Punctured 440 Radiator

[Clyde9]

From: tcactyl (Original Message)
Sent: 9/6/2006 3:18 AM

Help ....I have been rust-busting and whilst working above the radiator, my cordless screwdriver fell and the pozi-bit  punctured one of the cores.....any suggestions , short of pulling the whole caboodle out, would I need to remove the front grill bars?

Thierry
UK



From: Moondisc1
Sent: 9/6/2006 8:57 AM

A temporary fix would be to take needle nose pliers and pinch off the row above and below the hole.
A better fix would be to cut out the row where the hole is, pinch the ends together, and silver solder the ends.
Guess Murphy's law is alive and well in the UK?
And I thought Murphy was only in the colonies!



From: Jupp318
Sent: 9/6/2006 7:15 PM

Hi Thierry,

An expensive mistake I fear, I have just had my 318 Rad re-cored with an extra row of cores for £220 +VAT.  The other option is to take the Rad to a repairer and see if they can fix it.  I managed to hole my new core when refitting it, the guy fixed it FOC!.

Cheers Ian...



From: Slantsixness
Sent: 9/6/2006 11:42 PM

Thierry (Tcactyl)

No need to take out the radiator. use a product called JB Weld, it's an epoxy based metal repair compound. I have used it on radiators when I have made a similar mistake.


    * You HAVE to drain the radiator
    * You HAVE to clean the damaged area WELL
    * Make sure you follow the mixing instructions properly (don't mix too little or too much at a time!)
    * Apply the JB weld in two applications, once to cover and once to seal
    * wait 1 day before second application of  second seal coat.
    * the radiator can be refilled a few minutes after second application.

It doesn't matter how much you smear over the hole(s). Be sure to use plenty. It'll look ugly, but save money, and the row will still function. you can paint the repair with black paint and hardly anyone will notice.

I don't know if JB Weld is available in the UK... but there should be something comparable. JB Weld is used to plug holes, drill and re tap the hole, and the stuff works. Look it up on the net....

A radiator shop with a welder might be able to fix the hole, but usually they just delete that row in the core and seal it off.

JB weld costs around $5 here in the U.S., for an adequate amount.

Tom



From: Les-the-Pres
Sent: 9/7/2006 4:02 PM


Hi, JB Weld is certainly available here in the UK, I've got some in my tool Kit, I would recommend a wire brushing followed by a spray with Aerosol brake cleaner, (WATCH THE FUMES,) to get it clean.
'Course you could always pour Holt's RADWELD into the radiator, Fixed more than one leaker for me. Regards, Les S. Cheltenham, UK.