Radiator leak where plastic meets metal

[pcmdjason]

On my wife’s 2002 Galant, fluid has started seeping out of the part of the radiator where the metal fingers wrap around the plastic top.

Topic

[Grayfox]

I have heard of tire sealant and sand being used for radiator leaks, don’t know if it works.

[college man]

I would not recommend any sealant in the coolant system.you will cause more harm than good.as for exterior sealant nothing will hold do to pressure.
try a radiator shop or a new after market radiator when you can.thats the only real fix here.you don’t want to send your wife out that far to get stuck on
the road.good luck keep us posted

[Squibcat]

I installed a radiator in a 96 accord and if I’m not mistaken it was pretty reasonable. Just a bit of time. If it’s leaking there them I’m sure that means it’s junk.

[Matt]

Quoted From college man:

I would not recommend any sealant in the coolant system.you will cause more harm than good.as for exterior sealant nothing will hold do to pressure.
try a radiator shop or a new after market radiator when you can.thats the only real fix here.you don’t want to send your wife out that far to get stuck on
the road.good luck keep us posted

I totally agree. I wouldn’t put any Barr’s stop leak or anything in the system, as that will end up giving you many more problems, in my opinion. As to jb weld or some other outer repair, that’s a good question. In a pinch, I might try it. The pressure in a cooling system is <15 lbs, so I wouldn't think it would blow out a repair like this. But I would wait for someone like Eric's opinion over mine.

[johnzcarz]

I’d stop by a radiator shop and get their opinion. If it’s something they can patch (but you remove it and bring it to them then re-install it in the car), it should be a reasonable cost.

[spelunkerd]

Although replacing the radiator may not be in your budget, you have to remember that overheating could warp the head and really sink your wallet. This is an emergency and I would fix it right away, probably by replacing the radiator. It’s not usually as expensive as you might think, especially if you have a mainstream vehicle and if you go to a dedicated radiator shop. Sometimes dealers subcontract guys like that to do their radiator repairs and if you go directly to them it may save having to pay the middleman. It is also possible to do your own radiator replacement, but for the work and hassle it may not be worth it for you.

The lack of heat from the heater is from running low on coolant, and getting air pockets in the heater core. You probably have similar pockets inside the engine jacket. Those air pockets can really heat up, since steam has very little cooling capability.

Good luck, and sorry for the bad news.

[EricTheCarGuy]

In short you need a radiator, I don’t recommend you try to seal it or use stop leak as you could cause other issues. I’ve had more than one of those show up in my bay and I’ve yet to see a successful repair on one. I know you say money is tight but don’t be penny wise only to end up pound foolish and don’t keep driving it till it overheats as that could cause even more expensive damage.

[3SheetsDiesel]

I just did a quick search over on rockauto.com, and it looks to me like you can get a radiator for your car for right around $70 if it’s the 4 cylinder engine, right about $100 for the V6. I know that money’s tight for you, but I’d rather buy a $100 radiator than a $2000 engine.

If memory serves, replacing the radiator one one of those cars is a fairly simple procedure. I haven’t done one in years, and I don’t have a picture of the engine bay in front of me, but it should be little more than drain the coolant, disconnect the radiator hoses, unplug the fans, remove the transmission cooler lines (I’m presuming that it’s an automatic), remove the two radiator holders on top and lift the radiator out of the car. Transfer the fans to the new radiator, move the two little rubber feet off of the bottom of the old radiator and put them on the new radiator, and then reinstall in reverse order. Refill it with a 50/50 mix of coolant/water and then take it for a drive to make sure that everything works correctly. Mitchell calls for 1.3 hours for a 4 cylinder radiator, 1.6 hours for a V6, so it shouldn’t be too terrible of a job.

[dreamer2355]

+1 on not using stop leak.

I worked on a 97 VW Golf with a 2.0 ABA engine that some one used stop leak to fix a leaking radiator. All i can say is what a mess.

[firebirdjimbo]

Just had that exact problem on a 96 dodge ram 4.9. You’re going to have to bite the bullet and get new rad, then bring your old one in for a couple bucks worth of aluminum or something.

[Author]

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