Radiators

I once repaired a radiator once with JB weld and it worked. But before you do here's some advice first locate the crack, drill a very small hole in the radiator at each end of the crack. This will prevent the crack from splitting and getting larger. Second make sure it is very clean in that area that you will be appling JB weld. Use some sand paper on it so it will give it a better bound. JB weld does work well for that perticular application.

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A few more tips:

my '97 Camry recently developed a hairline crack across the top of the radiator, so i called a buddy of mine who's been a diesel mechanic for 10+ years, and he said he's seen great results using JB Weld on plastic radiators. his recommended tips were:

- 1st (and VERY important), allow your vehicle to cool overnight to ensure the radiator and engine is COMPLETELY cold as can be before beginning the repair.

- distress/score the area around & including the crack with some steel wool or sandpaper. you could use a Dremel or something of the sort, but you must be extra careful to not dig too deep (as it would weaken the radiator even more-so.

- use some brake cleaner and shop towels to clean the area around & including the crack VERY well after you score it.

- drill 1 small (and i emphasize SMALL) hole at each end of the crack (2 holes in total - 1 at each end) to "terminate" the crack so that it won't crack any further.

- mix up the JB Weld so that it's nice and tacky (more so on the thick side).

- apply the JB Weld thoroughly (but not TOO thick) to cover all of the crack and the 2 small holes you drilled at each end.

- allow AT LEAST 24 hours for the JB Weld to dry & cure thoroughly. the colder and/or wetter (humidty, rain in the air, etc...) the longer you need to wait. if you can wait 48 hours, you can rest assured that it should be cured thoroughly (again...make sure the JB Weld stays DRY).

- again, DO NOT START the engine for any reason during this 24-48 curing time. it will heat up the radiator and put internal pressure/stress on the repair which WILL prevent it from curing properly.

i hadn't thought about inserting mesh or fiberglass screen into the JB Weld when it's applied, but it sounds like it would definitely make the repair hold up better. GREAT idea!!

I'm going to attempt this repair tomorrow (Friday, 1st October) and then not drive the car for a couple days. here's to hoping!! :)

The drain plug is located on the passenger's side of the radiator, all the way at the bottom of the face towards the motor. There is a small 1/4" hose connected just beneath it.

I suspect that after the flush, your ratio of coolant to water changed and the "coolant" is more concentrated. The term "coolant" is a bit of an oxymoron. Its purpose is really to prevent/reduce corrosion, and to improve the overall boiling and freezing points of the mixture, but it itself is poorer conductor of heat than pure water. Too high of a mixture of coolant will actually cause poorer cooling, however too low can cause boil-over. You want the proper mixture....and maybe you do have that now and it had become dilluted over time before your flush. If in doubt, have it tested. It's also possible you have an air bubble trapped somewhere in the system preventing proper coolant flow. You might consult a local professional and ask about "burping" the cooling system. They might tell you how to do it yourself. Particles Loosened Particles in the system could have been loosened in the process of the flush causing a different area in the system to become clogged. This is a common occurance in after flushing the system. Another problem could be air trapped in the system as mentioned above. Loosen the burp plug 3/4 turn on the thermostat housing just after starting a cool engine. Remove radiator cap and add 50/50 mixture as needed until antifreeze starts coming out of burp plug. Tighten plug and replace radiator cap when radiator filled to top of neck. You may also want to consider replacing radiator cap with a new "Stant" cap without the plastic lever. They are proven to hold pressure more consistently and be made of better quality. Only use green antifreeze after flushing system. Don't ever use Dex-Cool for various very costly problems it has proven to cause.

If its low.. you should check it every two weeks when u go over the other fluids ....

Just finished replacing the radiator on a '96 Voyager Rallye in 5 hours, start to finish, and I'm not a mechanic (had to borrow the tools!). The grill/"bumper" comes off in one piece, then just pay attention to the order of what comes off next. I lost maybe a half hour having to undo/redo little things on reassembly.

Good luck.

It is on the lower right of the radiator. Sometime it is esier to remove the lower rad hose. Drivers side. You use a 3/4 wrench to lossen it and when you tighten it, don't turn very hard or you'll break the plastic plug.

