Radiator is a small aluminum one for a kart. Couple of weeks back, it had a small pinhole leak so I replaced it with my spare. I'm now down to one and would like to fix it as a backup as opposed to spending a few bills on a new one.
Looks like my options are aluminum putty, flux wire with a torch and soldering. I have a high temp soldering gun (600-800 degrees) and was looking at something like
this to repair it.
Has anyone done that before? Is it too much trouble? Would normal electrical solder work, too? I doubt the radiator is under much pressure and generally keep it under 150 degrees. The aluminum putty would probably work too, but I wanted to try the solder idea.
-Rob
Why did it get a pinhole? If it is from external damage then go ahead and try fixing (or have it fixed) If the pinhole is from corrosion from the inside then scrap it (or have it re-cored) as it will soon spring another leak.
Speaking of re-coring If I was you I would look around for a radiator shop in your area. You would be surprised as to how cheap you can get re-cores done.
In reply to oldtin:
But that won't work on aluminum. My local welding shop does sell an aluminum solder kit similar to this one. I have attempted to use it a few times with poor to "I guess it's sealed" results. Might be worth a go.
Radiator is aluminum and not very old. We only run distilled water in them and I'm 99% sure it was a rock smacking it at high speed to cause the leak. I don't think it's corroded.
True radiator shops around here are rare as hen's teeth. I had another one fixed a few years back from the only shop within 100 miles. Took him about 5 months to do it because he went out of business and sold all his remaining "work" to someone even farther away. Took that guy two weeks just to find the radiator. I must have called about 10 radiator shops near me and their response was they just replace them, they don't fix them.
Thanks for the link JKB. That looks more like another kit I found. Was hoping to find something locally to buy and play with tonight. I may just order that kit, though. It's not a critical fix, per se, just wanted to see if I could fix it without shelling out a couple of hundred bucks for another one. I'm tempted, still, do do something like this too, just as a quick fix.
Honestly, it's more of a learning/experimental item for me. New radiators are pricey, used ones aren't and everyone seems to have a backup. So, if I try something and it doesn't hold, I'm not really out too much.
-Rob
Anybody nearby with a tig and the skills to weld pop cans? There is a guy a block north of me that could do it.
Man I just use the black goo with the fiberglass reinforcement tape and those repairs hold for decades.
My kid's trying to learn TIG at school if his teacher can find time (and it's his radiator). I'll see if he wants to take it to school for a project to do.
-Rob
Soldering or TIG welding the tubes in a radiator is difficult and I've never successfully done it. My go to for that is good old fashioned JB weld. It looks like heck but it's effective, quick and easy.
I saw these kids once. They got a hole in their radiator. Probably from a commie bullet, but they were going cross country pretty fast. Anyway, they just pinched off the tube on both sides with some pliers, but they they had no water, so they pissed in it and off they went to go live in the woods.
Yep, in the old days we would just pinch off the tube.
we did use clean water.
You could cut the tube removing an inch or so. Fill both ends of the tube at the cuts with jb weld then double fold the tube ends and crimp with needle nose vice grips while it drys.
Yes I have done this before looks like hell but worked great. Fixed a rad damaged by a rock getting kicked up in an endurance race. The car completed the race and a couple more as we forgot to fix it. The rad was eventually pulled and kept as a spare.
The stuff you're after is "aluminum brazing rod", like this stuff. Electronics, plumbing, silver, etc. solder doesn't stick to aluminum. Or JB weld epoxy would probably work fine.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/hobart-aluminum-brazing-rod-1-8-in-dia-pack-of-8?cm_vc=-10005
