is not overly hard to do just like most everything else once your shown how to do it it takes practice. I do all my own radiator repairs unless they are the plastic ones. 60/40 is a good solder for this type project because of the flow chacteristics and strength, we used to use 95/5 but it is not as good for these repairs and silver solder is by no means good at all on radiators.

[Brody]

Nice! Glad you got it to work. The good radiator guys know what they are about. Post Spike's stuff up in the vendor's section with a Radiator Repair heading if you would.

Did it for you. This is the guy that I posted. Let me know if this isn't the right place.

Spike Radiator & Air Cond

(http://www.manta.com/c/mmsk2gz/spike-radiator-air-cond)
2331 W Hampden Avenue # 123
Englewood, CO 80110-2074 map (http://www.manta.com/cmap/mmsk2gz/spike-radiator-air-cond)

[sunk]

Brody, thats right.

Ill have to post a pic of the solder repair, it looks just like a really nice weld. The flux was a little different than what I am used to, it was more of a liquid that a gel. It really did a good job cleaning the surface, he applied the flux using a small brush.

Just a small addition, Spike was very helpful, he even repaired another joint on the radiator that he saw a issue with and didnt add the repair to the cost. He also does repairs on gas tanks, I have a similar issue with my tank and will be bringing it to him in the near future.

[Brody]

Good to know and really good plan on the gas tank.

The one and only time I repaired (tried) a gas tank was at a friend's garage who was a mechanic. He walked me through the 'dump and drain the gas, hose it out, fill with water" BS, all of which I did, then went to his job. I ended up getting knocked out and dinged up 20' from the tank and the tank ended up punching a hole in the side of his huge garage, which I had just finished building for him. I repaired his garage which was not too big of a deal, but have never tried to weld a gas tank up since. That was back in the early 80s.

[Molley]

lol lol i also TRYED to weld a gas tank ,, it started jumping all over the table before i could get away from it ,, wow what a good time that was ! no big bang but the therory was there.. it has jb weld on it and will for a long time .. ;)