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Old 01-07-2006, 01:27 PM   #1
aggiedave98
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small leak in radiator

I thought I'd find a lot of posts on this w/ a search, but didn't find much.

Anyway, I've got a small leak in my radiator. I'm not sure where, but if I crawl under the truck I can see some fluid at the lower point of the radiator. I fill up the overflow tank to the lower line every month or so. It slowly empties (as the radiator is leaking). Probably 6 months ago I put in some sealant that you pour in the radiator.

Should I try some more sealant? Is that stuff bad??

What are my other options? I think I've heard of places that will fix leaks. Is there a good way to find the leak??
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Old 01-07-2006, 01:47 PM   #2
piecesparts
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Re: small leak in radiator

To much sealant and you can plug the heater core up. I recommend that you find a decent radiator shop and pull the radiator out of the truck and fix it. Shops around my part of the country are not that expensive on small core repairs.
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Old 01-07-2006, 01:48 PM   #3
aggiedave98
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Re: small leak in radiator

So can I just bring it in and they'll find the leak and fix it?? I'm going to be rebuilding the engine, so I can just do it then.
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Old 01-07-2006, 02:06 PM   #4
1983shorty
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Re: small leak in radiator

Quote:
Originally Posted by aggiedave98
So can I just bring it in and they'll find the leak and fix it?? I'm going to be rebuilding the engine, so I can just do it then.
if you are rebuilding the engine i would get a new radiator or get yours recored. a new engine is "tighter" and will run a little hotter . if you can afford it , $150 or so for a new radiator is well worth the money to protect your new engine.
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Old 01-07-2006, 02:11 PM   #5
aggiedave98
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Re: small leak in radiator

shorty, I'll probably get a new one... I plan on doing the rebuild right, so $150 for a new radiator would be worth it... especially since I put the sealant in there...
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Old 01-07-2006, 02:50 PM   #6
piecesparts
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Re: small leak in radiator

A good radiator shop could look your radiator over and tell you if it is worth the effort to clean it out (rod the core) or if you should replace it. I have had more than one cleaned and repaired. I support the idea of buying a new one if it is needed. I had a truck that I chose to do that with, I even bought a core with more rows than the original and my cost was around $100.00 from the radiator shop. I have another truck that I put an aftermarket aluminum radiator in and it cost a lot more, along with the electric fans that I also put in.
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Old 01-07-2006, 07:11 PM   #7
smokinn
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Re: small leak in radiator

On myth busters they put a egg in the radiator to stop a leak and it worked.
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Old 01-08-2006, 08:54 PM   #8
OJOE
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Re: small leak in radiator

on a big leak use the whole chicken ha ha
__________________
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AN D A LOT MORE JUNK
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Old 01-08-2006, 10:03 PM   #9
aggiedave98
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Re: small leak in radiator

I watch Mythbusters sometimes, but didn't see that one... that's pretty funny though.
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Old 01-09-2006, 01:55 AM   #10
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Re: small leak in radiator

Quote:
Originally Posted by OJOE
on a big leak use the whole chicken ha ha
No just use a dozen. LOL
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