It's probably the metal "T" fitting where the heater hoses are connected. I had to replace the fitting with a plastic one after the original metal one started to corrode. It would leak tiny streams of water when the temperature reached a normal level. The fitting is under the hood near the steering column.

Purchase one gallon of antifreeze from your local auto parts store and mix it with one gallon of clean water for a mixture of 50/50. This mixture will protect from freezing down to -34 degrees F.

i just researched this and learned that there is one built in with the condenser. we are looking to add a bigger one to increase our tow capacity. aamco transmissions will be putting one on for us. 2007 caravan sxt

The water pump could have quit working. The water would overheat and overflow through the coolant reservoir.

I was losing water and couldn't find it until i noticed there is a water line that runs underneath the exhaust manifold that has a 1" aluminum fitting that had came loose and was sending the water to the exhaust manifold so it was evaporating as fast as it was leaking.. You have to pull the exhaust manifold back (i had to take the fans off due to a 50 trim turbo) and tighten the bolt.

If it doesn't have a bleeder screw on top of thermostat housing that can be opened alowing some antifreeze to escape. (some do) I would loosen the upper radiator hose and run vehicle until thermostat opens and antifreeze starts coming out -- careful it will be hot. Or loosen one of the hoses going into the heater core and again let water flow for a couple of sseconds. T avoid this problem, when filling cooling system, do so slowly allowing air to escape during fill procedure.

i would say 18-22 pounds. should work fine...

The only way to find out is to have a look it could be anything.

Look either at the bottom of radiator or on the rear of the radiator bottom

Yes, it could be the pipe that runs between the heads.

You may have an air lock. Drain your fluid again, out the peacock valve on the bottom of the rad and remove the lower rad hose from the engine block. Now reattach your hose and seal up the peacock valve. Pour coolant into the rad until you can see the fluid level (flashlight helps) then stop. Now start your vehicle with the cap still off the rad watch as the pump moves the fluid, continue to add fluid until the level no longer goes down. Beware coolant may splash up and out use long gloves and eye protection if you wish. Once the level no longer decreases be sure to add the remainder of the manufactures required coolant into the overflow. If there is a full or add line on that overflow reservoir check and add coolant later if necessary. At some point the coolant should level off otherwise you may have a leak somewhere. If all this does not work your heater core maybe plugged or leaking. Mine had not been working for a while and when i tried to fix it there had been a mouse living in there and blocked the whole unit and ate through the heater core. For starters you want to make sure the water pump is functioning and thermostat is working.

either your low on anti-freeze or the thermostat is broken. i just changed my thermostat today and i cost $11 so it won't hurt to get it replaced even if your not sure its broken.

I do know of a solution to this problem. If the crack is just a small one there is a tablet you can get at any Automotive Repair store. It's called Radiator Repair its a small "tablet" you drop in your radiator and let the car run, as it warms up you will notice the crack disappear. Other than that JB Weld is a good bet if you know where the leak is generating from.

u need to take both the radiator hoses off the radiator and take a water hose to the top inlet. leave the cap on it. and let water run through it to flush it out.

hi there, i dont own this type of car but i am a mechanic, (only in my own time) so i can educate you on all cars in general, ok! if you look underneth any car at the bottom of the radiator and there is no BUTTERFLY/WING NUT sometimes metal but mainly plastic, then how to empty the radiator is to undo the bottom hose. this answear not only your question for this car but for all cars, ok! TAKE NOTE DO NOT CHANGE WATER WHEN ENGINE IS HOT YOU MAY BURN YOURSELF, AND ALSO NEVER FILL UP A HOT ENGINE WITH COLD WATER YOU CAN BLOW THE HEAD OR HEAD GASKET.

2 bolts near the top of the fan assembly. However these do not fail often. More often the fan control module (or some call it the Relay, but it is solid state) fail. It is very common in this series of vehicles.

i would go to your local auto parts store and ask them for a raidiator flush kit. it should be a bottle of chemicals that you run through your raidiator and then drain it and replace your coolant. it should have all the directions you need on the bottle